Sessions says comparing separated children’s quarters to Nazi Germany is an “exaggeration”

Attorney General Jeff Sessions called comparisons made between Nazi Germany and the federal government’s treatment of migrant children separated from their parents at the border an “exaggeration” during an interview Monday night.

Fox News host Laura Ingraham asked the nation’s chief law enforcement officer to respond to his critics’ comparisons between Nazi German’s treatment of Jews, and the facilities where the federal government is housing children separated from their parents. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and former CIA director Michael Hayden, among others, have suggested some parallels between the present situation and Nazi Germany.

“Well it’s a real exaggeration,” Sessions responded on “The Ingraham Angle.” “Of course, in Nazi Germany, they were keeping the Jews from leaving the country. But this is a serious matter. We need to think it through, be rational and thoughtful about it.”

Sessions’ zero-tolerance policy of illegal border crossings and the decision to treat those crossings as criminal offenses has separated at least 2,000 children from their parents since April, and the White House has declined so far to stop separating minors and their parents. The separations, and images of the children’s living conditions, has sparked outrage on both sides of the aisle, and even Sessions’ own church issued church charges against the decision.

Mr. Trump has demanded that Congress “CHANGE THE LAWS” to fix the immigration problem, but so far the White House has not said whether Mr. Trump will sign a stand-alone bill to fix the issue, introduced by members of his own party. Mr. Trump meets with House Republicans on Capitol Hill to discuss immigration later this afternoon.

Asked if Mr. Trump would consider a stand-alone bill to fix the family separation issue — the president and administration have insisted a full overhaul of immigration that includes border wall funding is necessary — White House adviser Mercedes Schlapp said, “I think you know the president is meeting today with the House Conference. I think that will be a lot of the discussion.”