Donald Trump’s new campaign manager struggled Sunday to explain whether the Republican presidential nominee plans to use a deportation force to eject roughly 11 million immigrants living in the U.S. illegally, saying such a plan is “to be determined.”
Kellyanne Conway, who was promoted in a staff shake-up at the end of the week, said Mr. Trump is dedicated to finding a “fair and humane” way of dealing with illegal immigrants, suggesting a softer tone in the homestretch of the general election.
During the primary, Mr. Trump pledged to build a wall along the U.S. southern border to keep out illegal immigrants, while using a force to drive existing undocumented residents back to their home countries. The plan fired up his supporters and pressured his GOP rivals to match his strident rhetoric.
Speaking to CNN’s “State of the Union,” Ms. Conway said a President Trump would ensure that U.S. immigration laws are enforced, particularly so illegal migrants do not take job opportunities away from American citizens.
Pressed on whether that would include the type of “deportation force” that Mr. Trump spoke about during the primary, Ms. Conway wouldn’t say.
“To be determined,” she told “State of the Union” host Dana Bash.
Ms. Conway, a pollster and adviser, was elevated to campaign manger Wednesday, the same day that Mr. Trump tapped Breitbart News Executive Chairman Stephen K. Bannon as CEO of the campaign.
Two days later, Paul Manafort resigned from his post as Mr. Trump’s campaign chairman, a move that coincided with renewed scrutiny into his past work in Ukraine. Mr. Manafort had worked for former pro-Russia Ukrainian President Viktor F. Yanukovych, who was elected in 2010.
GOP supporters fear the campaign shake-ups are overshadowing questions about Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, who leads in the polls but has been dogged by her exclusive use of a private email server during her time as secretary of state.
Republicans say Mrs. Clinton hasn’t been forthcoming about her missing emails and other aspects of her past, including the content of her speeches to Wall Street and whether she granted favors to those who donated to the Clinton Foundation.
Ms. Conway said more people should be focusing on her secrecy, though Ms. Conway herself said in April that Mr. Trump’s tax returns weren’t “transparent.”
Now that she’s a key member of the team, Ms. Conway feels that Mr. Trump is justified in keeping his returns secret until the IRS completes an audit of his taxes, even though outside experts say nothing prevents him from disclosing their contents.
“When the audit is completed, he will release the tax returns,” Ms. Conway said.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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