TRUMP FIGHTING FOR ORDER’S LIFE
Takes aim at judge, press
President Trump’s travel ban is facing growing opposition as three federal judges are slated to hear oral arguments tonight and decide the fate of the temporary nationwide injunction against the controversial executive order.
Some 15 state attorneys general, including the Bay State’s Maura Healey, and the District of Columbia are urging the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco to uphold a lower court ruling by a federal judge in Seattle to halt Trump’s travel order, pausing the refugee program as well as non-citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries.
Adding to the opposition, 97 companies — including many in the tech field, such as Google, Apple, Netflix and Facebook — have also filed paperwork with the court and made public statements arguing immigrants are crucial to innovation.
But Trump is fighting back. He publicly called out U.S. District Judge James Robart of Washington state, after he temporarily blocked the travel ban.
“Just cannot believe a judge would put our country in such peril. If something happens blame him and court system. People pouring in. Bad!” Trump tweeted.
“The judge opens up our country to potential terrorists and others that do not have our best interests at heart. Bad people are very happy!” he further tweeted.
The unusual case of the executive branch criticizing the judicial branch was too much for some Senate Republicans to defend.
“I think it is best not to single out judges for criticism,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told CNN on Sunday.
“We all get disappointed from time to time at the outcome in courts on things that we care about,” McConnell said. “But I think it is best to avoid criticizing judges individually.”
The judge’s ruling on Trump’s ban could come as early as today and could be appealed to the Supreme Court.
Meanwhile the Manhattan billionaire is also lashing out at the “dishonest press” for allegedly under-reporting terrorism.
“You have seen what happened in Paris and Nice,” Trump said during his visit to the headquarters for U.S. Central Command.
“All over Europe it’s happening. It’s gotten to a point where it’s not even being reported. And in many cases the very, very dishonest press doesn’t want to report it. They have their reasons and you understand that.”
Trump didn’t immediately offer evidence during his remarks to back up his claims and didn’t elaborate on his theories for why the media would ignore reporting on terrorism.
“He felt members of the media don’t always cover some of those events to the extent that other events might get covered,” White House press secretary Sean Spicer said later aboard Air Force One, according to The Washington Post. Last night the White House released a list of 78 terror attacks since September 2014, claiming that “most” went under-reported.
The comments called to mind Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway’s gaffe last week referring to a nonexistent “Bowling Green massacre.”
In August, then-Secretary of State John F. Kerry suggested the media was over-reporting terrorism attacks to the point the coverage might inspire copycats.
“Perhaps the media would do us all a service if they didn’t cover it quite as much,” Kerry said. “People wouldn’t know what’s going on.”