Speaking at an invitation-only event, Pres. Obama's senior adviser, Valerie Jarrett, told attendees that House Speaker John Boehner has made a commitment to the White House to pass amnesty legislation this year. The gathering included investors, elite political donors, hedge fund managers, political and business leaders, and celebrities.
According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Jarrett said, "I think we have a window this summer, between now and August, to get something done. We have a commitment from Speaker Boehner, who's very frustrated with his caucus."
Jarrett also said that the White House sided with Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) who said that it would be fine for the House to pass immigration bills piece-by-piece as long as it resembled the Senate-approved, Schumer-Obama amnesty bill, in the end.
Speaker Boehner has made several moves over the last six months that have pointed to his bringing an amnesty bill to the floor. At the end of last year, he hired a former John McCain immigration adviser, Becky Tallent, to lead the immigration reform efforts in his Speaker's office. Then, earlier this year, he told a group of supporters at a Las Vegas fundraiser that he's "hellbent" on passing amnesty this year. And finally, just a few weeks ago, he mocked those in his caucus who oppose immigration reform.
Republican Conference Chair Rep. Cathy McMorris-Rodgers (R-Wash.) has also floated out the idea that the GOP-controlled House has a window to move on immigration legislation before the month-long August recess.
For more on this story, see Breitbart News.
UPDATE: Since this story was published, Valerie Jarrett has said that her statement at the summit was "lost in translation." She said that Speaker Boehner "has made a commitment to trying (to pass legislation), not that he has made a commitment to us or a time frame." (The Hill)
Also, Speaker Boehner's office has issued a statement, saying that he has made no commitment to moving immigration reform this year. "Republicans are committed to reforming our immigration system, but as the speaker has said repeatedly, it's difficult to see how we make progress until the American people have faith that President Obama will enforce the law as written," Steel said in an e-mail. (MSNBC)
