For his work on a bipartisan Senate bill to solve the border crisis, U.S. Senator James Lankford (R-OK) revealed that he received a direct threat from a “popular commentator” who Lankford said “told me flat out — before they knew any of the contents of the bill — if you try to move a bill that solves the border crisis in this presidential election year, I will do whatever I can to destroy you.”
Lankford didn’t name the “popular commentator” who threatened him, but added that “they have been faithful to their promise and have done everything they can to destroy me in the past several weeks.”
Show this to a Republican who cares about the border. pic.twitter.com/qjkT6LofXF
— Pod Save America (@PodSaveAmerica) February 7, 2024
Lankford also revealed he was told by those who had “political differences” with the bill that it was “the wrong time to solve the problem.”
Lankford’s “wrong time” statement further fueled suspicions that the GOP wants a chaotic border as an issue on which Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump can attack the incumbent Joe Biden.
Despite the threat, which Lankford says was issued four weeks ago, the Senator continued to work in good faith across the aisle to negotiate a Senate solution to a border crisis that all sides agree, in principle, is a major problem for America.
It’s a crisis that Lankford has said it is Congress’s “constitutional duty to solve.”
Even his Republican colleagues who vowed to block the bill like Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), thanked Lankford for his work, writing “I commend Senator Lankford for the hard work he put in during months of negotiations, especially on asylum and parole reform…” before concluding: “I will vote no.”
Sen. Thom Tillis is a no on the Senate border bill.
“It is hard to trust that the Biden Administration would even implement this bill in good faith. I will vote no.” pic.twitter.com/88XCMJeJWJ
— Kadia Goba (@kadiagoba) February 6, 2024
The Senate could not pass the bill.
Notably, Lankford was threatened despite continuing to blame President Biden and Democrats for the problem, as he did in the clip below.
Sen. @jameslankford: “We’re dealing with a Democrat Senate and a Democrat president who intentionally are looking for ways to be able to keep the border open.”
“We’re asking for what the American people are asking for…. to stop people that are coming in abusing our laws.” pic.twitter.com/Ud4WhkmorU
— GOP (@GOP) December 8, 2023