Republicans label Democrats ‘liars’ amid public safety, shutdown debate

By Greg Bishop
The Center Square

Illinois Democrats are being called liars by Republicans over the issue of public safety, federal immigration enforcement and the partial federal government shutdown.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson on Monday accused Republicans of wanting to revisit history.

“The right wing in this country wants a rematch of the Civil War,” Johnson said. “I want that to sit in right now because the president of the United States of America has declared war on the people of Chicago and people across America.”

Gov. J.B. Pritzker said chaos on the streets is because federal agents are provoking protesters into violence.

Illinois filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over the use of the National Guard. A motion for a preliminary injunction against the Trump administration is pending with a hearing set for Thursday.

Illinois U.S. Rep. Mary Miller, R-Oakland, said Pritzker and Johnson are lying.

“They are not protecting the people and plus they are completely violating our laws,” Miller told The Center Square. “The federal immigration laws trump their stupid sanctuary laws.”

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday said Pritzker served a “smorgasbord of lies” Monday when he talked about federal law enforcement operations in Chicago.

“Between an appearance on CNN’s State of the Union and a Monday afternoon press conference, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker repeatedly lied about federal law enforcement operations in Chicago,” the DHS statement said.

The department said among Pritzker’s claims, the governor alleged federal officers are “raiding neighborhoods” and instead of “going after the bad guys, they’re just picking up people who are brown and Black and then checking their credentials.”

DHS said since “Operation Midway Blitz” began, more than 1,000 illegal aliens have been arrested.

“There are no ‘indiscriminate stops’ being made,” the DHS statement said. “The Supreme Court recently vindicated us on this question. DHS enforces federal immigration law without fear, favor, or prejudice.”

Republicans also called Democrats liars in the public conversations about the partial federal government shutdown now a week long.

Illinois Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski, D-Springfield, said it was the Republican shutdown.

“Day 6 of Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress failing to address the health care crisis that they have created,” Budzinski said Monday in a social media video. “And to make matters worse, Speaker Mike Johnson is still refusing to bring the House back into session this week.”

Miller said the funding bill isn’t in the House, it’s in the Senate, where the House-passed measure continue to stall because not enough Democrats have voted for it.

“We voted to keep the government open and this is a Democrat disaster. There is nothing to negotiate,” Miller said. “Again, the Democrats are lying. They want Medicaid benefits for millions of illegal aliens.”

Republicans are confident that as the shutdown drags on, enough Democratic senators will fold.

It’s been almost seven years since the federal government last shut down.

Thérèse Boudreaux contributed to this story.