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Press Briefing by Kayleigh McEnany; July 24, 2020
One last question. Chanel?
PRESS BRIEFINGS
Press Briefing by Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany
Issued on: July 24, 2020
James S. Brady Press Briefing Room
1:36 P.M. EDT
MS. MCENANY: Hello, everyone. The first duty of government is to protect the safety of our citizens. That’s what Attorney General Barr said when he was here at the White House just a few days ago. For 55 days in Portland, Oregon, we’ve seen lawlessness, anarchy, and destruction that threatens peace in our streets and the safety of our fellow American citizens and the safety of our brave law enforcement officers.
Yet some Democrats and some in the media continue to ignore reality. As Portland’s — Portland’s Democrat Mayor Ted Wheeler tweeted, quote, “What I saw last night was powerful in many ways. I listened, heard, and stood with [the] protesters. And I saw what it means when the federal government unleashes paramilitary forces against its own people.” That was a quote from the Democrat mayor who quite literally stood in the middle of a riot as violent protestors attacked a federal building. That is appalling, and Mayor Wheeler is clearly failing at his duty to protect his streets and his city there in Portland.
The federal government has a sworn duty to uphold the laws of the United States through field offices and federal facilities across the country. These agents protect and serve the American people. Yet the rhetoric of the left undermines our justice system, with Nancy Pelosi calling them “stormtroopers,” Jim Clyburn calling them the “Gestapo,” and Wheeler using the term “paramilitary forces.”
Under President Trump, violent crime rates in America finally began to fall. Rhetoric like this cannot be allowed to set us back. Augmenting the Federal Protective Service, guarding federal property in Portland, our brave officers have — since — since augmenting them, I should say, our brave officers have faced all of these various things — like rioters barricading officers inside the Hatfield federal courthouse, trapping officers inside. A, quote, “commercial-grade mortar firework” was launched by rioters. A federal agents hand was impaled by planted nails. Another federal agent was shot with a pellet gun, leaving a wound deep to the bone. And tragically, three federal officers were likely left permanently blinded by the rioters using lasers pointed directly at their eyes.
These are not the actions of so-called peaceful protesters, and the Trump administration will not stand by and allow anarchy in our streets. Law and order will prevail.
And I have a short video for you because I want it to be real what is happening right now in Portland. So if we could play that video, that’d be great.
(A video clip is played.)
As you can see, that is anything but a peaceful protest. And this President will always stand on the side of law and order.
And with that, I’ll take questions. Yes.
{snip}
Q I wanted to ask you about the President’s phone call with Vladimir Putin. Did the President raise the issue of Russian bounties on the lives of American troops during that phone call?
MS. MCENANY: So, as you know, that intelligence is unverified still to this day. There are dissenting opinions within the intel community. I won’t get into the President’s private discussions with a foreign leader. I was not on that call, but that intelligence is still unverified.
But rest assured our President will always stand with our military and protect them against any and every foreign adversary.
Yes.
Q Has he made a determination, Kayleigh, about what happened? He’s been briefed now, right?
MS. MCENANY: (Pointing to a journalist.) Yes.
Q Yes, thank you, Kayleigh.
Q Kayleigh, thank you —
Q Yes, Nancy Pelosi and Mitch McConnell announced that John Lewis –-
MS. MCENANY: I’ll come back to you next. Yes.
{snip}
Yes.
Q Thank you, Kayleigh. So the Senate has approved overwhelmingly a bill that would require the renaming of bases that are named after Confederate leaders. How — and how is it that Senator Inhofe assured the President he was going to be able to remove that from legislation that has passed both chambers of Congress?
MS. MCENANY: Yeah, I’ll leave that to Senator Inhofe, as to how that works, legislatively speaking. But the President was assured by Senator Inhofe that that would be changing, and that Republicans stood with the President on this and stood with the rest of America. Fifty-six percent, according to an ABC/Ipsos poll, are opposed to the changing of the U.S. base names.
