Who You Gonna’ Believe?

Who are you gonna’ believe?  It is a very important question.  VP Pence visited the US-Mexico border yesterday to view the conditions facing migrant adults and children being detained there.  He was joined by a group of reporters, Senate Republicans and acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan.  VP Pence’s office (according to CNN) invited Senate Democrats to join him on his visit, but none were in attendance.  Democrats will visit detention facilities today.

After the visit, Mr. Pence said, “CNN is so dishonest.” (This opinion was based on how Mr. Pence viewed CNN’s coverage of his visit—which he said focused on the overcrowded facility for adult men—with little attention being given to his talking with some of the children and mothers, asking them if they were well cared for—and they all nodded yes).   “Today we took reporters to a detention facility on the border for families and children and all told us they were being treated well…We also visited an overcrowded facility for adult men, many of whom have been arrested multiple times.” (No evidence was  provided for Pence’s  assertion: “many of whom have been arrested multiple times.”)

Pence continued:  “Rather than broadcast the full story, showing the compassionate care the American people are providing to vulnerable families, tonight CNN only played video of men in the temporary facility and didn’t play any footage of the family facility at all…ignoring the excellent care being provided to families and children.  Our great CBP agents deserve better and the American people deserve the whole story from CNN!”

What is the “whole story?”  Several weeks ago unannounced inspections of Border Patrol facilities were made (by DHS inspector general)  which found many violations of detention policy.  Since then there have been numerous reports concerning the squalid conditions in these facilities, prompting a $4.6 billion allocation from Congress to remedy those conditions.  Mr. Pence and his entourage told quite a different story.  Who you gonna’ believe?  

One Representative of the people says “they were told to drink out of a toilet bowl.”  Another Representative of the people says, “They’re not drinking out of toilets.”  Who you gonna’ believe?  On what “evidence?”