ABC Finally Covers Own Reporter Clashing With White House Over Illegal Immigrant Deportations

It took an entire day [1] but ABC finally reported on its own Jonathan Karl, ABC News Chief White House Correspondent, and his confrontation with White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest.

Karl’s battle with Earnest came on Monday, July 7, and both that evening’s World News with Diane Sawyer and Good Morning America on Tuesday, July 8 ignored the story. World News on Tuesday night finally provided a full report on the border crisis courtesy of Karl himself. 

The ABC News reporter began by arguing that despite the White House asking Congress for $3.7 billion to deal with the border crisis “It’s going to be a tough sell. Republicans today accused the president of asking for a blank check. Overall, more than 52,000 children have crossed the border alone illegally since October. The White House has refused to say how many of them have been deported.” 

ABC then finally played the video of Karl questioning the White House Press Secretary and insisting that the number of deportations is “a pretty small number right? I mean, not many are showing up for their hearings.” 

The segment continued with Karl highlighting how “President Obama travels to Texas tomorrow for political fund-raising in Dallas and Austin. But he will also meet with Texas Governor Rick Perry. It may be a tense conversation, Perry has blamed the president for the crisis”

Karl concluded by emphasizing that “one place the president won't be visiting tomorrow is the border. Despite intense criticism from Republicans and even some Democrats, the White House says the president doesn't need to go to the border because he's been there before and is fully aware of what's going on.”

Unfortunately, it took ABC 24 hours to acknowledge its own reporter’s heated back-and-forth with the White House when it could have provided full coverage when the battle occurred. 

See relevant transcript below. 

ABC's World News with Diane Sawyer

July 8, 2014

DIANE SAWYER: And now to that crisis on the U.S. border with Mexico. We have shown you the pictures. A giant wave of young children, tens of thousands of them, many without their parents trying to cross into the United States. Here Americans stopping their buses and forcing them to turn back. And today President Obama asked for billions dollars to staunch the tide. ABC’s Chief White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl.

JONATHAN KARL: With anger over the border crisis at a boiling point, the White House today asked Congress for $3.7 billion to deal with flood of unaccompanied children coming into the United States illegally. Nearly half of the money would go to care for the children while they await deportation hearings, most of the rest for beefing up border security and hiring new judges and lawyers to process the cases. It’s going to be a tough sell. Republicans today accused the president of asking for a blank check. Overall, more than 52,000 children have crossed the border alone illegally since October. The White House has refused to say how many of them have been deported. 

JOSH EARNEST: I don't have a specific number in front of me, Jon. There are a couple of things--

KARL: We’ve been asking this for a couple of weeks, but it’s a pretty small number right? I mean, not many are showing up for their hearings. 

EARNEST: I don't have the number in front of me, Jon. 

KARL: President Obama travels to Texas tomorrow for political fund-raising in Dallas and Austin. But he will also meet with Texas Governor Rick Perry. It may be a tense conversation, Perry has blamed the president for the crisis, even suggesting he's part of a “coordinated effort” with Central American governments to bring the children over the border. 

RICK PERRY: I don't believe he particularly cares whether or not the border of the United States is secure. And that's the reason there's been this lack of effort, this lack of focus. This lack of resources.

KARL: One place the president won't be visiting tomorrow is the border. Despite intense criticism from Republicans and even some Democrats, the White House says the president doesn't need to go to the border because he's been there before and is fully aware of what's going on.