Jeff Sessions "amazed" that "island" judge could block travel ban
Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Wednesday seemed to describe Hawaii as if it weren’t part of the U.S. (or possibly a lesser part) and expressed outrage that a federal judge had the ability to block the Trump administration’s travel ban.
“We are confident that the president will prevail on appeal and particularly in the Supreme Court, if not the 9th Circuit. So this is a huge matter,” Sessions, a former Republican senator from Alabama, said in an interview with radio host Mark Levin, surfaced by CNN on Thursday.
“I really am amazed that a judge sitting on an island in the Pacific can issue an order that stops the president of the United States from what appears to be clearly his statutory and Constitutional power,” he added.
Sessions complained that the “very, very liberal Ninth Circuit” that has been “hostile” to the order.
The two Democratic senators from Hawaii were quick to pounce on the remarks as they circulated on social media Thursday.
Mr. Attorney General: You voted for that judge. And that island is called Oahu. It's my home. Have some respect. https://t.co/sW9z3vqBqG
— Brian Schatz (@brianschatz) April 20, 2017
Hey Jeff Sessions, this #IslandinthePacific has been the 50th state for going on 58 years. And we won’t succumb to your dog whistle politics
— Senator Mazie Hirono (@maziehirono) April 20, 2017
A federal judge in Hawaii put President Trump’s revised travel ban on hold last month and later extended the order at the end of March.
The Justice Department tweeted its defense of Sessions, saying that “Hawaii is, in fact, an island in the Pacific.”
“Hawaii is, in fact, an island in the Pacific.” — DOJ spokesman on AG Sessions' criticism of a federal judge. https://t.co/r53V9M8zy9 pic.twitter.com/9nxiUBdELN
— Ryan J. Reilly (@ryanjreilly) April 20, 2017
While it’s true that Hawaii is in fact, an island, the court isn’t located on that particular island -- it’s on another Hawaiian island, Oahu.