The Daily Beast editors want you to think Spencer Ackerman's White House ‘Muslim Ban’ Man Pushes for Even More Power (June 2 2017) is about my old friend Stephen Miller, but it's actually quite well-reported confirmation (possibly inadvertent) that it is the Deep State that is sabotaging Trump's attempts to slow down the refugee influx, something unquestioned when done by previous Presidents. I asked Refugee Resettlement Watch's wonderful Ann Corcoran to comment; she's blogged (June 5), interpolating bolded comments and emphases into the Daily Beast piece, quoted below:

The nationalist firebrand has elbowed his way into national-security and foreign affairs, trying to push the U.S. government to adopt hard-line stances on refugees and other international issues. Gasp!—ed. Now look at this! Who are the “horrified administration officials?” Could they be the Obama holdovers, the ‘Deep State?’

The series of moves has so horrified administration officials that they’ve created a paper trail to try to keep Miller from implementing his nationalist goals for international issues—spelling out the consequences of disobeying court orders, for example, that prevent Trump from further curtailing the number of refugees coming into this country.

Among those documents, officials told The Daily Beast on the condition of anonymity, is a guidance paper from the Justice Department about the legal liabilities the administration would incur for flouting a judge’s order on refugees.

Who in the Justice Department? Obama holdover lawyers?

Ann is deeply frustrated by all this, especially as she has long argued the Trump Administration didn't actually need an Executive Order to slow the influx: it could have been done administratively. She concludes (her emphasis):

Every day that the White House is silent on the new 75,000 admission level for this  year signals acquiescence.

If the White House was rolled by the Deep State (with the help of the refugee industry contractors) and the Republican leadership in Congress, the White House should admit it and tell Trump voters that they are trying to drain the swamp and trying to keep us safe, but it is very very hard. There is no shame in saying that!

I take a somewhat more optimistic view: at least this isn't a change of heart by Trump. His Administration is still notoriously understaffed and things should get better as appointments are made.

Plus Trump will have a chance to get control of the refugee situation in September, when the law requires him to set a number for fiscal 2018. My suggestion: zero. And repeal the disastrous 1980 Refugee Act.