INTERVIEW: Rep. Darrell Issa on new ICE legislation, the "time for choosing" in the Middle East, and more

THE LOWDOWN:

• Hours after domestic terrorists were arrested after allegedly shooting ICE officers in Texas, Rep. Darrell Issa (R., Calif.) announced plans to formally and “unconditionally condemn violent attacks against ICE agents enforcing our laws against criminal illegals.”

• Though Democrat Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D., N.Y.) recently spoke on the House floor for more than eight hours, Issa said that he doesn’t expect him to take even eight seconds to honor the ICE agents who were nearly murdered for doing their jobs during the McAllen, Texas attack.

• Issa’s latest legislative move to back up ICE follows his successful steerage of the No Rogue Rulings Act, which is currently languishing in the Senate awaiting a vote.

• While Issa needs the Senate to pick up his bill, he noted that Chief Justice John Roberts seemed to gain a certain inspiration from Issa’s policy in crafting the Court’s CASA ruling.

Hours after domestic terrorists were arrested after allegedly shooting ICE officers in Texas, Rep. Darrell Issa (R., Calif.) announced plans to formally and “unconditionally condemn violent attacks against ICE agents enforcing our laws against criminal illegals.”

He told the Washington Reporter that he hopes when push comes to shove, multiple Democrats will sign on. Issa added he "believe[s] in the redemption of souls,” but prominent Democrats from coast to coast are declining to take that route in favor of the opposite tack.

Though Democrat Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D., N.Y.) recently spoke on the House floor for more than eight hours, Issa said that he doesn’t expect him to take even eight seconds to honor the ICE agents who were nearly murdered for doing their jobs during the McAllen, Texas attack.

Even closer to Issa’s home, another top Democrat who was on President Joe Biden’s vice presidential shortlist just demanded ICE leave Los Angeles while it was carrying out immigration enforcement. Issa says this puts ICE officers’ lives in danger.

“For Karen Bass to get in the way of totally lawful and core duties of ICE officers, and then to disparage them as that other deputy mayor did, truly puts them even more at risk,” Issa said.

“Any time you diminish the importance and legitimacy of people who go in harm's way, you increase the chances of their harm,” he continued.

Issa’s latest legislative move to back up ICE follows his successful steerage of the No Rogue Rulings Act, which is currently languishing in the Senate awaiting a vote.

Issa said that the recent ruling by a judge that baselessly removed a provision from the Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill that stripped funding from Planned Parenthood demonstrates the need for his bill.

“The Supreme Court has taken a huge step” with its CASA decision, Issa said. “But codifying a version of the No Rogue Rulings Act is absolutely essential.”

“It might be in the form of a different bill, but it will be in response to the Trump Resistance in Robes,” Issa continued. “It’s kind of like dealing with a nail, it has to be tapped down every once in a while, because it keeps coming up. We're going to have to take further action.”

While Issa needs the Senate to pick up his bill, he noted that Chief Justice John Roberts seemed to gain a certain inspiration from Issa’s policy in crafting the Court’s CASA ruling.

“Justice Roberts should at least call me and say ‘I'm going to do what you told me to do,’” Issa said.

Issa, who has spent years on the Judiciary Committee, is also the Vice Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee. His longtime friend, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, just nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize — a move that Issa himself made a few months ago.

There’s a simple reason for Trump’s foreign policy successes, Issa said. They “work for the very reason that the axiom peace through strength has been taken by both parties to be an important thing to remember.”

“The strength of our military and the strength of [Trump’s] conviction to do the right thing has caused each of these breakthroughs,” Issa said.

To that end, Issa said that he is optimistic that there won’t be any catastrophic foreign policy failures on Trump’s watch that are akin to Biden’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan.

“If and when [Trump] goes in somewhere, he goes in hard and heavy, and he accomplishes his goals and he leaves with honor, and he's worried about the safety of his military personnel,” Issa said. “If the next president isn't Donald J. Trump, but is somebody like Joe Biden, sadly, I don't think you can stop the same thing from happening again.”

“Accountability is one of the things that President Trump and his people are working on tirelessly,” Issa continued. “And I do think that by the fourth anniversary, you are going to see a lot of accountability. The Gold Star Families should have been given access to everything they want [by then].”

Finally, Issa said that he is optimistic that Trump’s work in conjunction with Netanyahu in taking out Iran’s nuclear facilities is creating a “time for choosing” for countries in the Middle East, like Syria.

“It's a time for choosing for the countries who now have the ability to make a choice,” Issa said. “Syria has a choice to go a different way, to be like Egypt and other countries that have made peace and as a result, can deal with real domestic problems and helping their people. And Lebanon has that same choice now.”

“President Trump’s leadership eliminated the Iranian threat — the very entity that stopped Syria and Lebanon from having real choices about what direction they'll take their countries,” he continued. “We have yet to get the Iranian people the choice they'd like to have.”

Below is a transcript of our interview with Rep. Darrell Issa, lightly edited for clarity.

