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Trump Criticizes His Justice Department Over ‘Watered Down’ Travel Ban

President wants DOJ to ask Supreme Court to review initial executive order

President Donald Trump concludes his remarks at the 36th annual National Peace Officers' Memorial Service at the Capitol on Monday. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
President Donald Trump concludes his remarks at the 36th annual National Peace Officers' Memorial Service at the Capitol on Monday. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

President Donald Trump criticized his hand-picked Justice Department leaders on Monday, tweeting that they erred in asking the Supreme Court to review a “watered down” version of his order banning some Muslims from entering the United States.

On Thursday, the Justice Department formally asked the high court to allow a Trump-signed executive order banning entry for individuals from six Muslim-majority countries to be put in place. DOJ officials also requested that the justices determine whether Trump’s entry policy is constitutional. Several lower courts have ruled against constitutionality.

In the wake of Saturday night’s terrorist van and machete attack in the heart of London, the U.S. president took to social media almost immediately to push for his travel ban. He argued it would provide an “extra level of safety.”

Trump, who rises early and watches morning news shows, was back at it on Monday morning. The social media posts have been referred to by lower court judges, and some of the president’s top aides reportedly have counseled him to avoid the very kind of tweets he posted Monday morning.

He tweeted that Justice officials should have stood by the “original Travel Ban, not the watered down, politically correct version they submitted to S.C.”

The president offered some advice to the Justice Department, which is led by two officials he nominated: former Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions as attorney general and Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein.

He suggested the seek an expedited hearing for the “watered down” entry ban then “seek much tougher version!”

And in what appeared an attempt to reassure Americans about their safety here at home, the commander in chief fired off another tweet promising “EXTREME VETTING” of individuals coming into the U.S. “in order to help keep our country safe.”

And, as he has done before as his entry ban orders have made their way through the judicial system, the president slammed the court system as “slow and political!”

Those social media posts followed one on Sunday in which Trump declared the United States “must stop being politically correct” and do more to protecting its citizens, adding: “If we don’t get smart it will only get worse”.

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