Today in Trump tweets, Feb. 9, 2017: ‘SEE YOU IN COURT’
By ELIZABETH KOH and GREG HADLEY
February 09, 2017 07:49 AM
In this Feb. 8, 2017, photo, President Donald Trump speaks to the Major County Sheriffs' Association and Major Cities Chiefs Association, in Washington.Trump says it doesn’t take a lawyer to see that his order banning visitors from seven Muslim-majority nations is a “common sense” move to protect the U.S. from terrorists. He says even a bad high school student could figure that out. Evan VucciAP
In light of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision Thursday night to not reinstate his ban on travelers from seven majority-Muslim nations, President Donald Trump blasted the decision on Twitter.
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The court’s unanimous decision comes after Trump had repeatedly criticized the federal judge who initially blocked the immigration order and said the court should rule in his favor “if these judges wanted to — in my opinion — help the court in terms of respect for the court.”
Trump also took to Twitter Thursday morning to criticize Sen. John McCain of Arizona for “talking about the success or failure of a mission to the media. Only emboldens the enemy!”
“He's been losing so long he doesn't know how to win anymore, just look at the mess our country is in - bogged down in conflict all over the place,” Trump added.
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McCain has criticized a raid in Yemen that left a Navy SEAL and several civilians dead late last month, calling the operation a “failure” after a classified briefing Tuesday. In a later statement from his office, he moderated his assessment: “While many of the objectives of the recent raid in Yemen were met, I would not describe any operation that results in the loss of American life as a success.”
During the daily press briefing on Wednesday, White House press secretary Sean Spicer defended the success of the raid in Yemen that left one American soldier and multiple civilians dead last week. Spicer said anyone, including Senator John McCain
By McClatchy
White House press secretary Sean Spicer had shot back that critics, including McCain, were doing a “disservice” to the fallen sailor by airing grievances about the raid.
“The life of chief Ryan Owens was done in service to his country and we owe him and his family a great debt for the information we received during that raid,” Spicer said Wendesday. “Any suggestion otherwise is a disservice to his courageous life and the actions he took. Full stop.”
Trump’s criticism of McCain — and his military service — dates back to his campaign, in which Trump asserted that the former prisoner of war was not a war hero because he had been shot down from his plane and captured by the North Vietnamese. Trump received several medical deferments from the draft and did not serve in the conflict.
After meeting with Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch, Sen. Richard Blumenthal told reporters that the judge commented on President Trump's criticism of the judiciary.
By McClatchy
Trump also fired back earlier Thursday at reports that his Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch had criticized his feud with the judiciary and took aim at Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal, who said Wednesday that Gorsuch had called Trump’s attacks “demoralizing” and “disheartening.”
“Sen.Richard Blumenthal, who never fought in Vietnam when he said for years he had (major lie),now misrepresents what Judge Gorsuch told him?” Trump wrote. Trump also referenced Blumenthal’s interview with Chris Cuomo, asking why the anchor “never asked” about Blumenthal’s military service, which had been a flashpoint during his Senate campaign in 2010.
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Judge Neil Gorsuch thanks President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence for being nominated to fill a Supreme Court seat that has been vacant since the death of Justice Antonin Scalia. "As this process now moves to the senate, I look forwar
By McClatchy
Gorsuch told Blumenthal in a private meeting Wednesday that Trump’s comments were “disheartening” and “demoralizing,” after the senator had commented on the president’s recent criticism of a federal judge who had ruled against his travel ban, Blumenthal said, according to the Washington Post.
“I told him how abhorrent Donald Trump’s invective and insults are toward the judiciary. And he said to me that he found them ‘disheartening’ and ‘demoralizing’ — his words,” Blumenthal told the Post. Ron Bonjean, a member of Gorsuch’s confirmation team, confirmed the comments to the paper.
Trump had tweeted the previous week that the Seattle judge who halted his executive order, barring immigration from seven predominantly Muslim countries and staying his refugee ban, was only a “so-called judge.” On Wednesday morning Trump also called the appeals court hearing on that ruling “disgraceful.”
Blumenthal joined the Marine Reserves in 1970 during the Vietnam war — after receiving several deferments — and was never sent overseas. During his 2010 campaign for the Senate, Blumenthal was criticized for saying that he had “served” in Vietnam rather than during the conflict. He later said he had misspoken.
The Trump administration is expected to take steps to block a historic agreement that would allow Cuban baseball players from joining Major League Baseball in the United States without having to defect, according to an official familiar with the discussions.