White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller fiercely defended the Trump administration’s flagrant disregard for a federal judge’s court order directing the return of deportation flights to the United States in a combative interview.
Miller on Monday clapped his hands, raised his voice and went toe-to-toe with CNN’s Kasie Hunt while insisting that, not only does President Donald Trump have the authority to invoke the Alien Enemies Act, but U.S. District Judge James Boasberg violated the law – and Constitution – by trying to stop him.
“Is Venezuela invading the U.S.?” Hunt asked flatly after Miller insisted Trump was exercising his powers “to defend the country against an invasion.” Miller refused to answer the question directly, and instead posed his own question to the host about “how the system works.”
“Does a district court judge have the right to direct or enjoin troop movements overseas? Yes or no?” Miller asked.
“Well, Stephen, my question – if you can answer my question first please – is Venezuela invading our country?” Hunt retorted.
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Miller told Hunt he would first answer her question, “then you’ll answer mine,” before raising his voice as he claimed the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua was directed to the U.S. by the Venezuelan government. But he continued to grow more aggressive as the interview drew on – at one point telling the CNN host, “Wrong! Look up the statute.”
“Do you think we are actually at war with Venezuela, the nation state of Venezuela?” Hunt asked as she continued to press the Trump administration official.
“You’re not hearing me and you’re not understanding me. Read the statute,” he said before reciting pieces of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798.
Miller concluded the contentious interview by railing against the federal judge, who he claimed, “put the lives of every single person on those aircraft at risk” as he asked if the judge was aware of the fuel levels, “flight conditions,” “weather conditions” or the “need for crew rest.”
“It is fundamentally incompatible to have a country and have individual expulsions adjudicated by a single district court judge,” Miller said. “This judge violated the law. He violated the constitution. He defied the system of government that we have in this country.”
He added that these are the “same district court judges that didn’t do a damn thing to stop Joe Biden from flooding this nation with millions of illegal aliens.”
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