Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said Sunday on CBS' “Face the Nation” that if Denver Mayor Mike Johnston (D) tries to block President-elect Donald Trump's deportation plan, , said he could be removed from office.
A partial transcription follows:
Margaret Brennan: Okay. Messengers are important, but in your role in homeland security, you've expressed concerns about the fulfillment of some of the promises Donald Trump made during his campaign. His vow of mass deportation is extremely popular. A CBS poll found that 57% of voters like the idea, but how it's carried out matters a lot to voters. The majority want federal law enforcement or immigration authorities to carry them out. Only 40% said the U.S. military should be involved. President Trump's announced plan is to use the military and military assets to deputize the National Guard and have them serve as immigration agents. Do you think it's legal?
Paul: You know, I'm 100% in favor of going after 15,000 murderers, 13,000 sexual assaulters, rapists, all these people. Send them to prison or to another prison on their way home. So I say all points breaking, all in, but don't do that in the Army because it's illegal. We have always been distrustful of putting troops on the streets. Because while police have a difficult job, they understand the Fourth Amendment. They have to go to a judge. They have to get a warrant. It has to be specific. So I'm in favor of removing these people, but through the normal domestic police processes. Now, I would say that if the mayor of Denver is going to resist federal law, and he has a long history of supremacy of federal law, he will resist having federal law challenged all the way to the Supreme Court. And I suspect he will be removed from that position. I don't know if the person who resisted federal law will face criminal charges, but he will probably lose. And people need to understand that what he is offering is a form of insurrection for the states to resist the federal government. Most people are against it and rejected it a long time ago. So I think the Mayor of Denver is on the wrong side of history. In fact, I believe you will face legal consequences if you do not follow federal law.
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