Sen. Tom Cotton (R., Ark.) ripped into 2020 presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke (D.) Thursday for his calls to tear down existing barriers on the southern border, saying such a move would delight residents of El Paso, Texas, who "don't live in a world of private planes and security details."
Refraining from referring to his "Beto" nickname, Cotton took O'Rourke to task for telling MSNBC last month that he would "absolutely" tear down the border wall separating his hometown from Mexico.
"Democrats used to take border security seriously. But in elite society today, border security is a bad word—and 'wall' is practically a four-letter word, unless it’s the walls that protect the rich, the powerful, and the politically connected from a dangerous world," Cotton said.
"Just look in the news. The Democrats' newest presidential aspirant, Robert Francis O’Rourke—a former congressman and failed Senate candidate—has even gone so far as to suggest tearing down existing barriers at the southern border, which I’m sure thrilled all the good people of El Paso who don't live in a world of private planes and security details."
O'Rourke jumped into the presidential race on Thursday after months of hinting and soul-searching. The former three-term congressman ran unsuccessfully for the Senate in 2018 against Republican Ted Cruz.