(The Center Square) – Arizona Republican Senate candidate Kari Lake thinks the border bill backed by Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, which failed in the Senate on Wednesday, is “garbage.”
Literally.
In a bit of political theater, Lake tossed a copy of the bill, also negotiated by Republican Sen. James Lankford and backed by President Joe Biden, into a trash can during a news conference in Phoenix on Wednesday.
The Republican, who ran for governor in 2022, lambasted the legislation, arguing that it focused too much on processing laws and not enough on border security itself.
It’s been a busy week in Washington on border matters, as both the border bill was shot down in the Senate and an impeachment vote on Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas failed in the House of Representatives. If Lake is elected to the Senate, she’s repeatedly emphasized that the border would be a top issue.
“I disagree with that argument,” Lake said regarding the argument from Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wisc., that impeaching Mayorkas would set a bad precedent under a second Trump administration.
“Mayorkas is not doing his job, and this is why he is being impeached,” she continued, adding that if former President Donald Trump has a cabinet member that is doing their job poorly they should also be impeached. However, she believes it’s unlikely that Trump would pick a “dud.”
It’s unclear if Sinema, an Independent, will end up pursuing a bid for re-election. If Sinema does run, it would likely set up a three-way race between her, Lake, and Democratic Congressman Ruben Gallego. Each of them will continue to face questions on border policy from Arizona voters.
The Center Square also asked Lake about National Border Patrol Council President Brandon Judd, who supported the border bill.
“I was surprised, I was actually really surprised by it,” she said regarding his support for the legislation.
During Lake’s run for governor, Judd backed her border policies in 2022, but she said she would be open to an endorsement from him for her Senate bid.
“Of course I would. I like Brandon, I think he’s great, I don’t agree with him on this. But guess what? I don’t agree with my husband on everything, and he’s a great man,” Lake said.
