Timm writes: "Donald Trump's White House is plunging the United States into
a full-blown constitutional crisis a little more than a week into his
administration."
People pray in the baggage claim at DFW airport. (photo: Laura
Buckman/Reuters)
The Muslim Ban Has Brought the US Close to Constitutional Crisis
By Trevor Timm, Guardian UK
30 January 17
A series of troubling events since Friday's order have pushed the country
into uncharted territory - and Stephen Bannon was central to the chaos
Donald Trump's White House is plunging the United States into a full-blown
constitutional crisis a little more than a week into his administration. One
of the prime culprits seems to be his controversial chief strategist: Steve
Bannon, whom Nancy Pelosi called a white nationalist.
Massive protests sprouted up around the country on Saturday following
Trump's unconstitutional executive order banning all refugees and all
travellers from seven Muslim-majority countries - including those with valid
visas. But somewhat lost in that news was Bannon's central role in the
controversy and move to consolidate even more power within the government.
On Saturday, Trump installed him on the influential National Security
Council (NSC) as part of a radical re-shuffling of the influential White
House board of advisers that usually is composed of intelligence and
military officials who provide the White House with guidance.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff and the director of national intelligence were
removed from the NSC. As journalist Sarah Jeong put it on Twitter, national
security "is such an emergency you have to ban Muslims. But also let's
replace chairman of joint chiefs with some guy with a garbage website."
Meanwhile, chaos reigned on Saturday as dozens of immigrants were detained
after the executive order was put into force immediately. As CNN reported
Saturday night, the mayhem seems to be Bannon's doing.
CNN reported that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the agency
which oversees Customs and Border Protection, did not even know about the
executive order until it was being released to the public. Nor did its
lawyers, who did not do a legal analysis of it until after it was in effect.
DHS lawyers reportedly determined that it did not apply to green card
holders and permanent residents, but the White House - led by Steve Bannon -
overruled that objection and kept the restrictions on green card holders in
place, allowing exemptions on a case by case basis.
Thankfully, several judges put an immediate stay on deporting legitimate
green card holders stuck in airports on Saturday night and ordered those
still detained get access to lawyers. But the situation got even more
bizarre and Orwellian on Sunday: CBP officials at some airports - in direct
violation of the court orders - were reportedly still refusing lawyer access
and apparently not responding to congressional representatives who were
trying to figure out what was going on.
While some immigrants were released from detention, others weren't even
allowed to see volunteer lawyers who had showed up at airports around the
country to provide free representation. Democratic congressman Don Beyer
tweeted on Sunday afternoon: "We have a constitutional crisis today. Four
Members of Congress asked CBP officials to enforce a federal court order and
were turned away."
As MSNBC's Chris Hayes wrote: "$64,000 question is: are they being told to
violate the court order by the White House?" If the White House is, in fact,
directing DHS and CBP to violate a crystal clear court order, the rule of
law has completely broken down and we are in a truly unprecedented situation
here.
In the face of the massive protests, on Sunday night, new DHS secretary John
Kelly released a statement saying all permanent residents will be let in the
country, yet there was still no word from lawyers on the ground whether it
is actually being obeyed.
The White House, meanwhile, is still pretending that its executive order is
not technically a "Muslim ban". Beyond the obvious fact that Trump
campaigned on such a ban, his crony Rudy Giuliani laid those questions to
rest on Fox News late Saturday night, claiming Trump asked him to figure out
how to make his Muslim ban campaign promise "legal" - confirming it's a
Muslim ban in all but name.
No matter your political views, the fact that the White House is attempting
to circumvent legal advice, install dubious appointees to incredible
powerful national security positions and violate court orders is outrageous
and despicable, so let's be clear: Congress needs to quickly move towards
impeachment if this is true.
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People pray in the baggage claim at DFW airport. (photo: Laura
Buckman/Reuters)
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jan/30/muslim-ban-consitution
al-crisishttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jan/30/muslim-ban-co
nsitutional-crisis
The Muslim Ban Has Brought the US Close to Constitutional Crisis
By Trevor Timm, Guardian UK
30 January 17
A series of troubling events since Friday's order have pushed the country
into uncharted territory - and Stephen Bannon was central to the chaos
onald Trump's White House is plunging the United States into a full-blown
constitutional crisis a little more than a week into his administration. One
of the prime culprits seems to be his controversial chief strategist: Steve
Bannon, whom Nancy Pelosi called a white nationalist.
Massive protests sprouted up around the country on Saturday following
Trump's unconstitutional executive order banning all refugees and all
travellers from seven Muslim-majority countries - including those with valid
visas. But somewhat lost in that news was Bannon's central role in the
controversy and move to consolidate even more power within the government.
On Saturday, Trump installed him on the influential National Security
Council (NSC) as part of a radical re-shuffling of the influential White
House board of advisers that usually is composed of intelligence and
military officials who provide the White House with guidance.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff and the director of national intelligence were
removed from the NSC. As journalist Sarah Jeong put it on Twitter, national
security "is such an emergency you have to ban Muslims. But also let's
replace chairman of joint chiefs with some guy with a garbage website."
Meanwhile, chaos reigned on Saturday as dozens of immigrants were detained
after the executive order was put into force immediately. As CNN reported
Saturday night, the mayhem seems to be Bannon's doing.
CNN reported that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the agency
which oversees Customs and Border Protection, did not even know about the
executive order until it was being released to the public. Nor did its
lawyers, who did not do a legal analysis of it until after it was in effect.
DHS lawyers reportedly determined that it did not apply to green card
holders and permanent residents, but the White House - led by Steve Bannon -
overruled that objection and kept the restrictions on green card holders in
place, allowing exemptions on a case by case basis.
Thankfully, several judges put an immediate stay on deporting legitimate
green card holders stuck in airports on Saturday night and ordered those
still detained get access to lawyers. But the situation got even more
bizarre and Orwellian on Sunday: CBP officials at some airports - in direct
violation of the court orders - were reportedly still refusing lawyer access
and apparently not responding to congressional representatives who were
trying to figure out what was going on.
While some immigrants were released from detention, others weren't even
allowed to see volunteer lawyers who had showed up at airports around the
country to provide free representation. Democratic congressman Don Beyer
tweeted on Sunday afternoon: "We have a constitutional crisis today. Four
Members of Congress asked CBP officials to enforce a federal court order and
were turned away."
As MSNBC's Chris Hayes wrote: "$64,000 question is: are they being told to
violate the court order by the White House?" If the White House is, in fact,
directing DHS and CBP to violate a crystal clear court order, the rule of
law has completely broken down and we are in a truly unprecedented situation
here.
In the face of the massive protests, on Sunday night, new DHS secretary John
Kelly released a statement saying all permanent residents will be let in the
country, yet there was still no word from lawyers on the ground whether it
is actually being obeyed.
The White House, meanwhile, is still pretending that its executive order is
not technically a "Muslim ban". Beyond the obvious fact that Trump
campaigned on such a ban, his crony Rudy Giuliani laid those questions to
rest on Fox News late Saturday night, claiming Trump asked him to figure out
how to make his Muslim ban campaign promise "legal" - confirming it's a
Muslim ban in all but name.
No matter your political views, the fact that the White House is attempting
to circumvent legal advice, install dubious appointees to incredible
powerful national security positions and violate court orders is outrageous
and despicable, so let's be clear: Congress needs to quickly move towards
impeachment if this is true.
http://e-max.it/posizionamento-siti-web/socialize
http://e-max.it/posizionamento-siti-web/socialize
