Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that it was not legal or appropriate to send U.S. citizens to foreign prisons.
Host Kristen Welker said, “Do you believe that President Trump is following the orders of the courts right now?”
Kennedy said, “Yes. And I don’t believe that President Trump will defy a federal judge; if he does, I’ll call him out on it. I believe what I said in the clip. I love the rule of law. I love it like the devil loves sin. I think if we start not following a federal judicial order, we undermine the system entirely. That doesn’t mean you can’t criticize, you can criticize them, you can appeal them, but you cannot choose to not follow them. I haven’t seen President Trump do that. If he does, I’ll say very loudly and clearly that I think he’s wrong.”
Welker said, “Let me ask you about something else. President Trump said this week he’d like to send what he called homegrown criminals, meaning U.S. citizens, to foreign prisons like the one in El Salvador. Senator, do you think the law allows the President of the United States to send U.S. citizens to a foreign prison?”
Kennedy said, “No, ma’am. Nor does it — nor should it be considered appropriate or moral. We have our own laws. We have the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution. We shouldn’t send prisoners to foreign countries, in my judgment.”
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