Sen. Chris Van Hollen Calls BS After Gavin Newsom Calls Debate Over Unlawful Deportation A ‘Distraction’

One of California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s fellow Democrats took an apparent dig at him for calling the debate over Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s unlawful deportation “the distraction of the day.”

On Sunday’s episode of “Meet the Press,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) plainly told NBC News’ Kristen Welker that politicians who aren’t willing to defend the Constitution don’t “deserve to lead.”

Van Hollen balked when asked to respond to Newsom arguing that his party should be attacking President Donald Trump’s contempt for the rule of law instead of getting lost in the details over whether he should heed a court ruling ordering to bring Abrego Garcia home.

“I don’t think it’s ever wrong to stand up for the Constitution,” said the senator, who went to El Salvador to push for Abrego Garcia’s return to the U.S. last week. “And this is not about one man. If you deny the constitutional rights of one man, you threaten the constitutional rights for everybody.”

“I think Americans are tired of elected officials or politicians who are all finger to the wind,” he went on, adding, “Anybody who can’t stand up for the Constitution and the right of due process doesn’t deserve to lead.”

During a press conference earlier this week, Newsom did call the fervor around Abrego Garcia’s case “the distraction of the day,” but was specifically referring to the Trump administration’s decision to ignore court orders demanding his return based on unproven claims he was a member of the MS-13 gang.

“This is the debate they want,” Newsom said about getting bogged down in the details of Trump’s justification for deporting Abrego Garcia. “This is their 80/20 issue, as they’ve described it, you know, those that believe in the rule of law defending it, but it’s a tough case because people are really [asking] ‘Are they defending MS-13?’” Newsom told the press.

The governor said the back-and-forth over whether and why the White House should obey the court’s decision should not be a matter of debate.

“When a judge adjudicates, it’s not in question. How in the hell are we even debating that?” he added. “It’s Orwellian that you’re debating that, and it’s exactly the debate they want, because they don’t want this debate on the tariffs.”

Abrego Garcia’s case has been in the spotlight since he, along with over 250 Venezuelan and Salvadoran men accused of gang affiliations, were whisked to El Salvador’s infamous CECOT prison last month.

Abrego Garcia had entered the U.S. without authorization in 2012, but after being arrested in 2019, an immigration judge barred his removal from the U.S, citing reasonable proof he would face “future persecution” from local gangs if he returned to El Salvador.

While the Trump administration has accused Abrego Garcia of being a member of the MS-13 gang, citing information from his previous encounters with authorities, Abrego Garcia has denied the claims.

Correction: This story has been updated to reflect the context of Newsom’s “distraction of the day comment.”