The official White House Twitter account attacked two Democratic senators who have been critical of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who recently called for abolishing ICE, and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), who has been critical of the agency, both received direct tweets to their official Senate accounts.
“Why are you supporting the animals of MS-13?” a tweet at Harris on Monday read.
The White House Twitter account also linked to ICE press releases about recent deportations and the program overview for the Border Enforcement Security Task Force.
.@SenKamalaHarris, why are you supporting the animals of MS-13? You must not know what ICE really does. Here is a link to help you out: https://t.co/kcrNj4aVMU
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) 2 July 2018
As a career prosecutor, I actually went after gangs and transnational criminal organizations. That’s being a leader on public safety. What is not, is ripping babies from their mothers. pic.twitter.com/WyyHU3U7jE
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) 2 July 2018
It’s common for President Donald Trump to attack his critics – by name or otherwise – on Twitter, but he uses his personal Twitter account (@realDonaldTrump). The official White House account (@WhiteHouse) has usually been used for less partisan messaging.
Calls for abolishing the agency have gained ground in recent weeks as the Trump Administration’s “zero tolerance” and family separation policies have created a political uproar.
Both senators are considered potential presidential contenders for the 2020 election, and Harris is a rising star in the Democratic party.
Harris replied to the White House tweets from her personal Twitter account, writing that she “went after gangs and transnational criminal organizations” as a prosecutor.