Longtime Democratic strategist Mo Elleithee advised his party not to align too closely with Kilmar Abrego Garcia — who, according to the Trump administration, was deported last month as an MS-13 gang member who also violently beat his wife — during an appearance on CNN’s “The Arena with Kasie Hunt” on Friday.
Elleithee reminded Democrats that they “don’t know all of the details about this guy,” and warned against making him a “martyr.”
He instead recommended that his party focus on what he perceives as the Trump administration “chipping away at our rights.”
“Let’s not make him a martyr. Let’s make this about the fact that Donald Trump and his administration are chipping away at our rights on a daily basis,” Elleithee told the panel.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., recounted his meeting with Abrego Garcia in El Salvador during a press conference on Friday, during which he said he would not stop fighting until the man is released from the El Salvadoran mega-prison.
Elleithee pushed back on Van Hollen’s approach, and questioned whether the senator’s message would “resonate with the rest of the country.”