Alan Dershowitz, a Constitutional lawyer and frequent Trump defender, opined in an interview aired on Sunday that the president made a “mistake” by declaring a national emergency, the Hill reports.
Dershowitz explained that Donald Trump is arguing that there is an emergency at the border, even though there is not, and even though immigration is more of a long-term problem.
“The Constitution requires that all spending bills originate in the House of Representatives. This is a way of circumventing that provision of the Constitution,” the lawyer explained.
“My own view is that it was a mistake to do it. I think emergencies are things that happened suddenly. The problems with immigration are long term.”
As detailed by a previous Inquisitr report, on February 16, Trump declared a national emergency in order to circumvent Congress and fund a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. The wall, one of Trump’s key campaign promises, is meant to addresses the alleged crisis at the border, curb illegal immigration, and stop the influx of drugs.
Trump’s declaration of a national emergency came as no surprise, as the president had previously signaled opting for radical solutions. The order came following weeks of unsuccessful negotiations.
“I didn’t need to do this, but I’d rather do it much faster,” Trump said at a press conference, prompting some to interpret the statement as an admission that there is indeed no crisis at the border.
Unsurprisingly, lawsuits followed. Liberal advocacy group Public Citizen filed on Friday a lawsuit on behalf of the Frontera Audubon Society and three Texas landowners, accusing the president of violating the Constitution.
The Public Citizen’s lawsuit is considered to be the first of many to come, but that is apparently of no concern to President Trump, who predicted that — regardless of how good or bad the rulings are — legal battles will be settled at the Supreme Court.
Dershowitz: Trump’s emergency declaration was a “mistake” https://t.co/Fg6i54TuVc pic.twitter.com/YQ2FcHqSs2
— The Hill (@thehill) February 18, 2019
As the Hill notes, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced on Friday that he plans to sue President Trump as well.
Attorney Alan Dershowitz appears to be in agreement with the president. According to Dershowitz, Trump will face a long court battle with the House Judiciary Committee.
“There will be a lawsuit. No doubt about it. It will be tied up in the courts for a long time,” Dershowitz said.
The Supreme Court, according to the lawyer, will likely have the final say, but it is impossible to predict what its decision will be given that it is completely new.
“Ultimately, the Supreme Court will have to decide. And it’s unclear how the court will decide because it’s a new Supreme Court,” Dershowitz said.