BORDER/DHS/IMMIGRATION/MIDDLE EAST/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump acknowledged on Tuesday [10-23-18] that he has ‘no proof’ for his claim that a migrant caravan approaching the U.S. southern border includes ‘Middle Easterners’ but suggested he could eventually back up the assertion. Pressed by reporters after signing a water bill alongside lawmakers in both parties, Trump said ‘there’s no proof of anything,’ when asked about his assertions that there are Middle Easterners in the caravan, adding ‘but there could very well be.’ He insisted that ‘I have very good information’ to support his claim. His administration sought to reorient its condemnation of the migration away from alleged terrorism and toward other alleged criminal activity. Department of Homeland Security spokesman Tyler Houlton tweeted that his agency ‘can confirm that there are individuals within the caravan who are gang members or have significant criminal histories.’ DHS did not respond on the record to a request for data supporting that claim. Trump’s admission of no evidence for his claim about the caravan came hours after Vice President Mike Pence endorsed his assertion at a Washington Post event, further bolstering the White House’s attempt to make political hay out of the migration.”
–Elana Schor, “Trump concedes ‘no proof’ of Middle Easterners in caravan,” Politico, October 23, 2018 5:01 pm