Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, was shut down by ABC News “This Week” anchor George Stephanopoulos on Sunday for saying that former President Trump may reject “illegitimate” Supreme Court decisions.
“The Constitution says that the Supreme Court can make rulings, but if the Supreme Court ― and look, I hope that they would not do this ― but if the Supreme Court said the president of the United States can’t fire a general, that would be an illegitimate ruling and the president has to have Article 2 prerogative under the Constitution to actually run the military as he sees fit,” Vance went on to say.
“This is only basic constitutional legitimacy. You’re discussing a hypothetical in which the Supreme Court attempts to manage the military. I don’t think that will happen, George. Of course, if that happens, the president will have to reply. Throughout American history, the president has done exactly that.
Stephanopoulos questioned whether the president must follow genuine Supreme Court rulings, to which Vance answered, “You’ve made it very clear you believe the president can defy the Supreme Court.”
Vance attempted to respond, “No, no, George …” but his mic was muffled before the break.
The two sparred about comments made by the Ohio senator on a podcast in 2021 about how former President Trump should clean house if returned in 2024.
“If I could give Trump one piece of advice, it would be to fire every mid-level bureaucrat and civil servant in the administrative state and replace them with our people. And when the courts – because you will be brought to court – stop you, stand before the people, as Andrew Jackson did, and say the chief justice has made his decision, now let him enforce it,” Vance stated on the program.
“Fire everyone in the government and then challenge the Supreme Court. Do you think it’s okay for the president to fire the Supreme Court? Stephanopoulos asked.
Vance contended that he did not say to fire everyone in the government, only mid-level bureaucrats.
Stephanopoulos interrupted: “You said every civil servant in the administrative state.”
“Let me complete the answer, George; you asked the question. We have a serious issue with government administrators and bureaucrats who fail to respond to the elected branches. Let me give you one very real-world example of this.“
“In 2019, after defeating ISIS, Donald Trump stated that we should withdraw our soldiers from Syria and Jordan. Several officials of the Defense Department bureaucracy battled him on it. So what happened? We have people who are sitting ducks in the Levant right now, three of whom were recently assassinated because bureaucrats aren’t listening to the political branches,” he remarked.
“That is a key component of our government, George, that whoever is in charge, whether you agree or disagree with them, must respect the rules. “If those people aren’t following the rules, you have to fire them,” Vance stated.
“And, of course, the president must be able to administer the country in the way he believes he should. That’s how the Constitution works. It has been blocked far too often by the way our bureaucracy has operated over the last 15 years.”