Republican Rep. Charlie Dent (R-PA) once called on the Republican Party to “stand up” to Donald Trump. Now he is putting his money where his mouth is.
The New York Times‘ Jonathan Martin reports that Dent, who has a sizeable Syrian constituency, has called on President Trump to halt enforcement of his immigration order “until a more thoughtful and deliberate policy can be instated.”
News: @RepCharlieDent, a PA Republican who reps a large Syrian comm tells me:
“I urge the admin to halt enforcement of this order…” (1/
— Jonathan Martin (@jmartNYT) January 28, 2017
“…until a more thoughtful and deliberate policy can be instated” (2/2)
Dent has constituents w family who were turned back at PHL this am
— Jonathan Martin (@jmartNYT) January 28, 2017
A family of six, Dent constituents, complete with visas and green cards, were held up at Philadelphia International Airport today. Dent has argued for compassion but is not completely off the hook, as he has unreasonably claimed some refugees are terrorists and Dent’s own concern is primarily for Syrian Christians, not Muslims.
“Thoughtful,” however, is certainly the word for what is needed. As National Review Online editor Charles Cook tweeted,
Applying Trump’s temporary rule to green card holders makes no sense. Why? Two reasons. “Green card” is a term for “permanent resident.” (1)
— Charles C. W. Cooke (@charlescwcooke) January 28, 2017
Nothing like a contradiction in terms from a man who says he himself is “like a smart person.” In reality, very little resembling thought goes into any Trump action, which is impulsive and reactionary by definition, and the Muslim ban is no exception.
Dent had wanted Trump to withdraw from the presidential race and he did not get his wish. However, unlike PennLive