It was a great moment today, when White House advisor Stephen Miller ripped into Jim Acosta during a little debate over the proposed "merit-based" immigration system.
"What you're proposing and what the president is proposing does not sound like it's in keeping with American tradition when it comes to immigration. The Statue of Liberty says, 'Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.' It doesn't say anything about speaking English or being...a computer programmer."
Miller replied:
"The Statue of Liberty is a symbol of liberty enlightening the world. It's a symbol of American liberty lighting the world. The poem that you're referring to was added later. It's not actually a part of the Statue of Liberty."
Acosta:
"You're saying it does not represent what the country has always thought of as immigration coming into this country?"
They continued to argue and Miller said:
"Do you seriously at CNN not know the difference between green card policy and illegal immigration?"
Acosta continued to question whether immigrants would have to know English before coming into the United States. He said that immigrants would have to come from Great Britain and Australia.
Miller shot back:
"I am shocked at that statement," he said. "It reveals your cosmopolitan bias to a shocking degree... The notion that you think this is a racist bill is so wrong and so insulting."
Jim Acosta is a reporter. What is he doing trying to debate policy?