A former top Trump official lost it during a CNN discussion on whether ICE could be deployed to polling stations during the midterm elections.
Ken Cuccinelli, Trump’s former acting deputy secretary of the Department of Homeland Security during his first term, clashed with Democratic political commentator Adam Mockler during Tuesday’s episode of Newsnight with Abby Phillip while dismissing concerns about federal immigration agents patrolling polling places in November.
Cuccinelli, a former Virginia attorney general, was asked for his reaction to Trump ally Steve Bannon suggesting that sending ICE to airports across the country to help manage partial government shutdown–related issues would be “perfect training” for deploying ICE to polling stations.
“Look, there’s a federal statute that forbids federal law enforcement from being armed near polling places, and law enforcement doesn’t go anywhere unarmed, so he is pulling your chain, and you’re letting him,” Cuccinelli said. “That’s just been the law since the Reconstruction era.”
Mockler quickly interjected to note that there are also laws intended to ensure the peaceful transfer of power, hinting that Trump “broke” that tradition for the first time in American history due to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot in 2021.
“Nice try, Adam,” Cuccinelli fired back. “No, no, look, I’ve been being polite to you all day, and I’m done with it!”
“This kind of attack on sensitive spaces—Tom Homan answered it quite well earlier this week, going into schools, hospitals, etc., and he called the bluff. Name one time that’s ever happened?” Cuccinelli added. “When someone is in hot pursuit, you could end up in there, but enforcement actions are not taking place in those places. They’re not going to take place at polling places.”
Trump made the bizarre decision to send ICE agents to airports across the country to help deal with long lines and travel delays, as thousands of unpaid Transportation Security Administration employees have not been showing up to work during the partial government shutdown.
Critics have raised concerns that ICE could be deployed to polling stations during the midterms as part of an attempt by Trump to meddle in the crucial elections, where Republicans are expected to suffer heavy losses.
During Tuesday’s episode of Newsnight, Mockler suggested those fears are justified because of Trump’s actions following the 2020 election.
“Just because I point out that Trump has already tried to overturn an election doesn’t mean that you can go on some random tangent,” Mockler said. “I mean, we have people at this table [CNN’s MAGA panelist Scott Jennings] who called Trump out for causing January 6 and wrote articles about it.”
“Congratulations,” Cuccinelli replied.
