Tillis on "false McClatchy story on Tillis and DACA negotiations" | Eastern North Carolina Now

Press Release:

    Tonight, McClatchy posted a patently false story based exclusively on anonymous sources who provided false information to the publication in an attempt to attack Senator Tillis for his role in DACA-border security negotiations.

    Had McClatchy actually done basic reporting, they would have fact-checked and quickly figured out that their anonymous sources were selling them a bill of goods. That's because they would have been provided with an email a Tillis staffer sent to the bipartisan working group on December 20th, 2017, asking if other senators would be willing to do a conference call to discuss DACA during the Christmas break.

• "... my boss does not see the utility in meeting today, especially without the deliverables DHS promised after yesterday's presentation. I can check with his scheduler regarding his availability as early as next week if your bosses were interested in getting on a conference call to continue the discussions."

    They would have also been given the email a Lankford staffer sent to the staff of the bipartisan working group earlier this week, on January 2nd, requesting a staff meeting to "start moving forward."

• "Hi everyone - I hope you all had nice and restful holidays. Would it be possible for us to get together tomorrow or Thursday to regroup and start moving forward? I'm free tomorrow other than 3:30 to 4:30 and Thursday after noon. Also free all day Friday."

    It's evident that Senators Tillis and Lankford never left the bipartisan working group, and their staff members have been actively working to keep discussions moving along.

    It's also important to note the questionable methods McClatchy employed in their "reporting:"

• Instead of fact checking with the Tillis office during the course of the work day, McClatchy waited until after 6:00pm to call a Tillis press staffer to get a quote. The story was published at 7:35pm. Well before contacting the Tillis office, McClatchy was emailing other Senate offices about their story, never bothering to simply just contact the Tillis office!
• Perhaps even more egregious, McClatchy never bothered to inform the Tillis office (at 6pm) that the basis of their story (published at 7:35pm) was the patently false claim that Tillis had left the bipartisan DACA working group, instead claiming that it was a story about the negotiations and the working group itself.

    To the many reporters I talked today who didn't run with the trash they were being sold by anonymous sources with ulterior motives: thank you for doing your jobs as journalists and being good faith arbiters in separating facts and fiction. It's unfortunate McClatchy and its editors didn't follow the same standards of good journalism.

    Here's the bottom line: Senator Tillis has been laser-focused on a DACA solution even before President Trump's announcement in September. He introduced the SUCCEED Act to provide a merit-based path to naturalization for DACA-eligible youth. He's been involved in discussions with his Republican and Democratic colleagues, senior White House staff, and the President. His main focus will remain on the ultimate prize: a bipartisan deal that pairs effective border security with a long-term solution for DACA youth.

• Contact: Daniel Keylin
•     daniel_keylin@tillis.senate.gov