ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith torched Democrat Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen on Wednesday for saying he regretted voting to confirm Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Van Hollen told Rubio he regretted supporting his nomination and accused him of ignoring due process by deporting Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a suspected gang member accused of domestic abuse. In the Wednesday episode of “The Stephen A. Smith Show,” Smith called Van Hollen’s remarks “absurd” and defended Rubio’s qualifications.
“We have to understand that Marco Rubio is officially one of the most powerful people in America. Overseeing not just our country, not just in terms of Secretary of State, but national security. This man is an incredibly influential individual. Are we going to sit here and question the qualifications of Marco Rubio, who has been a senator for years, who is a former presidential candidate, who got reelected in the state of Florida?” Smith asked.
Smith took issue with anyone who said Rubio lacks the credentials for his job.
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“We know who Marco Rubio is. He’s not unqualified. He’s not incoherent. He’s not inarticulate. He’s not devoid of intelligence. He certainly isn’t absent or devoid or oblivious to an understanding of policies that affect the United States of America,” Smith said.
Smith said he rejected Van Hollen’s remarks and flipped the blame back on Democrats for their broader electoral failures.
“Last time I checked, Senator Chris Van Hollen — he’s not there to agree with you or to be agreeable to you! Their administration won! The Democrats lost because you were focused on things not like this! You were focused on other stuff in an effort to win an election! And as a result, it cost you,” Smith added. (RELATED: Stephen A. Smith Says He’s ‘Glad’ Trump Won Because Dems ‘Have Played’ Black Americans Like ‘Suckers’)
Garcia, an illegal immigrant from El Salvador, was first flagged in 2019 after authorities found him loitering in a Home Depot parking lot wearing clothing linked to MS-13, according to the DOJ. That same year, the Board of Immigration Appeals upheld a judge’s ruling confirming Garcia as a “verified member” of the violent gang.
In 2021, Garcia’s wife accused him of brutal domestic violence, alleging he hit her, tore off her clothes, and caused bleeding by smashing her laptop. The following year, authorities suspected Garcia of human trafficking when he was caught transporting eight undocumented passengers in a vehicle linked to a convicted smuggler.
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