CNN’s Brianna Keilar Presses GOP Rep. About Trump’s Wild ‘Due Process’ Comments: ‘Do You Believe the President Should Uphold the Constitution?’
CNN’s Brianna Keilar challenged Rep. Rich McCormick (R-GA) during a Monday interview over comments made by President Donald Trump about due process and the U.S. Constitution.
The exchange followed Trump’s appearance on NBC’s Meet the Press Sunday, where he said “I don’t know” when asked if all individuals in the US, including non-citizens, are entitled to due process and whether he, as president, is obligated to uphold the Constitution.
“I’m not a lawyer. I don’t know,” Trump told Kristen Welker regarding mass deportations. “It might say that, but if you’re talking about that, then we’d have to have a million or two million or three million trials.”
Welker referenced the Fifth Amendment, which guarantees due process rights.
Trump responded that he saw many illegal migrants as being among the worst criminals on the planet.
“I was elected to get them the hell out of here, and the courts are holding me from doing it,” he said.
Keilar asked McCormick, “The president said he doesn’t know when asked if everyone in the U.S. deserves due process and if he needs to uphold the Constitution. Does that concern you?”
McCormick replied that he believed Trump intended to follow the law:
No, I don’t think the president ever inferred that he didn’t want to uphold the Constitution of the United States. He swore that oath when he took office. He said very specifically, I got great lawyers, I’m going to make sure that we agree with the Supreme Court ruling, which means that the Supreme Court ruling, their job, their entire job is to make that something is constitutional. When they rule on it and they say it is or isn’t constitutional, they will abide by that, which means he basically said, we’ll follow whatever they deem is constitutional.
Keilar asked, “Isn’t the Constitution constitutional, though? I mean, he was being asked about the Constitution, not the interpretation of the Constitution.”
McCormick compared the Constitution to the Bible and said both were up for interpretation.
When asked directly whether he believes all people in the country deserve due process, McCormick answered, “They do.”
Keilar concluded the exchange by asking, “Do you believe the president should uphold the Constitution?”
“Of course,” McCormick replied.
She responded, “Those are pretty easy questions for you to answer. You’re also not a lawyer.”
“I’m a doctor, that’s correct,” McCormick said.
Watch above via CNN.