Kevin.
{snip}
Yes.
Q Okay. My question was about transmission rates.
But anyway, my second question is also on the President’s call —
MS. MCENANY: And I answered that.
Q — with the Russian President yesterday. Today, the nation’s top counterintelligence official said that Russia is one of three countries that is actively working to interfere in our election. Did the President bring up election interference on the call with the Russian President yesterday?
MS. MCENANY: Again, I wasn’t on the call. But the President —
Q But you get read up on those calls.
MS. MCENANY: I was not on the call. The Pres- —
Q But you get read up on the calls.
MS. MCENANY: The President has taken more actions for election security than his predecessor, who gave a stand down order when he learned about election interference. Susan Rice gave that stand down order. Obama’s intel chief even confirmed that stand down order was given.
By contrast, we’ve given innumer- — a ton of funding to election security. We take our elections seriously —
Q My question is did President Trump bring it —
MS. MCENANY: — and we believe in election integrity.
Justin.
Q My question is did President Trump —
MS. MCENANY: Justin.
Q — bring it up on the call yesterday?
MS. MCENANY: Justin.
Q You’re not answering.
MS. MCENANY: I was not on the call, Kaitlan. Stop filibustering.
Q So yes or no?
MS. MCENANY: Justin.
Let your colleagues ask questions
Q That’s not filibustering. You’re not answering my question.
MS. MCENANY: Justin.
Q Did he bring it up?
MS. MCENANY: Okay, Justin no longer has a question.
Anyone else?
Q Kayleigh —
MS. MCENANY: Okay.
Q Kayleigh, around 20 million Americans —
Q It’s not answering.
Q — are receiving the expanded uninsurance benefits, and some are going to receive the last of those checks tomorrow. Have Senate Republicans in the White House settled on a plan yet to extend UI? If so, can you explain what that plan is? And if not, did you wait too long to try to sort this out?
{snip}
Jeff.
Q Kayleigh, the President’s tone on the virus this week seems to have changed. He’s advocated a few different times for Americans to wear masks. He said that the virus would — or the pandemic would get worse before it gets better. He cancelled most of the convention — or certainly the Florida part — yesterday.
All of these things were bad two months ago — even longer than that — and the science on masking has been clear for several months. What changed this week? Why did his tone change?
MS. MCENANY: There has been no change. The President said, on March 31st, before there was even a recommended but not required guidance given by the CDC on mask wearing — the President already said, if you want to wear a mask, wear a mask. It doesn’t harm anyone. And that was before — that was when our scientists even were — some of them were saying don’t wear masks.
So the President has been consistent on this. He wore a mask back at the Ford facility. He carries it around in his pocket. He showed it to you multiple times. He hasn’t changed. In fact — and just speaking on COVID, generally — the way I’ve heard him talk privately in the Oval Office is the way he’s talking out here.
The only thing that’s changed is the President taking dozens and dozens and dozens of your questions each and every day because he felt the best way to get information to the American people was for him to be out here, answering your questions and providing this directly.
{snip}
And you’ve got the best messenger, the duly elected President of the United States, talking directly to the American people and getting extraordinary ratings as they tune in to get information from their leader.
Q But my question wasn’t —
MS. MCENANY: Yes, Jon.
Q My question wasn’t about —
MS. MCENANY: Jon.
Q — that last piece. I just want to clarify —
Q Thank you, Kayleigh.
Q — one thing, Kayleigh.
MS. MCENANY: Okay, Jon no longer has a question. Anyone else?
Q No, I do, Kayleigh. I do, Kayleigh.
Q I just want to — I just want to clarify —
MS. MCENANY: Jon.
Q I don’t want to talk over, if — let me — if you don’t mind, Jeff, maybe we can come back to you?
Q I would like to finish my question.
