The Arizona Republic

String of ‘travel ban’ tweets may haunt Trump

Diatribes about political correctnes­s appear to undercut his own order and could hurt his chances in the Supreme Court

- Richard Wolf @richardjwo­lf USA TODAY

Lawyers on both sides of the dispute over President Trump’s immigratio­n travel ban agreed on one thing Monday: The president probably hurt his case at the Supreme Court with a series of earlymorni­ng tweets.

By referring to the latest version of the temporary ban on most travelers from six predominan­tly Muslim countries as “politicall­y correct” and calling for a “much tougher version,” they said, Trump made it seem as if he doesn’t support his own policy.

By acknowledg­ing that the government already is engaged in “EXTREME VETTING” of foreigners seeking entry to the USA, they said, he raised questions about the need for an executive order to provide 90 days to review and improve counterter­rorism screening.

And by calling the courts “slow and political,” they said, he renewed the feud with the judiciary and particular judges he began in February, when the earliest rulings against the travel order were issued.

“In general, talkative clients pose distinct difficulti­es for attorneys, as statements outside the court can frustrate strategies inside the court,” wrote conservati­ve blogger Josh Blackman, associate professor at South Texas College of Law. “These difficulti­es are amplified exponentia­lly when the client is the president of the United States, and he continuous­ly

 ?? TED S. WARREN, AP ?? Protesters gather outside a court hearing in Seattle over President Trump’s order to temporaril­y bar travel from six majorityMu­slim countries. Courts have blocked the order.
TED S. WARREN, AP Protesters gather outside a court hearing in Seattle over President Trump’s order to temporaril­y bar travel from six majorityMu­slim countries. Courts have blocked the order.

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