Former senior national security officials to issue declaration on national emergency

[MBS]

Source: Washington Post.

A bipartisan group of 58 former senior national security officials will issue a statement Monday saying that “there is no factual basis” for President Trump’s proclamation of a national emergency to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.

The joint statement, whose signatories include former secretary of state Madeleine Albright and former defense secretary Chuck Hagel, will come a day before the House is expected to vote on a resolution to block Trump’s Feb. 15 declaration.

The former officials’ statement, which will be entered into the Congressional Record, is intended to support lawsuits and other actions challenging the national emergency proclamation and to force the administration to set forth the legal and factual basis for it.
. . . .
Also signing were Eliot A. Cohen, State Department counselor under President George W. Bush; Thomas R. Pickering, President George H.W. Bush’s ambassador to the United Nations; John F. Kerry, Obama’s second secretary of state; Susan E. Rice, Obama’s national security adviser; as well as former intelligence and security officials who served under Republican and Democratic administrations.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/former-senior-national-security-officials-to-issue-declaration-on-national-emergency/2019/02/24/3e4908c6-3859-11e9-a2cd-307b06d0257b_story.html?utm_term=.b35dc6dcda7e

[keithbvadu2]

1. A fake emergency. Unnecessary according to Trump's own words.

A fake emergency.

Unnecessary according to Trump's own words.

[BumRushDaShow]

2. "Thomas R. Pickering"

Now THAT is a blast from the past!

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

3. The deep state vs. the derp state?

[PatrickforO]

4. Well, there ARE a couple bona-fide national emergencies.

Global warming comes to mind.

Healthcare for sure.

The rapidly building debt crisis due to the GOP's mind boggling giant tax cut for billionaires and corporations.

We've really got to take care of these things.

What we don't need is a border wall.

[Achilleaze]

5. Bringing down the hammer on the republican Traitor-in-Chief and...

his stupid ideas to weaken America by squandering our tax money on stupid, useless, mean crap.

[Lonestarblue]

6. Will this give cover for Senate Republicans to vote to overturn Trump's declaration?

He will certainly veto it, but former national security directors—of both parties—should be trusted by voters to know what is a national emergency and what is not.

[Judi Lynn]

7. Top Republicans say the Constitution requires Congress to stand up to Trump's emergency declaration

23 former congressional Republicans and a bipartisan group of 58 ex-national security officials oppose the president's power grab.
JOSH ISRAEL
FEB 25, 2019, 9:41 AM

As the House of Representatives prepares to take up a resolution this week that would block President Donald Trump’s recent national emergency declaration over the southern border, some Republicans are pushing back on the president’s agenda. At least 23 former GOP senators and representatives say the constitution requires that Congress stand up to Trump on this issue.

After the longest partial government shutdown in American history failed to yield Trump the $5.7 billion he demanded to begin building a massive wall along the nation’s southern border, the president declared a “national emergency” and said he would build it anyway. The emergency declaration allows the president to circumvent Congress and use U.S. taxpayer dollars to build the border wall that he once promised Mexico would fund.

In response, the House will take up a resolution of disapproval on Tuesday. The resolution would block Trump’s ability to use the emergency to re-purpose funds. It is expected to pass the House and may also make it through the Senate (where will require only a simple majority), but is unlikely to survive a promised Trump veto.

As of now, Rep. Justin Amash (R-MI) is the only House Republican co-sponsoring the resolution — but several former lawmakers hope he will not be the only one to vote for it.

More:
https://thinkprogress.org/top-republicans-tell-congress-to-block-trumps-national-emergency-b40b5389efd4/

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

8. Kick