Bob Corker Defends Migrant Caravans: ‘I Don’t Approve’ of GOP ‘Using Fear to Stimulate People’
Bob Corker defending the fleeing migrants: “They’re being tortured….I have a feeling that if you were living in one of these Central American countries and you had little girls and little boys you’re raising you might be trying to figure out a way to come to the great US of A” pic.twitter.com/VzocuyUiOZ
— Alan He (@alanhe) November 2, 2018
Senator Bob Corker (R-TN) offered comments on Thursday regarding the migrant refugees fleeing their homes in Central America that stood in stark contrast to that of his fellow Republican party members.
As President Trump and much of the GOP push fear-based rhetoric about the migrant caravans ahead of the midterm elections, Corker spoke at the Chattanooga Rotary Club and noted that many of these migrants are fleeing deep sociopolitical issues in their home countries.
“There’s unbelievable corruption. They’re being tortured. They’ve got the worst, impractical leadership ever in some of these countries,” Corker said. “I have a feeling that if you were living in one of these Central American countries and you had little girls and little boys you’re raising you might be trying to figure out a way to come to the great United States of America.”
Corker, who is not running for reelection, has declined to endorse Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn (R) or former governor Phil Bredesen (D) in their campaigns to replace him. While Blackburn has latched onto the GOP’s fear tactics over the migrants approaching the U.S. border, Corker called it a “political football” when he spoke to The Tennessean and said Republicans are “using fear to stimulate people to come out at the polls.”
“I’ve just never been angry at someone who wants to come to the greatest nation on Earth and live the kind of life that we lead” Corker told reporters. “To make pejorative statements about all of them, I don’t approve of that.”
Corker also dismissed the idea that Democrats are financially backing the caravans, saying “if anybody’s funding it, it’s some Republican donor, because it has obviously turned into an election issue that has benefited the Republican side.”
Watch above.
[Image via screengrab]
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