Q Yes, well, let me — let me ask my question —
MS. MCENANY: Yeah, but the — when everyone in the front rows get five questions, people in the back row don’t even get the opportunity to ask questions.
Q It’s just that you’re not answering the questions, Kayleigh.
Q Thanks, Kayleigh. I want to ask about the Senate Defense Authorization bill, which passed by a veto-proof majority yesterday; and the House earlier this week also passed their version of the Defense bill also by a veto-proof majority. And both of those bills contain mandates that the Pentagon rename these military bases, which are named in honor of Confederate generals.
I want to ask you: Does the President believe that his position — which we’re all familiar with — it’s helpful in terms of recruitment, specifically for African Americans? Explain how that position will help recruit African Americans in an all-volunteer military force?
MS. MCENANY: The President stands with the American people; 56 percent don’t want to see the bases’ names changed. Where he stands is in a place where — many soldiers who have lost their lives overseas, the last ground that they saw were these bases. And by changing their names, he believes that — that it is not appropriate that those soldiers who lost their lives, to be told that the ground that they left —
Q I’m — I’m familiar with his position; I think you just restated it very well. But I’m asking you, specifically: How is this helpful for an African American which — who wants to volunteer for our all-volunteer military forces to go to a base that’s named for a Confederate general that worked to still put and keep it in place slavery, which impacted their ancestors?
MS. MCENANY: Because the bases are not known for the generals they’re named after. The bases are known for the heroes within it: the great Americans — black, white, Hispanic — of every race who have died on behalf of this great country. And 56 percent of the nation agrees with the President.
Q So it’s your position that —
MS. MCENANY: (Pointing to a journalist.) Yes.
Q — that it won’t impact — it won’t impact then —
MS. MCENANY: (Pointing to a journalist.) Yes.
Q — in any way recruitment, is what your position is?
MS. MCENANY: Next question.
Q Is that a yes or a no?
MS. MCENANY: I already answered that one twice.
Q It’s just a yes or a no.
Q Kayleigh — Kayleigh, I want to circle back to school choice, which you mentioned a few minutes ago. So, that means shifting — the potential for shifting federal funds away from schools that don’t open so that parents can use it — use those funds for homeschooling or for private schooling.
The President vehemently opposes defunding police. Why — why is defunding public schools okay?
MS. MCENANY: So the President has never wanted to take money away from schools, take money away from education. It is about keeping it with the child. The purpose of school funding is to educate a child. The child, if a school is closed, loses the opportunity to receive education and needed social services.
{snip}
Yes.
Q Thank you, Kayleigh. On the question of reopening schools: Yesterday, just minutes after the President announced that he was going to cancel the Republican convention events in Jacksonville, he also made the case again for reopening schools. So why is it not safe to hold the Republican convention, but it is safe to reopen schools?
MS. MCENANY: Yeah, the — schools are a different situation, when you have children who, as the CDC guidelines clearly note, are not affected in the same way as adults. We can make certain arrangements like social distancing in schools and follow the CDC guidelines that have been laid out and try to — they’re the best (inaudible) guidelines I referenced. We can get our schools up to the — the best place we can get them in, especially if we’re given additional school funding — the $105 billion that was mentioned that we would — are keen to see in a phase four.
So it’s a different scenario when you have packed adults in the room versus these students that we can make precautions and take measures to protect.
Yes.
Q Thank you Kayleigh. I have a question about COVID, but first I want to ask about the use of federal officers. Does the President believe he has the power to send DHS agents and officers anywhere in the country that he wants to?
MS. MCENANY: The President believes that his authority is in — with regard to DHS, which is distinct from DOJ — there’s Operation LeGend, which is primarily led by DOJ, and that’s just providing extra FBI and ATF and DEA agents to already-existing places. It’s just surging extra personnel in places that are out of control — like Chicago, for instance. Separate and distinct from Portland, which is DHS, and his power pertains to 40 U.S. Code 1315. And I — I read that statute for you in the last briefing, so I won’t bore you with reading it again, but that’s with protecting federal property.
