Squabble over funding of US-Mexico border wall ends in shutdown threat
US PRESIDENT Donald Trump cited a shooting attack in Strasbourg, France, to back his call for Democratic congressional leaders to support funding for a wall at the US-Mexico border.
Trump tweeted yesterday: “Another very bad terror attack in France. We are going to strengthen our borders even more. Chuck (Schumer) and Nancy (Pelosi) must give us the votes to get additional border security!”
In a wild Oval Office confrontation on Tuesday, Trump threatened to shut down the US government as he and Democratic leaders bickered over funding for his promised border wall and offered a grim preview of life in Washington over the next two years under a divided government.
Trump and House and Senate Democratic leaders Pelosi and Schumer squabbled for more than 15 minutes in the televised encounter. Trump questioned Pelosi’s ability to count votes in her own House. She questioned his manhood – after she left the building.
Pelosi said Trump called her later in the afternoon and told her the White House was looking at options she and Schumer had laid out.
In the debate, Trump threatened a partial government shutdown on December 21 unless he got billions for his wall along the US-Mexico border.
Meanwhile, a judge has ruled that adult film actress Stormy Daniels must pay more than $290 000 to reimburse Trump for legal fees he spent defending himself in a defamation lawsuit she brought against him over a tweet in which he denied a tryst she claimed they had over a decade ago.
Daniels, who has written a “tellall” book about Trump called Full Disclosure, has – separate from the defamation lawsuit – gone to court to challenge the validity of a $130000 hush money agreement. Trump’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen, said he made hush payments to two women who accused Trump of infidelity in the waning days of the 2016 campaign. “It wasn’t a campaign contribution. “If it were, it’s only civil, and even if it’s only civil, there was no violation,” Trump said.
He said he was not concerned about being impeached. “I think that the people would revolt if that happened,” he said.