« It is constitutional, it’s just not very wise. »
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Republican Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz) said Tuesday that while he agrees with the U. S. Supreme Court’s decision to uphold President Donald Trump’s travel ban, ultimately the policy the policy still targets Muslim countries and won’t help “win the war on terrorism.”
“I think they did rule correctly in terms of the constitution,” Flake told IJR. “I still don’t think the travel ban is wise — whatever iteration of it, particularly the first one.”
The outgoing Arizona senator, who’s become a vocal thorn in the president’s side, added that one major problem with the ban is how the rest of the world views it considering the anti-Muslim comments the president has made in the past.
“Most of the world sees this in light of the president’s announcement during the campaign that he wanted a ‘total and complete Muslim ban,’” Flake said. “And when the president still refers to it as a ban then there’s a problem.”
“It is constitutional, it’s just not very wise,” he added. “It was certainly targeted at Muslim countries. We don’t win the war on terrorism by making this a religious test. So I just don’t think it helps that way.”
Other Republican senators praised the court’s ruling, including Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who told IJR: “The Supreme Court correctly upheld the president’s exercise of his constitutional authority to keep this country safe.”
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s campaign team gloated on Twitter following the ruling on Tuesday by posting a picture of him with Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch — a not-so-subtle reference to McConnell blocking former President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court pick Merrick Garland in 2016.
Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer called out the court’s ruling on Tuesday, echoing Flake’s comments that the travel ban won’t make Americans any safer.
“The president’s travel ban doesn’t make us safer, and the Supreme Court’s ruling doesn’t make it right,“ Schumer said in a statement. ”This is a backward and un-American policy that fails to improve our national security. »
William is a Senior Congressional and Breaking News Reporter for IJR. Prior to that, he covered politics and breaking news at AOL.com, leading the sit… more
