Leading liberal constitutional professor Jonathan Turley is roasting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alexandro Mayorkas over his refusal to acknowledge claims that mounted Border Patrol agents “whipped” Haitian migrants were false.
In a column on his website, Turley demanded that Mayorkas resign for betraying agents in the field as they have had to deal with a chaotic situation along the border since Joe Biden took office and reversed nearly all of former President Donald Trump’s immigration and border security policies.
“Mayorkas betrayed not just his agents but his oath to ‘well and faithfully discharge’ the duties of his office in his handling of the ‘whipping scandal,'” Turley wrote. “Some of us previously criticized Mayorkas for his failure to protect the agents falsely accused of whipping migrants along the Texas-Mexico border, even after the President promised that they would be punished before any investigation.
“Now, according to newly acquired email records, it appears that Mayorkas knew hours before he made those statements that the story was false and that the photographer who took the photos expressly denied that any whipping occurred. Nevertheless, he supported President Biden’s and the media’s narrative and threw these agents under the proverbial bus,” the Georgetown University law school professor continued.
“Either Mayorkas saw the email or he made little effort to discover the truth before trashing his own agents. The email went to various subordinates at the department and was based on public accounts. It would take willful blindness to avoid learning of the true story,” he added.
“The level of duplicity in Mayorkas’ conduct is breathtaking. These mounted agents were ordered to the water’s edge to stop a huge influx of migrants from Haiti,” said Turley.
“Some of us contested the narrative early in the scandal, noting that the video refutes the false image created by the photos. The agents were clearly using the reins to direct their skittish horses, not whip migrants.”
While he pointed out that a number of Democrats made inflammatory — and false — accusations about the agents, he noted that what President Biden said was the worst.
“It was horrible what — to see, as you saw — to see people treated like they did: horses nearly running them over and people being strapped. It’s outrageous. I promise you, those people will pay. There will be an investigation underway now, and there will be consequences. There will be consequences,” Biden said.
But again, the evidence proves that the agents did not whip anyone, as the Heritage Foundation pointed out last week. Also, the think tank uncovered emails sent to Mayorkas refuting the false claims of whipping, but Mayorkas nevertheless attended a news conference later that day and called out the agents.
“Our nation saw horrifying images that do not reflect who we are. We know that those images painfully conjured up the worst elements of our nation’s ongoing battle against systemic racism,” Mayorkas charged.
Turley concluded:
The innocence of these agents was immaterial when they became useful cutouts for a narrative of systemic racism. In the end, they had to be punished for something.
President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas did not even have the decency to apologize to these agents and their families. They are props, not people.
If there is any measure of decency and responsibility left in Washington, Mayorkas would resign.
Disclaimer: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.