It’s always good to see demi-gods agreeing with me. In this case it’s conservative lawyer and former Federal judge J. Michael Luttig, commenting on the same quote that drew my attention recently, wherein President Trump thinks he needs to consult brilliant lawyers to decide if his oath to uphold the Constitution really applies to him. Here’s Huffpost’s report:
Conservative former federal judge J. Michael Luttig on Monday sounded the alarm over Donald Trump’s recent remark that he doesn’t know if he is obligated to uphold the U.S. Constitution, calling it “perhaps the most important words ever spoken by a president of the United States.”
Professor Richardson adds, from an unknown source:
Conservative judge J. Michael Luttig explained to MSNBC’s Ali Velshi that far-right scholars have argued that the president does not have to follow the Supreme Court if he doesn’t agree with its decisons: he can interpret the Constitution for himself. Luttig called this “constitutional denialism.” He added that “[t]he American people deserve to know if the President does not intend to uphold the Constitution of the United States or if he intends to uphold it only when he agrees with the Supreme Court.”
I think it’s unfortunate that Judge Luttig chose the phrase [t]he American people deserve to know … it’s such a cliche that it’s rapidly become a semantic null – and a lost opportunity.
With neither pretension nor fallacy, Judge Luttig could have instead chosen a more effective phraseology, along the lines of …
If the American people are to come to a fair decision concerning the fate of President Trump, whether he should or should not be permitted to retain his office, then his views on fulfilling his oath and behaving with honor are essential information.
In my view, his views disqualify him from the seat. The House of Representatives should begin immediate impeachment proceedings.
And let Trump ally Speaker Johnson (R-LA) twist in the wind.
That’s a missed opportunity, Judge Luttig.