So those are the two lanes that we’ve acted on and look at.
Q But for those DHS — those officers and agents, does he believe he has the power to send them anywhere he wants (inaudible)?
MS. MCENANY: He believes they’re there to protect federal property, so I’ll leave it to you to determine where is federal property.
Q And just — just to follow up on that, I mean, has the President reminded those federal agents and officers that their constitutional obligation to not violate search and seizure rights and not take people into custody without probable cause?
MS. MCENANY: Well, Chad Wolf is leading this operation over at DHS, and he has made clear that his officers are acting within the bounds of the law. Of course, we encourage everyone to act within the bounds of the law and the Constitution.
Yes.
Q The President said he loves the Constitution —
Q Thank you. Thank you, Kayleigh.
Q We haven’t heard him speak about that particular part of the Constitution in this context.
MS. MCENANY: (Pointing to a journalist.) Yes.
Q Yes. Pres- — President Trump has repeatedly said that he wouldn’t watch sports or support sports if players continue to kneel. So why has he agreed to throw out the first pitch at the Yankees game next month if the — considering that baseball players knelt at last night’s games?
MS. MCENANY: Yeah, I’ll leave it to him as to address the Yankees game. And he’s very excited to throw out the first pitch. And I was not a part of the discussions as to how that’s going to work, in terms of the first pitch. I’ve learned about it when you guys did, and he’s very excited to throw it out.
Yes.
{snip}
Chanel.
Q Thank you, Kayleigh. On federal law enforcement efforts, mainly Operation LeGend, we’re talking about funding for a lot of these programs. Anytime we’re talking about federal anything, we should be talking about the money behind it.
So with Operation LeGend, it appears to be filling a law and order void in majority-Democrat cities. So given this fact, in terms of the funding, would the citizen of, say, Springfield, Missouri, be called to pay for the security and the federal protections of the incompetence of Chicago, Illinois? Is that something that has been discussed, as far as funding for Operation LeGend?
MS. MCENANY: I’m not aware of that being discussed, in particular. I think where the President’s head is at right now is — you know, you look across the country, and it is Democrat streets where you’re seeing a lot of this lawlessness.
In Minneapolis, murders have spiked 94 percent; Philadelphia, murders have spiked 27 percent. Over a year ago, New York City, 277 percent increase in shootings. Over a year ago, Chicago — the most egregious — 414 people killed, 50 percent increase over a year ago.
We saw with — under President Obama, violent crime started to tick up. Started to come down under this President. He restored law and order. And then this Defund the Police movement has been an absolute travesty, and it’s why you have 67 percent of black Americans who worry that the criticism of police will cause police to pull back.
So this President is looking at this in a saving-lives lens. “I want to save lives. I’ll put federal money in,” as he did. Fin- — financial assistance was announced with AG Barr, and also additional manpower. He’s very keen on — on seeing the violence in our streets end. He wants to protect the people of this country when derelict Democrat mayors and governors do not. And he’s also appla- — appalled by cancel culture, and cancel culture specifically as it pertains to cops.
We saw, a few weeks ago, that “PAW Patrol,” a cartoon show about cops, was canceled. The show “Cops” was cancelled. “Live PD” was cancelled. Lego halted the sales of their “Lego City Police Station.” It’s really unfortunate because I stand with — and the President stands with — the 63 percent of Americans who think police officers are one of the most important jobs in this country. That’s 63 percent.
And with that I — Karoline Leavitt, one of our great assistant press secretaries, today went to great pains to make contact with the Southold Police Department in Suffolk County. We saw a very touching video that we loved, and she got the approval of the police department and the parent to show this video. Because I think this is emblematic of where America stands with regard to our police.
So if you wouldn’t mind playing that video, that’d be great.
(A video clip is played.)
MS. MCENANY: Thank you to our heroic police department around the country. America stands with you.
