President Trump may have derailed this own national emergency declared on Friday to authorize an additional $7 billion for his long-promised border wall.
While speaking with reporters outside the White House, Trump said “I didn’t need to do this. But I’d rather do it much faster.“
Likely to be used in future lawsuits: Trump on his national emergency declaration: “I didn’t need to do this. But I’d rather do it much faster … I just want to get it done faster.” Via CNN pic.twitter.com/HcPrQdhRJ9
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) February 15, 2019
Critics and attorneys immediately seized on Trump’s language, suggesting that it proves there’s no legitimate national emergency at hand.
Trump just said; “I didn’t need to do this. But I’d rather do it much faster.”
Whatever a national emergency may be, that’s not it.
That quote is going right in the lawsuit. https://t.co/FzwS4xIaMw
— Neal Katyal (@neal_katyal) February 15, 2019
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has announced its intention to file a legal challenge to Trump’s national emergency declaration, stating “By the president’s very own admission in the Rose Garden, there is no national emergency.”
NEW: ACLU announces intention to file legal challenge against Pres. Trump’s national emergency declaration.
“By the president’s very own admission in the Rose Garden, there is no national emergency.” https://t.co/k2gSvnfMog pic.twitter.com/yegRNE5KSC
— ABC News (@ABC) February 15, 2019
BREAKING: We’re suing President Trump over today’s blatantly illegal declaration of a national emergency.
There is no emergency. This is an unconstitutional power grab that hurts American communities. We’ll see him in court.
— ACLU (@ACLU) February 15, 2019
George Conway, the Trump-hating husband of Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway and D.C. power-lawyer, wasted no time jumping on Trump’s comments.
This quote should be the first sentence of the first paragraph of every complaint filed this afternoon. https://t.co/ClHQhpTaEe
— George Conway (@gtconway3d) February 15, 2019
If he knows he is going to lose, then he knows he is violating the Constitution and laws he has sworn to uphold. https://t.co/L311CG1CSy
— George Conway (@gtconway3d) February 15, 2019
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) called the national emergency a “lawless act,” and a “gross abuse of the power of the presidency.”
Declaring a national emergency would be a lawless act, a gross abuse of the power of the presidency and a desperate attempt to distract from the fact that @realDonaldTrump broke his core promise to have Mexico pay for his wall.
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) February 14, 2019
And with Trump’s admission that he didn’t have to do it – he may have shot himself in the foot.
via ZeroHedge News http://bit.ly/2S5MDxs Tyler Durden