Katyal: ‘Someone Like Donald Trump Has No Business Running for Office in Our Constitutional Democracy’

PSAKI: “A minute we have left here. You’ve argued a lot of cases, to put it mildly, in front of the Supreme Court. The justices are hearing oral arguments about the 14th Amendment case later this week in Colorado. What are you going to be watching for?”
KATYAL: “Well, I think there have been phenomenal friend of the court briefs that are filed — that were filed in this case. I don’t think the party briefs were that good. But if you make your way through these friend of the court briefs, there is a right legal answer, Jen, and it’s one offered by William Bard and Michael Paulson, who are too conservative Federalist Society lawyers, and they say Trump is disqualified. And yes, Trump has many defenses, but they all fail. Like Trump says he’s not an insurrectionist — yeah, right. He says the president isn’t an officer under the United States Constitution, but the text says otherwise, as does the original intent. He says you need a law of Congress, but that would blow a hole through the 14th Amendment and its other clauses like equal protection. He doesn’t actually have good legal arguments. And so hopefully, the advocates can really bring that about on Thursday and make that point clear, and can speak truth to power and say, ‘Look, You’re a Supreme Court, you’ve talked all about the original intent of the Founders. Here the original intent of the Founders is very clear, someone like Donald Trump has no business running for office in our constitutional democracy.”
PSAKI: “Neal Katyal, Andrew Weissmann, we’ll be talking to you about that and whatever other legal things happen this week next Sunday. Appreciate you both joing me as always. Congressman Dan Goldman is standing by.”