White House Memo Includes Monitoring Warning
The Trump White House sent thousands of conservative groups a memo on Thursday warning that their statements are being monitored, according to reports following Tuesday’s midterm elections. The Wall Street Journal reported that the White House Office of Public Liaison distributed a list of President Donald Trump’s accomplishments to 3,000 conservative organizations.
Along with the list of accomplishments, the memo included a caveat highlighted in yellow. The text stated, “As always, we are monitoring statements, press releases, and media engagements from your organizations,” according to the Wall Street Journal.
A White House official told the Daily Caller that the message was not intended as a threat. The official described the language as routine wording included in weekly emails designed to mobilize the coalition. According to the official, these are standard communications sent by the Office of Public Liaison every week.
The official pointed to previous memos to support this characterization. One memo sent to conservative organizations on Oct. 31 reportedly read: “As always, please continue to flag any statements of support, press releases, op-eds and media engagements on the topics outlined above,” according to the Daily Caller.
Republican Splintering After Midterm Defeat
The memo was distributed as Republicans and conservatives have splintered following Tuesday’s elections, which saw Democrats retake both chambers of Congress. The midterm blowout has triggered internal debates within the Republican Party regarding the reasons for the loss.
Vice President J.D. Vance provided a blunt assessment of the election results on Wednesday. Vance stated that “the reason we lost is the war,” noting that the president himself had said so the previous night, according to the Daily Caller.
Vance outlined several issues he identified as crucial to voters. These included ending the war with Iran, addressing the affordability crisis, re-evaluating America’s relationship with Israel, and putting America First. Exit polls found that the economy, gas prices, the Iran War, and political corruption were among voters’ biggest concerns.
Vance Warns Against Amnesty Pushes
Vice President Vance also addressed immigration policy in his assessment of the election aftermath. He warned against establishment politicians pushing for amnesty. Vance stated he is open to changing enforcement by focusing on businesses that hire illegal labor, according to the Daily Caller.
However, Vance characterized those pushing for amnesty as liars during his comments on Wednesday.