The 9th Circuit Court struck down President Trump’s travel ban and used his own Twitter account against him in the process, as a three-judge panel cited Trump’s latest tweets in the decision, according to CNN.
“Indeed, the President recently confirmed his assessment that it is the ‘countries’ that are inherently dangerous, rather than the 180 million individual nationals of those countries who are barred from entry under the President’s ‘travel ban,'” the judge wrote.
White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer has said that the president’s tweets are considered “official statements by the President of the United States” and Trump sent the following tweet last week:
That's right, we need a TRAVEL BAN for certain DANGEROUS countries, not some politically correct term that won't help us protect our people!
Spicer said during Monday’s briefing that the administration is reviewing the decision and believes the travel ban is “lawful” and will be ultimately upheld by the Supreme Court.
Neal Katyal, an attorney for the state of Hawaii which is challenging the ban, also mentioned Twitter. He brought up tweets sent during the campaign and mentioned the following tweet Trump sent on June 5:
The Justice Dept. should have stayed with the original Travel Ban, not the watered down, politically correct version they submitted to S.C.
“The President unquestionably violates that command when he issues an Order that disproportionality burdens Muslim-Americans, while denigrating the Muslim faith and making it abundantly clear that the Order’s harmful effect on Muslims is far from incidental,” Katyal argued.
As recently as Monday morning, the panel on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” ripped Trump for his continuous rants on Twitter, with co-host Mika Brzezinski saying, “He can’t help himself.”
Co-host Mika Brzezinski said, “It’s really causing a problem for the presidency.”
Even actor and vocal conservative James Woods hit up Twitter on Friday to offer some counsel to the chief executive about using the social media platform. Or, rather, not using Twitter.
“Word to the wise, Mr. President,” Woods wrote. “The #Left is doing a bang-up job of hanging itself. They really don’t need more rope. #Silence #TweetNoMore.”
Last week, White House staffers were reportedly surprised that the president managed to stay off Twitter while former FBI Director James Comey was grilled by the Senate Intelligence Committee. Of course, soon after, the president couldn’t help himself, tweeting that Comey’s testimony “totally vindicated” him in the Russia investigation.
The administration has appealed another ruling against the travel ban to the Supreme Court.
Trump Scandals: Every Investigation Facing the White House So Far (Photos)
From the get-go, Donald Trump's presidency has been loaded up with scandals that have enraged his Democrat opponents and challenged the willingness of Beltway Republicans to stand by him. The growing pile of federal investigations and news reports reached a boiling point with Trump's firing of James Comey. In case you can't keep everything straight, here's what's happened so far and who in Trump's circle is being investigated.
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Paul Manafort: Trump's former campaign chair is currently being investigated as part of the FBI's look into potential connections between Trump's campaign and Russia's attempt to sway the presidential election. The Justice Department has subpoenaed Manafort's bank records to look for potential payments that he might have received from Russia during the campaign.
Carter Page: The Washington Post reported in April that the FBI had obtained a warrant to monitor Trump's former campaign adviser as part of their Russia investigation. A dossier compiled by a former British intelligence officer and cited by House Dem Adam Schiff claimed that Page had met with Russian business executives linked to Putin during a visit to Moscow in July 2016.
Michael Flynn: A retired three-star general, Flynn was selected as Trump's first national security adviser before he was fired in February. The dismissal came after it was discovered Flynn lied to Vice President Mike Pence about his interactions with Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak. The scandal surrounding Flynn deepened after the House Oversight Committee said they had reason to believe Flynn received payments from the Russian and Turkish governments.
Conflicts of Interest: Since winning the election, ethics experts have criticized Trump for failing to provide a sufficient plan for addressing conflicts of interest between his presidency and his many business interests, whom he has handed over to his sons, Donald and Eric. The White House also faced criticism when senior adviser Kellyanne Conway promoted Ivanka Trump's merchandise on Fox News. The State Department also deleted a blog post promoting Trump's Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago. Trump has at least one lawsuit claiming he has violated the Emoluments Clause, which forbids the president from receiving foreign money through his businesses, something POTUS' critics say he can do by having foreign officials stay at his hotels.
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Russia Oval Office Visit:The Washington Post reported that Trump disclosed a highly classified intelligence to Russian officials during a White House visit, handing over a source that provided the U.S. with information on ISIS. The disclosure has reportedly frustrated the intelligence community, with whom the president has established a tense relationship.
Jeff Sessions: After admitting he had not disclosed meetings with a Russian ambassador during the election to Congress, the former Alabama senator and current Attorney General recused himself from any investigations into Trump-Russia connections. After Comey's firing, 11 Senate Democrats, including Elizabeth Warren, asked the Justice Dept. to investigate whether Sessions had violated his recusal pledge after Trump announced he had consulted Sessions on firing the FBI director.
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James Comey: The former FBI Director Comey has claimed that Trump asked to end the bureau's investigation into Michael Flynn in private meetings that have raised concerns about possible obstruction of justice -- especially since the president's team gave conflicting accounts of the reasoning for Comey's dismissal in May.
The first four months of Trump’s presidency have been loaded with scandal
From the get-go, Donald Trump's presidency has been loaded up with scandals that have enraged his Democrat opponents and challenged the willingness of Beltway Republicans to stand by him. The growing pile of federal investigations and news reports reached a boiling point with Trump's firing of James Comey. In case you can't keep everything straight, here's what's happened so far and who in Trump's circle is being investigated.