Sheriff Hodgson witnesses Trump signing veto at White House

WASHINGTON — When President Donald Trump issued the first veto of his presidency on Friday, a SouthCoast official was there to witness it.

Bristol County Sheriff Thomas Hodgson has been in Washington, D.C. this week and was among the participants Wednesday when Trump met with key stakeholders to hear firsthand about the crisis at the border, according to the White House.

Hodgson was also present Friday in the Oval Office when Trump signed his first veto, overruling Congress to protect his emergency declaration for border wall funding.

Flanked by law enforcement officials as well as the parents of children killed by people in the country illegally, Trump maintained that he is not through fighting for his signature campaign promise, which stands largely unfulfilled 18 months before voters decide whether to grant him another term.

"Congress has the freedom to pass this resolution," Trump said, "and I have the duty to veto it."

Hodgson was standing behind Attorney General William Barr and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen during the signing ceremony.

A dozen defecting Republicans joined Senate Democrats in approving the joint resolution on Thursday, which capped a week of confrontation with the White House as both parties in Congress strained to exert their power in new ways. It is unlikely that Congress will have the two-thirds majority required to override Trump's veto, though House Democrats have suggested they would try nonetheless.