Excerpt:
Top White House officials are struggling to convince on-the-fence House Democrats to oppose a Republican plans to halt the flow of Syrian refugees to the United States.
Department of Homeland (DHS) Security Secretary Jeh Johnson and White House chief of staff Denis McDonough were dispatched to the Capitol to rally House Democrats Thursday morning, just hours before the vote. Their pitch, according to many in the room, didn't resonate.
"[It's] not going over well," according to an aide in the room, who said Johnson and McDonough went too far "in the weeds."