George Stephanopoulos Ends Interview with Sen. J.D. Vance: The interview with Senator J.D. Vance abruptly ended on ABC’s “This Week” due to his statement suggesting that Trump has the authority to disobey the Supreme Court.
George Stephanopoulos cut off Sen. J.D. Vance’s (R-Ohio) interview on Sunday’s “This Week” on ABC when Vance suggested that Trump can ignore Supreme Court decisions.
Vance stated that while the Supreme Court has the authority to make rulings according to the Constitution, it would be an illegitimate ruling if the court said that the president of the US cannot fire a general.
The president has the Article 2 prerogative to manage the military according to his discretion. In a 2021 podcast, Vance allegedly said that if Trump were to be reelected in 2024, he would “fire every single mid-level bureaucrat, every civil servant in the administrative state, replace them with our people.”
Stephanopoulos then questioned Vance about these comments, and Vance chimed in, saying that Trump should “stand before the country like Andrew Jackson did, and say, ‘The chief justice has made his ruling.'” (according to ABC News). Allow him to enforce it now.
Vance denied saying “fire every civil servant” and instead claimed he only meant “the mid-level bureaucrats” when Stephanopoulos questioned him about his remarks to “fire every civil servant.”
A “major problem” with bureaucrats and administrators “who don’t respond to the elected branches,” according to Vance.
After Stephanopoulos questioned Vance on the president’s authority to ignore the Supreme Court’s decisions, Vance said that such a decision would constitute an “illegitimate ruling” if it prevented the president from firing a general.
Stephanopoulos interrupted Vance’s response and demanded, “You’ve made it very clear: You believe the president can defy the Supreme Court.”
Stephanopoulos expressed gratitude to Vance for his time, but Vance responded with a resounding “No, no, George.” Stephanopoulos transitioned to another piece, intercutting Vance’s audio.
Between Vance and Stephanopoulos, they covered a lot of ground, including whether, as vice president, Vance would have certified the 2020 election results, the sexual assault case in which former president Trump was found guilty, and Vance’s shift in position toward Trump since 2016, when he had previously said that Trump was unfit for office. A request for comment did not immediately receive a response from Vance.
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