END 2:05 P.M. EDT
Press Briefing by Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany
Issued on: July 24, 2020
James S. Brady Press Briefing Room
1:36 P.M. EDT
MS. MCENANY: Hello, everyone. The first duty of government is to protect the safety of our citizens. That’s what Attorney General Barr said when he was here at the White House just a few days ago. For 55 days in Portland, Oregon, we’ve seen lawlessness, anarchy, and destruction that threatens peace in our streets and the safety of our fellow American citizens and the safety of our brave law enforcement officers.
Yet some Democrats and some in the media continue to ignore reality. As Portland’s — Portland’s Democrat Mayor Ted Wheeler tweeted, quote, “What I saw last night was powerful in many ways. I listened, heard, and stood with [the] protesters. And I saw what it means when the federal government unleashes paramilitary forces against its own people.” That was a quote from the Democrat mayor who quite literally stood in the middle of a riot as violent protestors attacked a federal building. That is appalling, and Mayor Wheeler is clearly failing at his duty to protect his streets and his city there in Portland.
The federal government has a sworn duty to uphold the laws of the United States through field offices and federal facilities across the country. These agents protect and serve the American people. Yet the rhetoric of the left undermines our justice system, with Nancy Pelosi calling them “stormtroopers,” Jim Clyburn calling them the “Gestapo,” and Wheeler using the term “paramilitary forces.”
Under President Trump, violent crime rates in America finally began to fall. Rhetoric like this cannot be allowed to set us back. Augmenting the Federal Protective Service, guarding federal property in Portland, our brave officers have — since — since augmenting them, I should say, our brave officers have faced all of these various things — like rioters barricading officers inside the Hatfield federal courthouse, trapping officers inside. A, quote, “commercial-grade mortar firework” was launched by rioters. A federal agents hand was impaled by planted nails. Another federal agent was shot with a pellet gun, leaving a wound deep to the bone. And tragically, three federal officers were likely left permanently blinded by the rioters using lasers pointed directly at their eyes.
These are not the actions of so-called peaceful protesters, and the Trump administration will not stand by and allow anarchy in our streets. Law and order will prevail.
And I have a short video for you because I want it to be real what is happening right now in Portland. So if we could play that video, that’d be great.
(A video clip is played.)
As you can see, that is anything but a peaceful protest. And this President will always stand on the side of law and order.
And with that, I’ll take questions. Yes.
{snip}
Q I wanted to ask you about the President’s phone call with Vladimir Putin. Did the President raise the issue of Russian bounties on the lives of American troops during that phone call?
MS. MCENANY: So, as you know, that intelligence is unverified still to this day. There are dissenting opinions within the intel community. I won’t get into the President’s private discussions with a foreign leader. I was not on that call, but that intelligence is still unverified.
But rest assured our President will always stand with our military and protect them against any and every foreign adversary.
Yes.
Q Has he made a determination, Kayleigh, about what happened? He’s been briefed now, right?
MS. MCENANY: (Pointing to a journalist.) Yes.
Q Yes, thank you, Kayleigh.
Q Kayleigh, thank you —
Q Yes, Nancy Pelosi and Mitch McConnell announced that John Lewis –-
MS. MCENANY: I’ll come back to you next. Yes.
{snip}
Yes.
Q Thank you, Kayleigh. So the Senate has approved overwhelmingly a bill that would require the renaming of bases that are named after Confederate leaders. How — and how is it that Senator Inhofe assured the President he was going to be able to remove that from legislation that has passed both chambers of Congress?
MS. MCENANY: Yeah, I’ll leave that to Senator Inhofe, as to how that works, legislatively speaking. But the President was assured by Senator Inhofe that that would be changing, and that Republicans stood with the President on this and stood with the rest of America. Fifty-six percent, according to an ABC/Ipsos poll, are opposed to the changing of the U.S. base names.
Kevin.
