‘In a Word, No’: Fox’s Napolitano Firmly Rejects Trump’s Claim He Can ‘Override’ Governors to Open Houses of Worship
President Donald Trump announced Friday he’s deeming houses of worship essential and that they should reopen, threatening to “override” governors if they don’t agree. Fox News’ Judge Andrew Napolitano pushed back on that after the briefing.
“Does he have the power to do that?” Dana Perino asked.
“In a word, no,” Napolitano answered. “As ill-advised as these gubernatorial orders are, as essential as is the right to worship, as fundamental as it is, as absolutely protected by the First Amendment as it is, the president does not have any authority to override the governors.”
Wha POTUS could do, Napolitano continued, is have the DOJ file lawsuits challenging states where then “judges can override the governors.”
“But the president on his own, no matter well intended he may be — and I believe he’s well intended here — is without authority to do that,” he added.
Perino wondered if the threat is enough to “make the governors realize that they don’t want to tangle with this.”
Napolitano said the threat is clearly going to “appeal to the president’s base” and predicted governors will back down “when they think they have lost public support.”
You can watch above, via Fox News.
Have a tip we should know? tips@mediaite.com