A heated debate erupted on ABC’s “This Week” Sunday, pitting David Hogg, the vice chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), against Reince Priebus, a former Republican National Committee chairman and previously Chief of Staff to President Donald Trump. The core of their disagreement centered around the deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an undocumented immigrant case.
The discussion began with Reince Priebus initiating a sharp critique of Hogg’s political strategy. Following a question regarding Hogg’s proposal to allocate $20 million from the DNC for primary challenges against established Democratic senators, Priebus asserted he would have swiftly removed Hogg from his position within the party had he been in charge. He stated, “It’s $20 million out of the DNC’s pocket. You can’t be on the board of the fishing and forest company and on Greenpeace at the same time.”
Hogg’s ambitious plan immediately drew strong opposition from within his own party. A prominent Democratic strategist publicly dismissed Hogg as “a contemptible little twerp,” highlighting the divisions emerging within the DNC.
Priebus then broadened his criticism, arguing that the Democratic Party was fundamentally fractured – lacking a cohesive movement, a clear message, and effective leadership. He declared, “The Democrats are a complete mess. They have no movement… They have no message… They have no leader. It doesn’t get any worse than that. You’re defending Harvard, you’re traveling to El Salvador to defend MS-13 gang members.”
This reference directly addressed the controversy surrounding Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and his visit to El Salvador. Van Hollen traveled to meet with Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an undocumented immigrant residing in Maryland who had been deported back to El Salvador and incarcerated within the country’s CECOT mega-prison. Democrats argued that Trump’s administration acted improperly by deporting Garcia, a man without a criminal record, despite a court order, and subsequent imprisonment without due process.
The Trump administration maintained that Garcia was affiliated with MS-13, citing records of his wife’s past accusations of domestic violence, and presented intelligence indicating this affiliation. Prior to Van Hollen’s arrival, El Salvadorian officials announced Garcia had been transferred to a different facility.
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Hogg forcefully challenged Priebus, accusing him of deliberately misrepresenting Garcia’s background. “This was not an MS-13 gang member, and you damn well know that,” Hogg retorted. “The administration admitted this was wrong. In America, we have due process. We are a land of law and order, and this administration is repeatedly showing time and time again they do not care about what the Supreme Court says. They do not care about the rule of law, and you cannot defend sending people to another country where they don’t have rights.”
Priebus countered with polling data indicating widespread American support for mass deportations of undocumented immigrants, bolstered by claims from “every intel community agency” that had determined Garcia was a member of MS-13.
