Democratic National Committee (DNC) interim chairwoman Donna Brazile on Saturday praised the federal judge who temporarily halted President Trump’s travel ban, saying “no man is above the law.”
“He stood up, and said, ‘No.’ This is America. We do not discriminate based on religion. That is what terrorists do, and what terrorists want us to do. But we know better, even when our President does not,” Brazile said in a statement.
“And, just as important, our Departments of State and Homeland Security have followed the judge’s order. They obeyed the law, not the boss. And in doing so, they demonstrated that this is still a nation of laws, where no man is above the law.”
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A federal judge in Seattle on Friday issued a nationwide temporary restraining order halting Trump’s executive order.
The order, signed Jan. 27, had imposed a 90-day ban on nationals from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S. and called for a 120-day moratorium on admitting refugees and an indefinite suspension on admitting Syrian refugees.
Brazile in her statement said America’s people and values have “been under assault” and that “the fate of our nation, this grand democratic experiment, seemed to hang in the balance.”
“But overnight, we got news. A judge – appointed by a Republican President – rose to meet this moment,” Brazile said.
Judge James Robart, who ruled in a case involving Washington and Minnesota, was appointed by former President George W. Bush in 2003 and unanimously confirmed by the Senate in a 99-0 vote the following year.
The Department of Homeland Security on Saturday said it would suspend “any and all actions” regarding Trump’s travel ban, but said the government would file for an emergency stay on the judge’s order.
The State Department is also complying with the order and reversed its revocation of 60,000 visas. The agency said nationals who fall under Trump’s order but have a valid visa can travel to the U.S.