Unchecked: Rep. Ayanna Pressley on the President’s Power Grab

Donald Trump s presidency continues to challenge all conventional understanding of executive authority His administration s extensive use of executive orders has reshaped the political landscape testing established laws ethical boundaries and institutional norms Among those raising alarms is Democratic Rep Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts who has consistently questioned what happens when governmental powers are directed against the very citizens they were designed to protect It could be you the upcoming day for reading a banned book It could be you the coming day for suffering a miscarriage On this week s episode of The Intercept Briefing she discusses these concerns including the administration s immigration enforcement tactics targeting international students among them one of her own constituents R meysa zt rk a Ph D candidate at Tufts University who has a valid aspirant visa was abducted off the street by ICE agents She was kidnapped in broad daylight There is no evidence of any criminal wrongdoing The only the only thing that she did was co-author an op-ed centering the humanity and the dignity of the Palestinian people and because that is a dissenting opinion of the hostile Trump administration she finds herself a political prisoner says Pressley Related In Trump s America You Can Be Disappeared for Writing an Op-Ed So I need people to understand that this could be anyone when constitutional rights are being violated when due process is being violated It could be you in the next 24 hours for reading a banned book It could be you the next day for suffering a miscarriage It could be you on the morrow for practicing diversity equity and inclusion she warns In a broad ranging conversation with host Jessica Washington she also raises fundamental questions about executive authority and democratic safeguards It was all laid out in Project which was not a blueprint it was a playbook And they re making good on that playbook And I think people didn t take it seriously Pressley points out They recognized that a lot of what he was laying out in that playbook was unlawful was unconstitutional So they reported how could it ever happen And yet you know here we find ourselves And despite widespread criticism and anger about the Democratic Party s response or lack thereof she believes her party is stepping up Even though I believe that we are as a party being exhaustive being strategic we have located our footing I believe we are being more effective as an opposition party in resistance to this hostile administration Pressley says But she acknowledges the Democrats can do more I do believe that we have a sound strategy of litigation regulation agitation mobilization and I think we are finding our footing We have to match their strength They re flooding the zone We have to do the same thing Listen to the full conversation of The Intercept Briefing on Apple Podcasts Spotify or wherever you listen The post Unchecked Rep Ayanna Pressley on the President s Power Grab appeared first on The Intercept