U.S. District Judge Haywood Gilliam, Jr., has issued a permanent injunction against construction of priority sections of the border wall that bigot and demagogue Donald "Individual-1" Trump illegally diverted funds for under an "emergency" declaration. He also expanded the injunction to cover 79 miles of construction near El Centro, CA, and Tucson, AZ, in addition to some 50 miles of construction near Yuma, AZ, and in New Mexico he enjoined last month. So far, Gilliam has blocked $2.5 billion in funds that Trump diverted from military construction and other projects, without seeking Congressional approval. In his ruling, Gilliam pointed out that the "emergency" Trump had claimed was undercut by his own actions:
"When Congress declined to sign off on spending at the levels sought by the president, Trump eventually declared a national emergency in February to redirect mostly military-designated funding to pay for the project.In announcing the "emergency" in February, Trump stupidly stated that "I didn't need to do this," providing opposing lawyers with evidence straight from the horse's ass that the emergency was contrived.
Gilliam said the administration’s plan to transfer counterdrug funding appeared to be illegal because the law the administration invoked applies only to “unforeseen” needs, whereas Trump had demanded funding since early 2018 and even in his campaign."
The judge also cleared the way for the Government to appeal his ruling, which would likely be handled by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which has not been a friendly venue for Trump. Stay tuned.
(photo: CNN)
