Arkansas’s attorney general spoke Friday at one of the nation’s most prominent gatherings of conservatives. CPAC, or the Conservative Political Action Conference, describes itself as the “birthplace of modern conservatism.” Ronald Regan was its inaugural keynote speaker in 1974.
This year, Arkansas’s AG Leslie Rutledge got to follow remarks from President Donald Trump at the multi-day, annual affair hosted in Maryland by the American Conservative Union. Rutledge followed a panel discussion that took place after President Donald Trump's remarks. She gave no quarter to undocumented immigrants and others.
“The United States is not and never will be a sanctuary for those who do not honor our laws, who do not respect our individual rights and freedoms and who seek to destroy our way of life,” said Rutledge.
The Republican AG, who introduced herself as a “Christian, pro-life, gun-carrying conservative woman,” evoked scripture to justify a border wall.
“Just as the story of Nehemiah in the good book, Nehemiah was called to build that wall to protect the city. We are all called to do something. Nehemiah had naysayers who told him, ‘Nehemiah get down you can’t build that wall.’ He looked at them and said, ‘oh no, I can because God called me to build this wall.’”
And while the Old Testament tells tale of Nehemiah rebuilding walls in Jerusalem, it also notes he traveled from the far-off then-capitol of Persia to get there. The Old Testament also contains examples of walls being a bad thing, as in the wall of Jericho.
