Sen. Eric Schmitt delivered sharp remarks criticizing media figures, protesters, and political leaders he said prioritize power over public safety, while urging fellow Republicans not to retreat from President Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda.
R-Mo., delivers remarks during a Senate Armed Services committee hearing on the expected nomination of Pete Hegseth to be Secretary of Defense on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025 in Washington, DC. Mandatory Credit: Jack Gruber-USA TODAY
“So, you know what spare me? To the media, the pundits and the talking heads, to the protesters on the streets and their political friends here in the halls of power, we know who you are,” Schmitt said.
“We know what you care about. It's not humanity or empathy or compassion, it is raw power, and we know what you do with that power, and we've seen what you do with that power.”
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Schmitt pointed to what he described as the human cost of those priorities, referencing a grieving family as a symbol of the consequences.
“The empty chair at the Riley family dinner table is the cost of what we paid for your power,” he said.
“And it's our patriotic duty to ensure you never get close to power again.”
Turning to his own party, Schmitt warned Republicans against compromising on immigration enforcement amid political pressure.
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“Let me say this also to my friends and colleagues in my party, don't give these people an inch,” he said.
“Don't fall for their moral blackmail. Don't let them negotiate or squirm their way into killing the President's mass deportation agenda the American people support it.”
Schmitt rejected claims that opposition to the agenda is rooted in justice, contrasting those arguments with what he said are his own priorities.
“Don't let them talk you into believing that this is about justice. That's not what they care about,” he said.
“You know what I care about? I care about Americans.”
He emphasized support for law enforcement and removing dangerous individuals from the country.
“I care about the people who are risking their lives in the freezing cold to enforce our laws, rather than the ones who are hell bent on breaking it,” Schmitt said.
“I care about the people who are trying to get these kinds of monsters who rape and murder our daughters out of our country, rather than the ones who want to put their bodies on the line to keep them here.”
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