CNN Panel Highlights Trump's Immigration Hypocrisy With Report Of Him Having Models Circumvent Immigration Law

Chris Cuomo: Trump Has Claimed H1B Visas Are “Being Abused” And Yet That's What This Report Is “Accusing Him Of”

From the August 31 edition of CNN's New Day:

CHRIS CUOMO (CO-HOST): Rebecca Berg, this other story, this Mother Jones story. It basically says, to Mark's description of the Clintons, you play by your own rules, that speculation. It seems to fall into that category with Donald Trump. This modeling agency that he has, women came forward saying they circumvented immigration law, they put us in these lousy apartments, and they were just milking the system and milking these women to modeland doing it on the cheap. How much do you think there there happens with this?

REBECCA BERG: Well, it could be hugely consequential because it shows perhaps that there is some inconsistencies between what Donald Trump is saying and what he's actually done in his business career. But what we have seen with Donald Trump is that he likes to brag about taking advantage of loopholes in the law, not only when it comes to something like this, immigration rules, but also with taxation. And he's used the tax codes, as he said, to his advantage. And so if he can make the case that he was trying to take advantage of a broken system, there is a way that he could maybe maneuver this politically to a place where it's advantageous for him. 

CUOMO: I don't know. It's not taxes though. 

BERG: It's also something that Hillary Clinton --

CUOMO: It's not taxes. These are the H1B visas that he's talked about being abused. He said, “I'm going to get rid of them because people abuse them and that's really wrong. We have to be tougher.” That's what they're accusing him of in this piece. 

ALISYN CAMEROTA (CO-HOST): Right I mean, basically that he had told the models who were coming into this country, “Just say that you're here for tourism.” 

CUOMO: Taking meetings. You're not working.

CAMEROTA: “Yeah, you're taking meetings, you're trying to find an agent in this [INAUDIBLE] for tourism if they find your portfolio," because they really were coming in for work, “if they find your portfolio just say that you were looking for an agent.” So is that a loophole or is that breaking the law? 

MARK PRESTON: Well, it's clearly breaking the law, right? I mean in the end. I mean what Donald Trump, as Rebecca says, has said over and over again, “As a businessman, I'm going to take every chance I can to help myself out personally. But now that I'm running for president, I'm here to help you all out, and we will close these loopholes down.” For some reason, that hasn't stuck to Donald Trump in this campaign, as a lot of things haven't stuck to Donald Trump.

CUOMO: But working the taxes and breaking the law are two different things. Everybody wants to pay the least amount of taxes. We all get that. This could be something different. The question is, does it get that kind of traction that it needs?

PRESTON: Right. And I would say this. Being in New York City with the tabloids, that could be his downfall in the sense that they could seize upon the story and run with it. 

Related

Mother Jones: Former Models For Donald Trump's Agency Say They Violated Immigration Rules And Worked Illegally

Previously

CNN's Chris Cuomo Highlights Trump’s Hypocrisy On Middle East Business Ventures

Donald Trump’s Probable Immigration Plan Will Be Ripped Straight From Right-Wing Media

This Is How Trump’s Closest Advisors Have Talked About Immigrants And Latinos