Washington Reporter:

We just saw Hakeem Jeffries speak for eight hours on the floor. Do you think that he will have eight seconds to speak about the ICE agents who were just shot in Texas?

Rep. Darrell Issa:

No.

Washington Reporter:

You just announced earlier today that you will roll out a resolution to unconditionally condemn these attacks on ICE agents. Do you expect any Democrats to join you in this?

Rep. Darrell Issa:

Yes, I believe in the redemption of souls.

Washington Reporter:

How many Democrats do you think will sign on?

Rep. Darrell Issa:

I believe that this is important to Republicans who support ICE, and we will remind the vast majority of Democrats that they should be supporting ICE.

Washington Reporter:

We saw Mayor Karen Bass obstruct this ICE raid in California earlier this week, and obviously there was the shooting of ICE agents in Texas. What level of culpability do you think that elected Democrats have towards the increase in attacks on ICE agents? Is there a culpability in D.C. for what we're seeing with these attacks and assaults?

Rep. Darrell Issa:

Any time you diminish the importance and legitimacy of people who go in harm's way, you increase the chances of their harm. The short answer to your question is yes, but I fully respect people's ability to disagree with a particular practice, but not with the very existence of the job they do. For Karen Bass to get in the way of totally lawful and core duties of ICE officers, and then to disparage them as that other deputy mayor did, truly puts them even more at risk.

Washington Reporter:

It took only a few hours for Karen Bass to disrupt this ICE raid; contrast that with how long it took her to respond to the Los Angeles fires. What do you make of her priorities in California?

Rep. Darrell Issa:

I think the fact that people in the Palisades and Altadena are still waiting for their permits shows she's not putting the time into what she promised the president.

Washington Reporter:

Gavin Newsom is currently in South Carolina. What do you make of that? There are currently fires raging in California again.

Rep. Darrell Issa:

I'm sure that he, like all other wealthy Californians, is looking at relocating to a better state.

Washington Reporter:

Your old friend, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in town this week. He recently took after you in nominating Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize. What is your assessment of Trump's foreign policy recently?

Rep. Darrell Issa:

Trump’s policies work for the very reason that the axiom peace through strength has been taken by both parties to be an important thing to remember. The strength of our military and the strength of his conviction to do the right thing has caused each of these breakthroughs.

Washington Reporter:

Looking at the Middle East specifically, when we were talking in person in Tel Aviv in February this year, you had just met with Abu Mohammad al-Jolani. What do you think about Israel and Syria right now, as far as what could be there, and about the Trump administration’s decision to lift a lot of sanctions on Syria?

Rep. Darrell Issa:

It's a time for choosing, for the countries who now have the ability to make a choice. Syria has a choice to go a different way, to be like Egypt and other countries that have made peace and as a result, can deal with real domestic problems and helping their people. And Lebanon has that same choice now. Contrast that with Iran, which was not left a choice but to evacuate. President Trump’s leadership eliminated the Iranian threat — the very entity that stopped Syria and Lebanon from having real choices about what direction they'll take their countries. We have yet to get the Iranian people the choice they'd like to have.

Washington Reporter:

Next month is the four year anniversary of Biden's Afghanistan withdrawal; what are you looking at from a congressional standpoint todo to ensure that things like this never happen again?

Rep. Darrell Issa:

You can't make sure they don't happen again. They won't happen on President Trump's watch. If and when he goes in somewhere, he goes in hard and heavy, and he accomplishes his goals and he leaves with honor, and he's worried about the safety of his military personnel. If the next president isn't Donald J. Trump, but is somebody like Joe Biden, sadly, I don't think you can stop the same thing from happening again. Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan came after Nixon, who, for better or worse, had a term, peace with honor. He negotiated it, he made it happen, but he used incredible amounts of force to do it. His successors didn't have that resolve, and Vietnam fell. Trump is going to leave the world a much better place. Unfortunately, there's nothing to stop the same thing from happening again. Accountability is one of the things that President Trump and his people are working on tirelessly. And I do think that by the fourth anniversary, you are going to see a lot of accountability. The Gold Star Families should have been given access to everything they want.

Washington Reporter:

Let’s end with the No Rogue Rulings Act. We're seeing Congress once again come around to your point.

Rep. Darrell Issa:

It’s not only Congress. Look at the Supreme Court. Justice Roberts should at least call me and say ‘I'm going to do what you told me to do.’

Washington Reporter:

Do you want the Senate to pass this? In light of this TRO on the Planned Parenthood funding, it seems as urgent as ever for the Senate to actually take this up.

Rep. Darrell Issa:

The Supreme Court has taken a huge step. But codifying a version of the No Rogue Rulings Act is absolutely essential. It might be in the form of a different bill, but it will be in response to the Trump Resistance in Robes. It’s kind of like dealing with a nail, it has to be tapped down every once in a while, because it keeps coming up. We're going to have to take further action.

Washington Reporter:

Congressman Issa, thanks so much for chatting.