He once claimed a new ‘special need’ to stop terror could give the government carte blanche to spy on Americans. He cited no legal authority, just the 9/11 Commission Report.
Faiza Patel is co-director of the Brennan Center's Liberty and National Security Program.
opinion
‘SPECIAL NEED’
opinion
‘Just Guessing’
The policy is based on prejudice, not proof. It signals to Muslims that they’re not welcome, and it’s working.
Discretion
Unlike on the campaign trail, his own words, and plainly stated intent, now keep coming back to haunt him.
Dog Whistle
As a senator, Jeff Sessions had a history of falsely inflating the count of foreign nationals supposedly involved in terrorism. Now, he wants to do much more of that as attorney general.
opinion
Won’t Get Fooled Again
Having made plain his intent, substituting in nominally neutral language doesn’t make this do-over much better or much more likely to withstand judges’ scrutiny.