Chris Cuomo GOES OFF on Washington Dysfunction Over Border Detention Crisis: ‘Everybody is Lying to You!’

In his opening segment, CNN’s Chris Cuomo went off on a lengthy rant about Washington dysfunction over the border detention crisis, blasting both the Trump administration and Democrats in Congress as playing politics with the issue: “Everybody is lying to you…Everybody in this situation has waited too long.”

Cuomo’s comments came in response to Vice President Mike Pence’s public tour of two border detention families in the Rio Grande Valley earlier in the day. After which, Pence gave a subdued response to the abhorrent conditions seen in one and repeatedly tried to duck accountability about the crisis with a CNN reporter while blaming Democrats.

“I got to be honest about something with you, okay?” Cuomo began after airing a portion of the CNN interview with Pence. “I have respect for Mike Pence. I’ve dealt with him in the past. I believe he takes his faith very seriously. I cannot believe as someone who holds themselves out to a Christian, that he would say that, knowing you’re going to hear it.”

Then, Cuomo unloaded on  Pence and the Trump administration for their long-running nativist appeals to their base.

“That this is the first time this has been recognized and everybody was saying was a manufactured crisis. He knows damn well that this president sold people on a brown menace… ‘Some, I assume are good people,’ that’s the quote. He never talked to you about kids and families. Look at what we’re allowing in our country and everybody is lying to you! This president was told this is what was going to happen.”

Cuomo then went to concur with the “the cruelty is the point” critique of the Trump administration’s immigration policy. “Harshness of these conditions work for this administration because they send a message of deterrence,” he said. “You’re not going to see [Pence] with the kids, have you? Why? Because these kids’ faces don’t sell fear. These faces do. That’s why they got to show cameras with the men.”

But the CNN host also saved some of his ire for the Democrats in Congress, who he said were how “at least seeming to care.” After several clips of emotional House Democrats testifying to the horrific living conditions they’ve witnessed at the border, Cuomo dismissed the theatrics and instead focused on what he called a lack of action.

“If you’re feeling this way now, where were you six months ago when you knew this?” Cuomo asked. “If you want to say ‘We couldn’t get the assurances for the conditions. We didn’t want to give a blank check for more of these policies.’ This wasn’t about ICC. This wasn’t about giving money for how they’re going to do these roundups… You played politics with this, and if you’re going to cry for these kids now, that’s good. But do something about it. We don’t need testimony about how bad the conditions are. Everybody knows. It’s not a situation where you have to expose what the government wants to hide. They’re only too happy to show you it to you. You waited six months.”

Closing his segment, the CNN host invoked all the children and families suffering at the hands of our country and implored Republicans and Democrats to keep them in mind to come up with a comprehensive solution.

“Do you think they’re ever going to forget this experience? How will they remember us?” Cuomo said. “It’s a shame. It is shameful. But at least we’re all on the same page now. Let’s see what happens next.”

Watch the video above, via CNN.