A Department of Homeland Security official dismissed a report by The New York Times on Friday alleging that the president pressured Acting DHS Secretary Kevin McAleenan to close the southern border and offered him a pardon if the need arose. Trump had made threats to close the border but after his trip to Calexico, Calif., last week, he seemed to back down. The Times report, however, alleged that the president privately pushed for the matter behind closed doors and was told by Nielsen that doing so would be illegal. The report stated that Trump “encouraged” McAleenan to disregard his predecessor’s warning and move forward with his request. McAleenan is a longtime border officer, who previously practiced law in California and is seen by some as potentially taking the job of DHS secretary permanently.

Source: Fox News April 13, 2019 01:52 UTC