Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that he did not expect habeas corpus to become an issue lawmakers must consider.
Partial transcript as follows:
KRISTEN WELKER: All right. Finally, Senator, I want to talk about something that one of President Trump’s top aides, Stephen Miller, said this week. He said the administration is “actively looking” at suspending habeas corpus. Just for our audience, that’s the right to challenge a person’s detention by the government. This would be a part of the broader efforts to speed up their deportation policies. The Constitution says that habeas corpus may not be suspended, quote, “Unless when in cases of rebellion or invasion.” Would you vote to suspend habeas corpus, since the power does ultimately lie with Congress?
BARRASSO: The President has said he will follow the law. The President says if he disagrees with the law that he will appeal those things. The President was elected and he won every one of the battleground states on promising to secure the border and bring safety back to our communities. That’s exactly what he is doing. People do not want to live with MS-13 gang members in their communities. The Democrats lost the election because they opened the borders to ten million illegal immigrants, including members of criminal cartels, drug dealers, gang members. That’s what the election was about. And the President is now seeing radical district judges using their courts to set national standards, making it harder for the President to deport individuals, criminals, and I stand with the President.
WELKER: And yet, Senator, just to put a fine point on it, so I want to know what you would do. Would you vote to suspend habeas corpus if this were brought before Congress? Ultimately, this power lies with Congress.
BARRASSO: The President said he is going to follow the law. He was on with you last week. He said he has great respect for the Supreme Court. He said he expects the Attorney General to do the right thing. And I expect that the President will.
WELKER: Can you just give me a yes or no? What would you do, though? Would you support suspending habeas corpus?
BARRASSO: I don’t believe this is going to come to Congress. What I believe is the President is going to follow the law. He has said it repeatedly.
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