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Really important to understand the 3 part crisis we're about to see unfold when Donald Trump claims a fake "emergency" and forces the military to build the wall. <thread>
1) This is a constitutional crisis, plain and simple. The constitution gives Congress solely the power to appropriate funds. They have done so and Trump is planning to unilaterally take those funds and use them for another purpose for his own political agenda. 2/
2) The President is about to make unprecedented use of emergency powers given to the Commander in Chief for times of true national crisis in order to enact his political agenda. If he can claim anything is a crisis to get what he wants, there is no meaningful balance of power. 3/
3) The President is about to use the armed forces of the United States as political pawns, not to defend the country, but to please his base. If he can use the military to build his wall, what can't he use them for? 4/
Far too many people have thought of this as simply a stunt, a way out of the #TrumpShutdown and think the courts will surely save us. There's no reason to believe that a Kavanaugh/Gorsuch court will do any such thing. 5/
Instead of trading a shutdown for a constitutional crisis, Congress should be opening the gov't & taking action to block the President from ripping up the foundations of the republic. Now is not the time to appease Trump's authoritarian actions. Now is the time to #Resist. 6/6
Update 1: For those wanting a deeper dive into the legal issues, check out this piece by the brilliant @backermanyale in @nytimes. Prof. Ackerman lays out yet another important angle regarding the position the President would be putting troops in. nytimes.com/2019/01/05/opi…
Update 2: It is worth noting this potential abuse of power by Trump poses real danger to marginalized and vulnerable communities, already under threat from a rise in anti-immigrant violence and hate. Further endangering basic civil liberties protections comes with human costs.
Update 3: Important read from DOJ alum on why her former colleagues should resist Trump's power grab. washingtonpost.com/amphtml/opinio…
Update 4: Even conservatives think this is a bad idea: "If you look at the plain language and clear intent of the relevant statutes, they do not permit Trump to defy Congress and build his wall. He knows it. Congress knows it. His own lawyers know it." nationalreview.com/2019/01/defens…
