Sen. Jeff Sessions: John Boehner's 'Hellbent' Amnesty Push Could 'Sacrifice' GOP 'Credibility'

Senate Budget Committee ranking member Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) said Friday that House Speaker John Boehner’s comments that he is "hellbent" on granting amnesty to illegal aliens in 2014 could destroy the GOP’s chances of winning American voters.

“A weary public has begged and pleaded for years with their elected officials to end the lawlessness,” Sessions said in a statement.

He added:

"But from their comfortable station in Washington, President Obama and congressional Democrats have ignored the public pleas. Instead, they have put their collective weight behind an immigration bill that delivers a sweeping amnesty for open borders groups and a huge guest worker surge for corporations. Now, The Wall Street Journal reports that House GOP leaders are considering a plan to move an apparently similar immigration plan this summer."

by Matthew Boyle 18 Apr 2014, 12:52 PM PDT
breitbart.com

Sessions was referring to a new Wall Street Journal report that detailed that Boehner told a private meeting of donors and supporters that he is “hellbent” on moving forward this year on amnesty.

In response to the WSJ piece and a surge of outrage from new media and the right, Boehner spokesman Brendan Buck downplayed Boehner’s amnesty support. "Nothing has changed,” Buck said, implying immigration efforts remain stalled in Congress. “As he's said many times, the Speaker believes step-by-step reform is important, but it won't happen until the President builds trust and demonstrates a commitment to the rule of law.”

But Sessions warned that if Boehner and other House GOP leaders like Majority Leader Eric Cantor try to move on immigration in 2014, they could hurt the Republican Party’s chances of regaining trust with voters across America.

Sessions asserted:

"At a time when trust in the President is at record lows, Republicans should not sacrifice their own credibility with such a maneuver. Such action would represent a colossal breach of the public trust: saying one thing before the primaries and then doing another thing after. Republican leaders must recognize that our party is now the last line of defense for American workers. We must proudly embrace this responsibility. Republicans must expose the harm the administration has done—not join it in delivering a hammer blow to the middle class."