Michael Cohen: Is Stephen Miller America's Real Commander-in-Chief? [View all]

https://truthandcons.substack.com/p/is-stephen-miller-americas-real-commander

Last week, Time published an extensive interview with President Donald Trump marking his first 100 days in office. The passage below is one of the most illuminating — and troubling (italics added).

Are you still committed to complying with all Supreme Court orders?

Sure, I believe in the court system.

The Supreme Court ruled 9-0 that you have to bring back Kilmar Abrego Garcia. You haven't done so. Aren’t you disobeying the Supreme Court?

Well, that’s not what my people told me—they didn’t say it was, they said it was—the nine to nothing was something entirely different.

Let me quote from the ruling. “The order properly requires the government to facilitate Abrego Garcia's release from custody in El Salvador.” Are you facilitating a release?

I leave that to my lawyers. I give them no instructions. They feel that the order said something very much different from what you're saying. But I leave that to my lawyers. If they want—and that would be the Attorney General of the United States and the people that represent the country. I don't make that decision.

Have you asked President Bukele to return him?

I haven’t, uh, he said he wouldn’t.

Did you ask him?

But I haven’t asked him positively, but he said he wouldn’t.

But if you haven't asked him, then how are you facilitating his release?

Well, because I haven't been asked to ask him by my attorneys. Nobody asked me to ask him that question, except you.

One of the general assumptions about the Kilmar Abrego Garcia case is that Trump is purposely thumbing his nose at the Supreme Court by refusing to “facilitate” Abrego Garcia’s return to the United States. However, Trump’s statement to Time suggests something a bit more concerning: he is following the lead of his “people” and that he has been led to believe that the 9-0 Supreme Court decision, which upheld a District Court order demanding that the US bring Abrego Garcia home from El Salvador, actually went in his favor.

How is it possible that Trump believes a SCOTUS decision that clearly rejected his administration’s argument was actually in his favor?

Would You Answer That Question?

Trump’s bizarre statement above reminded me of his Oval Office meeting with El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele two weeks ago, during which a revelatory exchange took place between Trump and one of his top aides, Deputy Chief of Staff and Homeland Security Advisor Stephen Miller.

A reporter queried Trump as to whether he planned to ask Bukele to “help return the man who your administration says was mistakenly deported.” Trump seemed confused by the question and asked Attorney General Pam Bondi and then Miller to respond.

*snip*