House Dems to Refuse to Attend Border Hearing Next Week

Rep. Jerry Nadler, a Judiciary Committee ranking member (D-NY), announced Thursday that Democrats from the committee would not attend an Arizona border hearing next Wednesday. He misleadly claimed “there was no consultation” Talk to them about it.

Nadler, who is also a ranking member of the Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement Subcommittee, was joined by Rep. Pramila Japal (D–WA), in a statement.

Next week, Judiciary Republicans is holding their second stunt hearing about border security. Judiciary Democrats were not consulted, despite the important issue. Many of them have already pledged to attend other bipartisan congressional delegation trips.

The Democrats’ claim of a lack of “consultation” This announcement came after Rep. Jim Jordan, R-OH, the chairman of the committee, announced to Nadler (and the other Democrats) the dates for the hearing. It would be held at the border on February 1st. This is three weeks before the planned event and two weeks earlier that House rules require.

Republicans on the committee were quick to call Nadler and Jayapal’s statement “fake news” And shared a clip of Jordan announcing it on social media.

Watch:

Actually, there’s @Jim_Jordan inviting them to join during our first hearing! pic.twitter.com/rjLGD8mzCK

— House Judiciary GOP (@JudiciaryGOP) February 16, 2023

The Republicans also stated that they had been communicating with Democrats for “weeks” about the trip and that Democrats were “just scared to face the harsh realities of the #BidenBorderCrisis.”

A senior Republican aide told Breitbart News that committee staff had been “in communication with Democrat staff about the border hearing via phone, text, and email.”

“All of the Democrats were invited to come, but apparently not one could find time to attend an official congressional hearing,” the aide said, noting that “Democrats have asked if it was acceptable for them to send a staffer on the trip. How did the Democrat staffer find out about the trip if they weren’t consulted?”

Nadler and Jayapal suggested in their statement that Democrats would also not attend the hearing because Republicans would not have “any federal government witnesses” at the hearing, a detail that has not been made public by the committee or been reported anywhere yet and that serves as further evidence of “consultation” between the two parties about the trip.

Nadler and Jayapal stated:

Instead of focusing on real solutions to a complicated problem, Judiciary Republicans will once again not hear from any federal government witnesses at their hearing, further cementing this hearing as a brazen act of political grandstanding. As a result, Democrats, who have been to the border regularly the last few years, will not attend next week’s performative hearing.

A second GOP source confirmed to Breitbart News the committee plans to have local officials and community members affected by the ongoing surge of illegal migration attend the hearing, which falls in line with committee Republicans’ three-pronged plan to address immigration. The first prong involves examining the “human story” behind the border issues. Later hearings will undoubtedly include federal officials, as indicated by letters Jordan has sent to the Department of Homeland Security.

Nadler and Jayapal said Democrats will take their own border trip in March, though that trip will not function as a formal congressional hearing given the minority party does not have the power to schedule those.

Breitbart News reached out to committee Democrats’ press office for comment but did not receive a response.

Write to Ashley Oliver at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter at @asholiver.