Talking Points Memo reports:
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders attempted on Sunday to join the ranks of Trump administration officials trotting out bogus statistics in support of President Donald Trump’s border wall demands — but Fox News’ Chris Wallace was ready for it.
“We know that roughly– nearly 4,000 known or suspected terrorists come into our country illegally,” Sanders told Wallace in a Sunday interview, echoing a well-rehearsed administration talking point that began with Trump’s (admittedly baseless) dog whistle that “unknown Middle Easterners” were among those traveling as refugees to the southern border.
Mediaite reports:
“I know the statistic, I didn’t know if you were going to use it, but I studied up on this,” Wallace said. “Do you know what those 4,000 people come where they are captured? Airports.”
“Not always…” Sanders said weakly. “Airports. The state department says there hasn’t been any terrorists found coming across the southern border,” Wallace said. “But they’re not coming across the southern border, Sarah, they’re coming and they’re being stopped at airports.”
“They’re coming a number of ways, they’re certainly, I’m not disagreeing with you that they’re coming through airports,” a flustered Sanders replied.
On Fox News, Chris Wallace destroys Sarah Sanders. pic.twitter.com/SGGL4in8bG
— Will Saletan (@saletan) January 6, 2019
.@PressSec didn’t get grilled, she got eviscerated for the flat-out fabrications and pathetic factual distortions she, @realDonaldTrump and @SecNielsen keep pushing out there.
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Chris Wallace Grills Sarah Sanders on Bogus Border Terror Threat Claims https://t.co/zix7LVtvCF
— Bradley P. Moss (@BradMossEsq) January 6, 2019
Sarah Sanders attempted to push the false claim about terrorists being caught at the southern border on Fox News Sunday and Chris Wallace was having none of it.https://t.co/qGBS6V8PR2 pic.twitter.com/cdDynlvxwA
— andrew kaczynski (@KFILE) January 6, 2019
Chris Wallace “I know the statistic, I didn’t know if you were going to use it, but I studied up on this. Do you know where those 4,000 people come, where they are captured? Airports.” Sarah Sanders didn’t see that coming! pic.twitter.com/OTHlck84xY
— Alex Cole (@acnewsitics) January 6, 2019