Restore Public Trust: CNN’s Hire of Trump’s Family Separation Spokesperson is Indefensible

CNN’s New Political Editor Sarah Isgur Defended Trump Administration’s Horrific Family Separation Immigration Policy as Spokeswoman for then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Restore Public Trust released a statement condemning CNN’s decision to hire of Sarah Isgur as political editor overseeing the 2020 election. A former spokesperson for then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Isgur defended the Trump administration’s family separation immigration policy.

“There are some lines that simply cannot be crossed. Sarah Isgur defended the Trump administration’s inhumane family separation policy and failed to answer serious questions about the policy, demonstrating a a shameful disregard for the truth, and for the humanity and well-being of thousands of children,” said Karl Frisch, a spokesperson for Restore Public Trust. “With this hire, CNN has done to itself what the Trump administration has been unable to do since taking office — tarnished the cable news giant’s journalistic integrity and reputation as the most trusted name in news. President Trump must be thrilled.”

 

BACKGROUND:

 

Isgur Failed to Answer Question on Parent Deportation Data Discrepancies

  • Isgur Refrained From Commenting On Reporting Discrepancy, Regarding Parent Deportations. “Also Friday, Fabian said 19 parents were deported and 19 were released. But on Monday, she said nine were removed from the United States and an additional nine were released here. Justice Department spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores had no comment on the discrepancies in the numbers.” [Washington Post, 7/9/18]

Isgur Defended The Trump Administration’s ‘Zero Tolerance Policy’ Which Led to Family Separations When News Reports Indicated The Policy Was Being Softened or Abandoned

  • Isgur Denied A Report Claiming Parents, Who Tried To Illegally Cross The Border With Children, Would No Longer Be Prosecuted. “A spokeswoman for the Department of Justice says a report is inaccurate that parents who try to illegally cross the border with children will no longer be criminally prosecuted. Spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores says there has been no change to the ‘zero tolerance’ policy that resulted in the separation of more than 2,300 children from their parents.” [Associated Press, 6/22/18]
  • Isgur Said Government Lawyers Planned To “Prosecute Adults Who Cross Our Border Illegally Instead Of Claiming Asylum At Any Port Of Entry.” “Justice Department officials shot back, maintaining that the department has made no changes to its hard-line stance on illegal border crossings as it continues to receive referrals for prosecutions from Customs and Border Protection agents. Government lawyers will ‘prosecute adults who cross our border illegally instead of claiming asylum at any port of entry,’ Sarah Isgur Flores, a Justice Department spokeswoman, said Thursday in a statement.” [Boston Globe, 6/23/18]
  • Isgur Said “There Has Been No Change To The Department’s Zero Tolerance Policy To Prosecute Adults Who Cross Our Border Illegally.” “A senior U.S. Customs and Border Protection official told The Washington Post on Thursday that the agency would stop referring families caught at the border for prosecution, a further sign of the demise of the hard-line border enforcement stance. Sarah Isgur Flores, a DOJ spokeswoman, tweeted that the Justice Department had not changed its part of the zero tolerance policy, but did not provide data requested by POLITICO on its implementation. ‘There has been no change to the Department’s zero tolerance policy to prosecute adults who cross our border illegally,’ she wrote.” [Politico, 6/23/18]
  • Isgur Claimed The Attorney General Did “Not Want To Separate Families” And Repeatedly Urged Them “To Go To Any Port Of Entry To Claim Asylum Instead Of Risking The Dangers Of Crossing The Border Illegally And Being Prosecuted.” “A spokeswoman for Sessions said the attorney general has been clear all along. ‘The AG has been clear: We do not want to separate families. He has also been clear when he has urged people repeatedly to go to any port of entry to claim asylum instead of risking the dangers of crossing the border illegally and being prosecuted,’ said Justice Department spokesperson Sarah Isgur Flores.” [CNN Wire, 6/22/18]

Isgur Advanced the Trump Administration’s Fear Mongering Posture Against Undocumented Immigrants

  • Isgur Claimed That The Mayor Of Oakland Allowed “Dangerous Criminal Aliens” To Elude Arrest, When She Warned Oakland Residents Of A Federal Immigration Raid. “The statements criticized the mayor of Oakland, Libby Schaaf, for her decision last month to warn city residents that a raid by federal immigration agents targeting roughly 1,000 people was imminent. […] ‘If anyone wants to have a public argument over precisely how many dangerous criminal aliens eluded arrest because of the mayor’s irresponsible actions, we are happy to have that debate,’ Sarah Isgur Flores, a spokeswoman for the Justice Department, said in a statement.” [New York Times, 3/13/18]
  • Isgur Claimed The Justice Department Was Prioritizing Crimes Committed By Individuals Illegally Residing In The United States, As They Were “100 Percent Preventable.” SARAH ISGUR FLORES: “Every crime committed by someone who shouldn’t be in this country is a crime that’s 100 percent preventable and so we are highly prioritizing these sanctuary jurisdictions, urging them to cooperate with federal law enforcement, so that we can lower the crime rates in some of these places.” [Fox News – Transcript, 1/24/18]

 

# # #

Press Release

Child separationPress Release

Comments are disabled.