Trump, Who Swore Oath to Protect & Defend Constitution, Now Says He Isn’t So Sure
This, of course, is the endgame of years of right-wing xenophobia: the total decimation of our most basic rights.
Photo: Screenshot LatestPolitics
Donald Trump is a pathological liar, but in some ways, he’s alarmingly honest. Take, for instance, his interview with NBC News’ Kristen Welker for Meet the Press on Sunday. The two went back and forth on the president’s refusal to listen to the Supreme Court’s 9-0 ruling and facilitate the return of the wrongly deported Kilmar Abrego Garcia, serving a life sentence in an El Salvador prison despite being neither tried nor found guilty of crimes. Welker pointed out that this violates the Constitution and due process protections, and asked Trump, “Don’t you need to uphold the Constitution of the United States?” He responded, “I don’t know.”
Some crucial background: Abrego Garcia is one of over 230 immigrant men whom the Trump administration has shipped to serve life sentences in the brutal, maximum security Salvadoran prison known as CECOT, all without being convicted of crimes. According to the New York Times, of the 238 men the U.S. sent to CECOT, only 32 “faced serious criminal accusations or convictions.” People shouldn’t be sent to a foreign torture camp, especially without legal process, but Abrego Gacia, specifically, was protected from deportation by court order. The Trump administration initially fessed up to making a mistake, but is now backtracking and standing by Abrego Garcia’s deportation, baselessly claiming he’s a member of the MS-13 gang.
“Your secretary of state says everyone who’s here, citizens and non-citizens, deserve due process. Do you agree?” Welker said to Trump. He replied, “I don’t know. I’m not a lawyer.” Helpful!