CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins got Trump border czar Tom Homan to admit he was wrong to blame “a CNN reporter” for something Homan had actually said.
Homan has been vocal about starting President-elect Donald Trump’s mass deportation program “on day one” — and dismissing concerns about the price tag for the operation.
For example, Homan was pretty specific with Fox News Channel’s Maria Bartiromo on Sunday Morning Futures on the “minimum” amount he would need:
TOM HOMAN: So January 20th. Game on.
MARIA BARTIROMO: So game on is right. Look. How much money do you need? Stephen Miller said that–. He told me you need between 80 and $100 billion for the border alone.
Do you believe you’re going to need reconciliation for that? Can you just get that in January, February to conduct what you need to conduct?
TOM HOMAN: Well, 86– $86 million is a minimum, we’re going to need as much money as Congress can give us.
That was eleven days ago.
On Wednesday night’s edition of CNN’s The Source with Kaitlan Collins, Collins conducted a thorough grilling of Homan, during which she asked him about a previous estimate of the cost.
Homan cut in to object that he “never said” the figure in question, claiming, “That was a CNN reporter.”
In short order, however, Collins produced the citation, and Homan had to admit he was wrong:
COLLINS: On this effort overall, in terms of what you believe you need. And you’re obviously deeply familiar with how this works and what’s ahead of you. You had previously said about $86 billion was the minimum this project will cost. Do you have a better estimate now, as you’ve been developing your plan?
HOMAN: I never said $86 billion. That was a CNN reporter that said $86 billion. I don’t know what that number is right now. Again, we’re working on the plan. Again, depends on how many resources I have, and what the cost is going to be. But I’ll say this. $86 billion. I mean, what price you put on the young women that been murdered and raped in this country? What price do you put on the lives of all these little girls that you know — there’s numerous cases.
What price do you put on national security? Because we know a record number of people on terrorist watchlist have been caught on southern border. We also know there’s over 2.2 million gotaways. How many of them came from countries, sponsoring terror?
What price do you put on the thousands of angel moms and dads who’ve — their children were buried by their parents, because their children were killed by someone that’s not supposed to be here. There’s a lot of cost factor (ph).
COLLINS: Yes.
HOMAN: Well let me say this. This will be an expense — this will be an expensive operation. But in the long run, it should be a — it would be a huge tax savings on the American people.
Because right now, they’re spending billions of dollars on free airline tickets, free hotel rooms, free medical care, not talking about our educational system–
COLLINS: Right.
HOMAN: –our trauma in the hospitals–
COLLINS: And–
HOMAN: –and–
COLLINS: And, sir?
HOMAN: You know, and that’s in–
COLLINS: To be clear–
HOMAN: And that’s in perpetuity. And that’s in perpetuity.
COLLINS: Well, and to be clear, I understand, you’ll be making that argument about why you need this money to Congress. I was just curious how much you’re guessing it will cost. Because obviously, as you noted, it’s going to be expensive. You’re going to have to ask Congress for that money.
I believe you had told Fox Business $86 billion–
HOMAN: I think — I think — I think — I think–
COLLINS: –was the estimate.
HOMAN: $86 billion at a minimum, I said. That’s a minimum.
COLLINS: OK. I was just quoting you. I just want to make sure that–
HOMAN: Because of the — of the — look–
COLLINS: –we’re clear that I was quoting you–
HOMAN: Yes.
COLLINS: –correctly on what you — the baseline of that was. But I think in the question–
HOMAN: You were — you were quoting — you were quoting me directly. You were quoting me directly.
COLLINS: OK.
HOMAN: There was also a question was asked by a CNN reporter.
COLLINS: OK, got it, yes.
Watch above via CNN’s The Source with Kaitlan Collins.