Homan: Newsom, Bass haven't crossed line but ‘not above the law'
Border czar Tom Homan said on Monday that California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) have not crossed the line amid tensions between law enforcement and immigration raid protesters, but they, like everyone else, are 'not above the law.'
In an interview on MSNBC's 'Morning Joe,' Homan sought to clarify earlier remarks that he said were taken 'out of context' by news outlets reporting that he declined to rule out arresting Newsom and Bass amid a clash between the federal and state leaders over the best approach to quelling protests in Los Angeles.
Homan said his previous remarks initially focused on the protesters.
'Here's what I said: They have a right to protest, they have the First Amendment rights, but they can't cross that line. They can't cross that line of impediment. They can't cross that line of putting their hands on officers. They can't cross the line of knowing and concealing an illegal alien,' Homan said. 'These are all federal crimes, and they're in statute, and they will be prosecuted.'
Homan said a reporter then asked him whether those rules apply to Newsom and Bass.
'He asked the question, 'Does that include Mayor Bass and Governor Newsom?' and I was clear they haven't crossed the line, but they're not above the law either,' Homan said, stressing that he noted Newsom and Bass would face prosecution only 'if they commit a crime.'
The remarks came in an interview early Monday, when Homan was asked to respond to Newsom's dare late Sunday to arrest him. Newsom had been responding to reports that Homan threatened to do so if he or Bass interfered in immigration enforcement efforts.
'Come after me, arrest me. Let's just get it over with, tough guy, you know? I don't give a damn. But I care about my community. I care about this community,' Newsom told NBC News on Sunday.
'So, Tom, arrest me. Let's go,' Newsom added.
But Homan, on Monday, brushed off the remarks.
'I'm not biting on that,' Homan said.
After he clarified his earlier remarks, Homan said, 'That's what was happening. I never threatened to arrest Governor Newsom.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fast Company
5 minutes ago
- Fast Company
Gavin Newsom is having his social media moment
'Fuck around' and 'find out,' read a TikTok post, following a screenshot announcing that California is suing President Donald Trump for deploying the National Guard to the streets of Los Angeles. But the TikTok wasn't shared by a typical meme account—it came from California Governor Gavin Newsom. 'I damn near fell over when I realized this was Gov. Newsom's page,' one user commented. Since Friday, demonstrations have erupted across Los Angeles in protest of the president's immigration policies and the ongoing Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids. Although many of the demonstrations have remained peaceful, there have been violent incidents including authorities deploying tear gas and rubber bullets, and protestors setting Waymo vehicles ablaze throughout the city. As tensions escalated, the Trump administration deployed the National Guard and Marines—despite objections from local officials—sparking a lawsuit from the state, threats of arrest against Governor Newsom, and a surge of defiant memes. 'And remember kids, the next time anybody tells you 'the government wouldn't do that', oh yes they would,' says the popular TikTok sound used on Newsom's official account video, playing over screenshots of news headlines and images of armed forces confronting demonstrators. In another viral video from the governor's page, which amassed over 5.4 million views, Taylor Swift's 'You Need To Calm Down' plays over a series of photos of the two politicians. 'r u ok?' the post asks, with a caption reading: 'America's keyboard warrior.' Newsom's clapback drew widespread praise in the comments. 'I do disagree with Newsom a lot but him standing up to tyranny and standing with your state takes some serious guts. Hats off to you Newsom,' wrote one user. He's also taken to his personal account to deliver meme-laced messages to Trump—one featuring a photoshopped image of the president wearing a crown, captioned 'send in the troops.' The slideshow ends with a shot from the musical Hamilton, with text reading: 'Democracy is under assault right before our eyes. It's time for all of us to stand up.' The online showdown has significantly boosted Newsom's social media presence, growing his personal TikTok account by approximately 397,000 followers and his official Governor account by 479,000 since Friday. Newsom is the latest in a growing number of politicians leveraging memes and social media to bypass traditional media and speak directly to the public through humor. Famously, Kamala Harris gained momentum during her presidential campaign with ' Brat summer ' and the coconut tree trend, while Joe Biden leaned into the viral ' Dark Brandon ' meme during his reelection campaign. Although meme strategies can generate enthusiasm and visibility, the 2024 election results suggest that online popularity doesn't always translate at the polls.
