White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller decisively challenged CNN’s Pamela Brown during a segment where they clashed over the issue of checks and balances.
The self-satisfied CNN anchor referenced a victory for President Donald Trump at the Supreme Court, which ruled in his favor regarding the revocation of protected status for certain migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.
She highlighted that victory along with another recent legal success for the administration before questioning Miller, who had expressed concerns about ‘rogue’ judges, asking, ‘Do you believe a judge should merely approve what your White House does? If not, what checks and balances ought to be established?’
‘It is not the responsibility of a district court judge to give an individual green light or red light on every single policy enacted by the president as the leader of the executive branch. Consider the underlying premise of your question. You’re suggesting that when the American populace elects a President of the United States of America,’ Miller stated before Brown interjected.
‘I’m not suggesting…’ Brown started, but Miller interrupted her.
‘Well, that’s the implication,’ Miller responded.
‘However, when you have such lazy assumptions embedded in your questions, it becomes challenging to engage in constructive dialogue. You mentioned, ‘Is it my expectation…?’ It’s not just you; it’s the entire media…,’ the Deputy Chief of Staff continued.
‘When you ask, ‘Do we believe district court judges should rubber-stamp every action?’ there is an absurd premise inherent in that question. The president is the singular head of the executive branch. He is the only official in the entire government elected by the entire American populace,’ Miller asserted.
‘Democracy cannot function—in fact, democracy does not exist at all—if every action taken by the president, whether in foreign policy, diplomacy, military, or national security, must receive individual approval from 700 district court judges. Is that democracy?’ he concluded.
Miller argued that the Federalist Society, which Trump depended on for recommendations to the federal judiciary during his initial term, had established a “flawed system” for evaluating judges, and that the administration would not utilize their services in the future.
Brown inquired whether the president regretted appointing Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett to the nation’s highest court, considering she was vetted by the Federalist Society; however, Miller did not engage with the question.
“What this signifies is straightforward and nothing more: We will not be relying on the Federalist Society for judicial nominations moving forward,” stated the deputy chief of staff.
“However, allow me to discuss these rogue judges. This has been the most litigated matter over the past decade—whether to deport the foreigners who have illegally entered our country. This is the most litigated issue,” he remarked, returning to the topic at hand.
“Do you desire a democracy in this nation? When Americans cast their votes, when they plead for a president to rescue them from this invasion, and some district court judge in San Francisco, Manhattan, or Los Angeles attempts to halt it and protect these foreigners from deportation—while the courts did nothing to prevent Joe Biden and his administration, along with Mayorkas, from managing this invasion?” Miller stated.
“And naturally, we commend the Supreme Court for intervening—and we celebrate alongside the Trump administration, the previous one, and with Biden. Yet, no one prevented Joe Biden from inundating this country with foreign invaders,” he concluded.
