Last Updated on November 3, 2019
Boris Epshteyn was on the War Room podcast, Saturday, with Stephen K. Bannon and laid out a detailed defense of President Donald J. Trump, against a Democrat-led impeachment citing a Constitutional precept highlighting a President’s official power in office.
“The greatest power the president has is to act in concurrence with Congress,” Epshteyn said.
“So it is like the call with Ukraine went like this:Â You guys have to figure out what is going on with that corruption over there. Ukraine has been receiving money for years from America, and we need to root out corruption,” Epshteyn said, recounting the events of the phone conversation in his own words to prove his point.
Epshteyn, Chief Political Analyst at Sinclair Broadcasting and former Senior Advisor to the Trump 2016 Campaign, said in the phone call at the heart of the Democrat’s impeachment plans, was Trump’s duty to tell the President of Ukraine that he required them to end corruption as the Country’s top law enforcement officer.
This new defense by Epshteyn comes at a time when the media is focused on the debate between whether or not there was a Quid Pro Quo in the call. Epshteyn said the President is working at the formal direction of Congress, because of the laws against corruption.
“My argument is that Trump is acting in accordance to the wishes of Congress, it doesn’t matter about a Quid Pro Quo, “Epshteyn said.
Bannon added to the context of Epshteyn’s statement about Trump’s duty to end corruption, and said Trump was being, “a good steward in husbanding the resources of the American taxpayer.”
“This is all about corruption, not politics. We need the grassroots here to understand this”. Bannon, Chairman of Citizens of the American Republic and Former White House Chief Strategist in the Trump administration, said.
“Yes, It is about corruption,” Epshteyn agreed.
Epshteyn cited Supreme Court findings, “Trump is Chief Executive and Chief law enforcement officer under the Youngstown Sheet and Tube case, there is a concurring opinion by Supreme Court Justice Jackson about National Security, who laid out three levels of presidential power. In the highest level of power is when the president acts in concurrence the wishes of Congress,” he said.
“Here, in the transcript, Trump is acting to root out corruption that touches America on behalf of Congress. Congress has laid out anti-Corruption legislation. So even if you assume all the worst about intent and what Trump did on the call, Trump is fully in his power to do what he did,” Epshteyn said.
The Constitution is clear, as explained in Justice Robert Jackson’s concurrence in the Youngstown Steel Supreme Court case, that @realDonaldTrump as president has full authority to investigate and root out corruption wherever American officials and funds are involved. https://t.co/O7BHajwf8P
— Boris Epshteyn (@BorisEP) November 3, 2019
The War Room: Impeachment podcast can be found on Facebook, iTunes, live streaming daily 9-10 AM Eastern.
“We are trying to coach the grassroots on what a War Room is. What message is, what the legal issues are, what media booking is, what the polls are, all with 24-hour intensity.  This will be a great civics lesson,” Bannon said.
