Trump blasts 16 state attorneys general after they sue over his border emergency plan and mocks ‘Open Border Democrats and the Radical Left’ for opposing him
Coalition led by California filed lawsuit days after he invoked emergency powers
California AG said Xavier Becerra said it was a ‘misuse of presidential power’
He added that the president was ‘unilaterally robbing taxpayer funds’
Three Texas landowners and an environmental group have also filed lawsuits
Trump fired back: ‘California, the state that has wasted billions of dollars on their out of control Fast Train, with no hope of completion, seems in charge!’
By FRANCESCA CHAMBERS
DAILYMAIL.COM
19 February 2019
President Trump blasted a coalition of 16 U.S. states led by California on Tuesday after they said they are suing over his border wall.
He also gave himself a pat on the back for predicting correctly that they would appeal to a San Francisco-based court that has enjoined his previous executive actions.
‘As I predicted, 16 cities, led mostly by Open Border Democrats and the Radical Left, have filed a lawsuit in, of course, the 9th Circuit! California, the state that has wasted billions of dollars on their out of control Fast Train, with no hope of completion, seems in charge!’ he tweeted.
The states sued Trump on Monday over his decision to declare a national emergency to obtain funds for building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California came just days after Trump invoked emergency powers on Friday after Congress declined to fulfill his request for $5.7 billion to help build the wall that was his signature 2016 campaign promise.
His move aims to let him spend money appropriated by Congress for other purposes.
Joining in filing the lawsuit are the attorneys general of Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, and Virginia.
‘Today, on Presidents Day, we take President Trump to court to block his misuse of presidential power,’ California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said in a statement.
Trump slapped back in tweets on Tuesday morning. He mocked the state of California’s high-speed rail failure, noting it cost more money that he wanted for his wall.
‘The failed Fast Train project in California, where the cost overruns are becoming world record setting, is hundreds of times more expensive than the desperately needed Wall! he said.
California recently abandoned a $77 billion plan for a high-speed rail line between Los Angeles and San Francisco.
It had hoped to build a 520-mile line where trains could travel at 220 mph but the project, which was years behind and billions over budget, has now been scaled down to a 119-mile link from Merced to Bakersfield.
The Golden State’s governor is refusing to return $3.5 billion in federal funding for a struggling high-speed rail project, despite Trump telling him, ‘We want that money back.’
Trump panned the project as a ‘disaster’ and demanded that California return the money. California Gov. Gavin Newsom said it was ‘California’s money’ and refused to turn over the funds.
He took aim at the Democratic Governor on Twitter, saying: ‘California has been forced to cancel the massive bullet train project after having spent and wasted many billions of dollars.
‘They owe the Federal Government three and a half billion dollars. We want that money back now. Whole project is a “green” disaster!’
Newsom fired back shortly afterwards, saying: ‘Fake news. We’re building high-speed rail, connecting the Central Valley and beyond.
California is now leading the charge against Trump’s border wall.
‘We´re suing President Trump to stop him from unilaterally robbing taxpayer funds lawfully set aside by Congress for the people of our states. For most of us, the Office of the Presidency is not a place for theatre,’ the state’s attorney general, Becerra, a Democrat said.
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