Former Trump White House chief strategist Steve Bannon railed against Governor Greg Abbott on Thursday, calling the Texas Republican "gutless" for busing migrants to Washington, D.C., in below-freezing temperatures on Christmas Eve.
Abbott has come under fire in recent months over the Lone Star State's practice of redirecting asylum-seekers and undocumented immigrants to cities run by Democrats. Liberals have long blasted the move as a "cruel" act of political theater, but the governor is now receiving criticism from some within his own party.
Bannon, a longtime ally of former President Donald Trump, slammed Abbott on Thursday in a post on the right-wing social media site Gettr.
"Abbott needs to stop busing illegal aliens into the interior of America and start shipping them BACK to the interior of Mexico... simple .. more gutless Republican Establishment shuffle..." Bannon wrote.
Over the weekend, critics sharply condemned Abbott after migrants were dropped off outside Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris' home on Christmas Eve. The White House issued a scathing statement about the busing, saying that Abbott had "abandoned children on the side of the road in below freezing temperatures."
"As we have repeatedly said, we are willing to work with anyone—Republican or Democrat alike—on real solutions, like the comprehensive immigration reform and border security measures President Biden sent to Congress on his first day in office, but these political games accomplish nothing and only put lives in danger," a White House spokesperson said in the statement.
Abbott wished his social media followers a merry Christmas via tweet on December 25. However, the post attracted blowback as detractors blamed him for the previous day's bus stunt.
For his part, Abbott's office has gone on the defensive and accused the administration of Democratic President Joe Biden of hypocrisy. Renae Eze, a spokesperson for the Texas governor, claimed that the passengers had signed waivers "available in multiple languages upon boarding that they agreed on the destination."
"Instead of their hypocritical complaints about Texas providing much-needed relief to our overrun and overwhelmed border communities, President Biden and Border Czar Harris need to step up and do their jobs to secure the border—something they continue failing to do," Eze reportedly said.
Bannon may not be a fan of Abbott, but he's previously praised other GOP efforts to ship migrants to Democratic-led areas.
In September, the conservative firebrand heralded Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as a "national leader" after the latter directed planes of migrants to Martha's Vineyard.
Newsweek reached out to Abbott's office for comment.
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