{snip}
Yes.
Q Okay. My question was about transmission rates.
But anyway, my second question is also on the President’s call —
MS. MCENANY: And I answered that.
Q — with the Russian President yesterday. Today, the nation’s top counterintelligence official said that Russia is one of three countries that is actively working to interfere in our election. Did the President bring up election interference on the call with the Russian President yesterday?
MS. MCENANY: Again, I wasn’t on the call. But the President —
Q But you get read up on those calls.
MS. MCENANY: I was not on the call. The Pres- —
Q But you get read up on the calls.
MS. MCENANY: The President has taken more actions for election security than his predecessor, who gave a stand down order when he learned about election interference. Susan Rice gave that stand down order. Obama’s intel chief even confirmed that stand down order was given.
By contrast, we’ve given innumer- — a ton of funding to election security. We take our elections seriously —
Q My question is did President Trump bring it —
MS. MCENANY: — and we believe in election integrity.
Justin.
Q My question is did President Trump —
MS. MCENANY: Justin.
Q — bring it up on the call yesterday?
MS. MCENANY: Justin.
Q You’re not answering.
MS. MCENANY: I was not on the call, Kaitlan. Stop filibustering.
Q So yes or no?
MS. MCENANY: Justin.
Let your colleagues ask questions
Q That’s not filibustering. You’re not answering my question.
MS. MCENANY: Justin.
Q Did he bring it up?
MS. MCENANY: Okay, Justin no longer has a question.
Anyone else?
Q Kayleigh —
MS. MCENANY: Okay.
Q Kayleigh, around 20 million Americans —
Q It’s not answering.
Q — are receiving the expanded uninsurance benefits, and some are going to receive the last of those checks tomorrow. Have Senate Republicans in the White House settled on a plan yet to extend UI? If so, can you explain what that plan is? And if not, did you wait too long to try to sort this out?
{snip}
Jeff.
Q Kayleigh, the President’s tone on the virus this week seems to have changed. He’s advocated a few different times for Americans to wear masks. He said that the virus would — or the pandemic would get worse before it gets better. He cancelled most of the convention — or certainly the Florida part — yesterday.
All of these things were bad two months ago — even longer than that — and the science on masking has been clear for several months. What changed this week? Why did his tone change?
MS. MCENANY: There has been no change. The President said, on March 31st, before there was even a recommended but not required guidance given by the CDC on mask wearing — the President already said, if you want to wear a mask, wear a mask. It doesn’t harm anyone. And that was before — that was when our scientists even were — some of them were saying don’t wear masks.
So the President has been consistent on this. He wore a mask back at the Ford facility. He carries it around in his pocket. He showed it to you multiple times. He hasn’t changed. In fact — and just speaking on COVID, generally — the way I’ve heard him talk privately in the Oval Office is the way he’s talking out here.
The only thing that’s changed is the President taking dozens and dozens and dozens of your questions each and every day because he felt the best way to get information to the American people was for him to be out here, answering your questions and providing this directly.
{snip}
And you’ve got the best messenger, the duly elected President of the United States, talking directly to the American people and getting extraordinary ratings as they tune in to get information from their leader.
Q But my question wasn’t —
MS. MCENANY: Yes, Jon.
Q My question wasn’t about —
MS. MCENANY: Jon.
Q — that last piece. I just want to clarify —
Q Thank you, Kayleigh.
Q — one thing, Kayleigh.
MS. MCENANY: Okay, Jon no longer has a question. Anyone else?
Q No, I do, Kayleigh. I do, Kayleigh.
Q I just want to — I just want to clarify —
MS. MCENANY: Jon.
Q I don’t want to talk over, if — let me — if you don’t mind, Jeff, maybe we can come back to you?
Q I would like to finish my question.
Q Yes, well, let me — let me ask my question —
MS. MCENANY: Yeah, but the — when everyone in the front rows get five questions, people in the back row don’t even get the opportunity to ask questions.
