Arizona Sheriff Paul Babeu joined PoliticsNation Friday to discuss why he penned a letter to President Obama refusing to enforce his laws and telling him, “You are not a dictator or a king, who can act unilaterally and ignore our legislative process of law making.”
When pressed on that issue, Babeu was unable to point to any concrete action Obama has taken that would fall into that category.
Babeu’s first response was to criticize the president for trying to legislate through executive order, pointing out that such a move would be unconstitutional. “I swore an oath to obey the lawful orders of the officers appointed over me,” he said. “These are not lawful anything because they’re not laws.”
“The president cannot and should not unilaterally say with the wave of the hand that this is what we’re going to do.”
Eventually, after Rev. Sharpton pressed him, Babeu was forced to admit that none of the president’s 23 executive actions create any new laws or violate the Constitution.
At that point, Babeu began attacking the president’s push for lawmakers to pass an assault weapons ban or limiting the size and capacity of magazine.
“The president also speaks about laws that would be created that would ban assault weapons or restrict the sale,” he said.”Most Americans would agree that yes we should have background checks but this idea to think that we’re establishing another law or regulation somehow is going to make America safer is ridiculous.”
Sharpton summed up Babeu’s stance as follows: “I can only assume that you did it just to raise an issue just to get some attention, because when we drill down, you don’t find anything unconstitutional about the executive action, and you admit he’s going to legislate.”
Morgan Whitaker