Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) stressed that he was only joking when he made a comment to other senators promising an immigration deal following the gun control deal he has negotiated in the Senate.
“The Democrats and their allies in the media really can’t take a joke. There’s no secret amnesty bill,” Cornyn reported to Breitbart News. His office informed Breitbart News that the senator was teasing and that there were no negotiations on immigration and that there are none for the next future.
After Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) called on Cornyn to broker a gun control deal, it was reported Tuesday night that he had promised to move forward with an amnesty deal.
“First guns, now it’s immigration,” Cornyn told Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA).
“That’s right, we’re going to do it,” said Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ).
Andrew Surabian, a former official in Donald Trump’s administration, said in response to Cornyn’s amnesty pledge, “From selling out on gun control to selling out on amnesty in light speed.”
However, the backlash was severe, and now Cornyn says the comment was a joke.
Sens. Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Cornyn have been pushing for amnesty with the assistance of Democratic allies, including Sens. Padilla and Dick Durbin (D-IL), the Senate Democratic whip.
“The only way that we’re going to get real progress is to have a four-pillar discussion — so immigration reform, DACA, border security and then I think asylum reform is pretty important, particularly with that’s going on with Title 42,” Tillis said in April.
“We’ve got a starting list. There could be some more. But it’s a starting point. I’ve talked to four or five Republican senators today. There’s a genuine interest in doing something,” Durbin said.
Cornyn was also recently booed at the annual Republican Party in Texas convention on June 18th for his efforts to work with Democrats to pass gun control. The booing seemingly failed to faze Cornyn.
“After Sen @JohnCornyn was met with such hatred at the @TexasGOP convention in Houston, I’m told he said to a few people, ‘I’ve never given in to mobs and I’m not starting today,’” Cornyn’s retweet read.
If there are reasons for politicians to not cut a deal with Democrats, then it’s usually revolving around the stories where self-defense saves a victim from losing their life or suffering from other crimes. One incident that took place in Florida stands out.
According to officials, a burglar who broke into a Clearwater woman’s bedroom was shot and killed. Around 8:45 a.m. on Tuesday, Clearwater police say they received a 911 call reporting an intruder at a residence in the 1600 block of Flagler Drive. The woman claimed that a strange man was in her bedroom when she woke up. She informed the police that the man attempted to attack her but that she was able to shoot him after grabbing a gun.
The woman called 911 during the assault, according to Clearwater Police Chief Dan Slaughter, and the dispatcher overheard the fight before the woman was able to reach for her weapon. “She was able to use that gun to defend herself, and fired one shot which resulted in the death of that intruder,” Slaughter said. The chief told reporters that the victim has purchased the firearm legally, adding that it appeared to be a clear case of self-defense based on preliminary investigation.
Justin William Wright, a 26-year-old suspect, passed away right after he was wounded. According to Slaughter, the victim was assaulted by a next-door neighbor. The victim’s injuries are consistent with a struggle and the assault she described to police, making this a clear-cut case.