Q It’s just that you’re not answering the questions, Kayleigh.
Q Thanks, Kayleigh. I want to ask about the Senate Defense Authorization bill, which passed by a veto-proof majority yesterday; and the House earlier this week also passed their version of the Defense bill also by a veto-proof majority. And both of those bills contain mandates that the Pentagon rename these military bases, which are named in honor of Confederate generals.
I want to ask you: Does the President believe that his position — which we’re all familiar with — it’s helpful in terms of recruitment, specifically for African Americans? Explain how that position will help recruit African Americans in an all-volunteer military force?
MS. MCENANY: The President stands with the American people; 56 percent don’t want to see the bases’ names changed. Where he stands is in a place where — many soldiers who have lost their lives overseas, the last ground that they saw were these bases. And by changing their names, he believes that — that it is not appropriate that those soldiers who lost their lives, to be told that the ground that they left —
Q I’m — I’m familiar with his position; I think you just restated it very well. But I’m asking you, specifically: How is this helpful for an African American which — who wants to volunteer for our all-volunteer military forces to go to a base that’s named for a Confederate general that worked to still put and keep it in place slavery, which impacted their ancestors?
MS. MCENANY: Because the bases are not known for the generals they’re named after. The bases are known for the heroes within it: the great Americans — black, white, Hispanic — of every race who have died on behalf of this great country. And 56 percent of the nation agrees with the President.
Q So it’s your position that —
MS. MCENANY: (Pointing to a journalist.) Yes.
Q — that it won’t impact — it won’t impact then —
MS. MCENANY: (Pointing to a journalist.) Yes.
Q — in any way recruitment, is what your position is?
MS. MCENANY: Next question.
Q Is that a yes or a no?
MS. MCENANY: I already answered that one twice.
Q It’s just a yes or a no.
Q Kayleigh — Kayleigh, I want to circle back to school choice, which you mentioned a few minutes ago. So, that means shifting — the potential for shifting federal funds away from schools that don’t open so that parents can use it — use those funds for homeschooling or for private schooling.
The President vehemently opposes defunding police. Why — why is defunding public schools okay?
MS. MCENANY: So the President has never wanted to take money away from schools, take money away from education. It is about keeping it with the child. The purpose of school funding is to educate a child. The child, if a school is closed, loses the opportunity to receive education and needed social services.
{snip}
Yes.
Q Thank you, Kayleigh. On the question of reopening schools: Yesterday, just minutes after the President announced that he was going to cancel the Republican convention events in Jacksonville, he also made the case again for reopening schools. So why is it not safe to hold the Republican convention, but it is safe to reopen schools?
MS. MCENANY: Yeah, the — schools are a different situation, when you have children who, as the CDC guidelines clearly note, are not affected in the same way as adults. We can make certain arrangements like social distancing in schools and follow the CDC guidelines that have been laid out and try to — they’re the best (inaudible) guidelines I referenced. We can get our schools up to the — the best place we can get them in, especially if we’re given additional school funding — the $105 billion that was mentioned that we would — are keen to see in a phase four.
So it’s a different scenario when you have packed adults in the room versus these students that we can make precautions and take measures to protect.
Yes.
Q Thank you Kayleigh. I have a question about COVID, but first I want to ask about the use of federal officers. Does the President believe he has the power to send DHS agents and officers anywhere in the country that he wants to?
MS. MCENANY: The President believes that his authority is in — with regard to DHS, which is distinct from DOJ — there’s Operation LeGend, which is primarily led by DOJ, and that’s just providing extra FBI and ATF and DEA agents to already-existing places. It’s just surging extra personnel in places that are out of control — like Chicago, for instance. Separate and distinct from Portland, which is DHS, and his power pertains to 40 U.S. Code 1315. And I — I read that statute for you in the last briefing, so I won’t bore you with reading it again, but that’s with protecting federal property.