Yahoo
8 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Justice Department calls Newsom National Guard lawsuit a ‘crass political stunt'
The Trump administration is urging a federal judge to reject California Gov. Gavin Newsom's bid to block the military from supporting immigration enforcement activities in Los Angeles, calling the lawsuit a 'crass political stunt' and warning that the restraining order Newsom wants would endanger federal personnel. 'That would be unprecedented. It would be constitutionally anathema. And it would be dangerous,' Justice Department lawyers said in a response delivered to San Francisco-based U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer Wednesday. In a pointed, 32-page filing replete with political overtones, the administration contended that Trump's decision to deploy the military to help suppress unrest — stemming from ICE raids and arrests taking place across Los Angeles — is entirely within his authority as commander-in-chief, and unreviewable by the court. Breyer, a Clinton appointee, is set to hold a hearing Thursday afternoon on Newsom's request. The governor initially asked the court to block the deployment within two hours, but the judge agreed to a Justice Department request for 24 hours to respond. Trump has authorized the Pentagon to call up nearly 4,000 members of California's National Guard contingent on a mission to protect Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities and personnel. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has also deployed 700 Marines to Los Angeles. Though federal law generally bars the use of the military to enforce domestic laws, Trump invoked a provision that permits him to call up National Guard troops to protect federal property and personnel when there is a 'rebellion' or 'danger of rebellion.' The Justice Department described the chaotic situation on the ground over the weekend as 'mobs resisting federal authority in a manner that rises to the level of rebellion,' although city and state officials have emphasized that the unrest has impacted only a few relatively small parts of the sprawling metropolis. DOJ lawyers also urged Breyer not to second-guess the president's assessment that military support was needed. Newsom's claim that the law required Trump to consult him before issuing such an order is both wrong and dangerous, DOJ lawyers argued, because it would give state officials an effective veto of the president's military judgment. DOJ attorneys also dismissed as speculative the state's concern that the National Guard or military forces would take part in law enforcement. Images taken on the streets of Los Angeles Tuesday showed Guard forces standing watch as immigration enforcement officers detained and searched potential deportees. The administration argued that those troops were there to protect ICE officials, a distinct mission from carrying out immigration arrests. Justice Department lawyers salted their brief with a series of thinly-veiled political shots at Newsom, speculating that California officials might be 'unwilling' to put a stop to the violence. Two days after Trump suggested Newsom's arrest, the brief also suggests perhaps the governor had broken the law by failing to pass on Trump's order to state Guard officials, although those troops have responded to the president's directive. 'Even if Plaintiffs' interpretation of the statute were correct, the only party acting unlawfully would be Governor Newsom — not President Trump or Secretary Hegseth,' the attorneys wrote. And the Justice Department also quoted Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), who recently criticized fellow Democrats over their posture toward the unrest. The DOJ brief also draws an analogy sure to grate on Newsom: comparing him to Arkansas Gov. Orval Faubus, who sought to use that state's National Guard to resist court-ordered school desegregation in the 1950s. The federal statute Trump invoked 'affords no veto to Governor Newsom over the President's decision to call forth the guard, just as it afforded no veto to Governor Faubus when President Eisenhower last invoked the predecessor [statute] to ensure that the enforcement of federal law was not obstructed,' DOJ lawyers wrote.
New York Post
9 minutes ago
- New York Post
MSNBC host tells Colbert that Trump has started to ‘f— around with the military'
MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace said Tuesday that it felt different to have President Donald Trump 'f— around with the military' in his second term during an interview with late-night host Stephen Colbert. Wallace argued that there were no 'normal Republicans' in Trump's current administration and said 'what's different about Stephen Miller running the ICE raids, and running basically a siege of Los Angeles, is that there is no Mark Esper, Jim Mattis, and that's the big difference, and that is the danger.' Colbert then asked Wallace about the National Guard troops and the Marines that have been sent to Los Angeles to help quell the riots. 'We have seen Trump stretch his presidential powers over the last five months. Is this different?' 'It feels different, it feels different to, can we swear here?' she asked as Colbert said she could. 'To f— around with the military, it feels really different, and he wanted to the first time, but people like Mark Milley, people stopped him. It feels really different to use the military as pawns out loud and as a public tactic. That feels different to me.' A battalion of 700 U.S. Marines are mobilizing in Los Angeles to respond to anti-immigration enforcement riots, just days after Trump deployed the National Guard to the area as well. White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson responded to criticism of Trump's actions on Tuesday, telling Fox News Digital that 'violent rioters in Los Angeles, enabled by Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom, have attacked American law enforcement, set cars on fire, and fueled lawless chaos.' On The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace said President Donald Trump 'f— around with the military' had a different feeling compared to what he has done throughout his time in office. Scott Kowalchyk/CBS 'President Trump rightfully stepped in to protect federal law enforcement officers. When Democrat leaders refuse to protect American citizens, President Trump will always step in,' she added. Colbert also asked Wallace about the state of the Democratic Party and asked the MSNBC host if they were 'in danger of an autocrat.' 'I don't know, and I think that, in politics, you are one leader away from a comeback, you're one moody character away from this unlikely hero. And so I think the Democratic Party hasn't rotted. I mean the Democratic Party has not corrupted itself, it hasn't turned on itself in the way that the Republican Party has. And I think the Democratic Party is one leader away from being something fresh and appealing to a majority of others again. I think the Republican Party is still heading down, down, down following Trump and his authoritarian ways,' she said. Wallace claims there are no 'normal Republicans' in Trump's current administration and that the difference is that with Stephen Miller running the ICE raids, it is basically running a siege in Los Angeles, California. AP Wallace previously made headlines earlier this year while covering Trump's address to Congress, during which the president made a 13-year-old cancer survivor, DJ Daniel, an honorary Secret Service agent. 'But I think this was a lesson in finding one thing that you let yourself feel,' Wallace said during her coverage of the address. 'And I let myself feel joy about DJ, and I hope he's alive for another, you know, 95 years, and I hope he lives the life he wants to live. He wants to be a cop. He knows what he wants to do, and maybe when you have childhood cancer, that crystallizes for you.' 'I hope he has a long life as a law enforcement officer,' she continued. 'But I hope he never has to defend the United States Capitol against Donald Trump's supporters, and if he does, I hope he isn't one of the six who loses his life to suicide, and I hope he isn't one who has to testify against the people who carried out acts of seditious conspiracy and then lived to see Donald Trump pardon those people.' The MSNBC host was criticized by Trump and the White House at the time.
