Leftist news organizations only like to give “gotcha” interviews to Republicans. But one conservative just flipped the script on them.
And now a top Republican’s ABC interview got cut after dropping one truth bomb.
Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, was shut down by ABC News This Week anchor George Stephanopoulos on Sunday for saying that former President Trump may reject “illegitimate” Supreme Court decisions.
“The Constitution says that the Supreme Court can make rulings, but if the Supreme Court ― and look, I hope that they would not do this ― but if the Supreme Court said the president of the United States can’t fire a general, that would be an illegitimate ruling and the president has to have Article 2 prerogative under the Constitution to actually run the military as he sees fit,” Vance said.
“This is just basic constitutional legitimacy. You’re talking about a hypothetical where the Supreme Court tries to run the military. I don’t think that’s going to happen, George. But of course, if it did, the president would have to respond to it. There are multiple examples throughout American history of the president doing just that.”
Stephanopoulos questioned whether the president must follow genuine Supreme Court rulings, and when Vance answered, Stephanopoulos said, “You’ve made it very clear you believe the president can defy the Supreme Court.”
Vance attempted to respond, “No, no, George …” but his mic was muted before the break.
Instead, after the break, Stephanopoulos moved to a new topic.
The two sparred about comments made by the Ohio senator on a podcast in 2021 about how former President Trump should clean house if he wins the White House in 2024.
“I think that what Trump should do, like if I was giving him one piece of advice, fire every single mid-level bureaucrat, every civil servant in the administrative state, replace them with our people. And when the courts – because you will get taken to court – and then when the courts stop you, stand before the country, like Andrew Jackson did, and say the chief justice has made his ruling, now let him enforce it,” Vance said on the podcast.
“Fire everyone in the government, then defy the Supreme Court. You think it’s OK for the president to fire the Supreme Court?” Stephanopoulos asked.
Vance contended that he did not say to fire everyone in the government, only mid-level bureaucrats.
Stephanopoulos interrupted: “You said every civil servant in the administrative state.”
“Let me finish the answer, George, you asked the question. We have a major problem here with administrators and bureaucrats in the government who don’t respond to the elected branches. Let’s just give one very real-world example of this,” Vance began.
“In 2019, Donald Trump, having defeated ISIS, said that we should redeploy our troops in Syria and Jordan out of the region. You had multiple members of the Defense Department bureaucracy who fought him on that. So, what happened? We have people who are sitting ducks in the Levant right now, three of whom just got killed because the bureaucrats aren’t listening to the political branches,” he continued.
“That’s a fundamental component of our government, George, that whoever is in charge, agree or disagree with them, you have to follow the rules. If those people aren’t following the rules, then, of course, you’ve got to fire them,” Vance said.
“And, of course, the president has to be able to run the government as he thinks he should. That’s the way the Constitution works. It has been thwarted too much by the way our bureaucracy has worked over the past 15 years.”
Isn’t that just the truth? Democrats like to cry foul about “obstructionist” Republicans when they can’t convince their colleagues in Congress to pass a law they want.
Meanwhile, their allies in the deep state disobey direct orders and obstruct a conservative anytime they’re in office.
How is that fair?
Stay tuned to the DC Daily Journal.