So those are the two lanes that we’ve acted on and look at.
Q But for those DHS — those officers and agents, does he believe he has the power to send them anywhere he wants (inaudible)?
MS. MCENANY: He believes they’re there to protect federal property, so I’ll leave it to you to determine where is federal property.
Q And just — just to follow up on that, I mean, has the President reminded those federal agents and officers that their constitutional obligation to not violate search and seizure rights and not take people into custody without probable cause?
MS. MCENANY: Well, Chad Wolf is leading this operation over at DHS, and he has made clear that his officers are acting within the bounds of the law. Of course, we encourage everyone to act within the bounds of the law and the Constitution.
Yes.
Q The President said he loves the Constitution —
Q Thank you. Thank you, Kayleigh.
Q We haven’t heard him speak about that particular part of the Constitution in this context.
MS. MCENANY: (Pointing to a journalist.) Yes.
Q Yes. Pres- — President Trump has repeatedly said that he wouldn’t watch sports or support sports if players continue to kneel. So why has he agreed to throw out the first pitch at the Yankees game next month if the — considering that baseball players knelt at last night’s games?
MS. MCENANY: Yeah, I’ll leave it to him as to address the Yankees game. And he’s very excited to throw out the first pitch. And I was not a part of the discussions as to how that’s going to work, in terms of the first pitch. I’ve learned about it when you guys did, and he’s very excited to throw it out.
Yes.
{snip}
Chanel.
Q Thank you, Kayleigh. On federal law enforcement efforts, mainly Operation LeGend, we’re talking about funding for a lot of these programs. Anytime we’re talking about federal anything, we should be talking about the money behind it.
So with Operation LeGend, it appears to be filling a law and order void in majority-Democrat cities. So given this fact, in terms of the funding, would the citizen of, say, Springfield, Missouri, be called to pay for the security and the federal protections of the incompetence of Chicago, Illinois? Is that something that has been discussed, as far as funding for Operation LeGend?
MS. MCENANY: I’m not aware of that being discussed, in particular. I think where the President’s head is at right now is — you know, you look across the country, and it is Democrat streets where you’re seeing a lot of this lawlessness.
In Minneapolis, murders have spiked 94 percent; Philadelphia, murders have spiked 27 percent. Over a year ago, New York City, 277 percent increase in shootings. Over a year ago, Chicago — the most egregious — 414 people killed, 50 percent increase over a year ago.
We saw with — under President Obama, violent crime started to tick up. Started to come down under this President. He restored law and order. And then this Defund the Police movement has been an absolute travesty, and it’s why you have 67 percent of black Americans who worry that the criticism of police will cause police to pull back.
So this President is looking at this in a saving-lives lens. “I want to save lives. I’ll put federal money in,” as he did. Fin- — financial assistance was announced with AG Barr, and also additional manpower. He’s very keen on — on seeing the violence in our streets end. He wants to protect the people of this country when derelict Democrat mayors and governors do not. And he’s also appla- — appalled by cancel culture, and cancel culture specifically as it pertains to cops.
We saw, a few weeks ago, that “PAW Patrol,” a cartoon show about cops, was canceled. The show “Cops” was cancelled. “Live PD” was cancelled. Lego halted the sales of their “Lego City Police Station.” It’s really unfortunate because I stand with — and the President stands with — the 63 percent of Americans who think police officers are one of the most important jobs in this country. That’s 63 percent.
And with that I — Karoline Leavitt, one of our great assistant press secretaries, today went to great pains to make contact with the Southold Police Department in Suffolk County. We saw a very touching video that we loved, and she got the approval of the police department and the parent to show this video. Because I think this is emblematic of where America stands with regard to our police.
So if you wouldn’t mind playing that video, that’d be great.
(A video clip is played.)
MS. MCENANY: Thank you to our heroic police department around the country. America stands with you.
END 2:05 P.M. EDT
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