‘Absolutely Enraging': John Oliver Scorches Democratic Apathy Over 1 Key Trump Issue
'Last Week Tonight' host John Oliver on Sunday delivered a searing critique of what he described as some Democrats' indifference to the 'breathtakingly cruel' immigration actions taking place under President Donald Trump's administration.
In a deep-dive segment, Oliver highlighted reports of mass deportations and due process violations targeting undocumented immigrants, noting that while some Democratic leaders have traveled to El Salvador's mega-prison where some deportees are being held, others appear to be looking the other way.
'To their credit, a number of prominent Democrats have gone to El Salvador to call attention to this,' Oliver said. 'Which is definitely preferable to the approach others have taken.'
He cited anonymous House Democrats who were quoted as asking, 'Should it be the big issue for Democrats? Probably not' and 'complaining that rather than talking about the tariff policy and the economy, we're going to go take the bait for one hairdresser?'
It's 'absolutely enraging,' said Oliver, 'especially as many voters do seem to get the clear problem with deporting people without due process — to a prison for life — even in red states.'
Oliver urged viewers to protest publically, particularly as related cases come to court.
'It can make a difference,' he said, citing former Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist's assertion that, 'No honorable judge would ever cast his vote because he thought the majority of the public wanted him to vote that way but that in certain cases, judges are undeniably influenced by the great tides of public opinion.'
Oliver concluded:
'I would argue the moment we're in right now isn't just worthy of a great tide, it is worthy of a fucking tsunami because this is an absolute outrage and it is one where it is important to remind our elected leaders that all people are worthy of safety, protection and due process.'
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