The MeidasTouch Podcast - Congressman Ritchie Torres Calls out Trump Violations

Episode Date: April 17, 2025

MeidasTouch host Ben Meiselas reports on Donald Trump’s consistent violations of court orders in the Abrego Garcia matter and Meiselas interviews Democratic Congressman Ritchie Torres who doesn’t hold back in his words for Trump. Remember to subscribe to ALL the MeidasTouch Network Podcasts: MeidasTouch: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/meidastouch-podcast Legal AF: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/legal-af MissTrial: https://meidasnews.com/tag/miss-trial The PoliticsGirl Podcast: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/the-politicsgirl-podcast The Influence Continuum: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/the-influence-continuum-with-dr-steven-hassan Mea Culpa with Michael Cohen: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/mea-culpa-with-michael-cohen The Weekend Show: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/the-weekend-show Burn the Boats: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/burn-the-boats Majority 54: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/majority-54 Political Beatdown: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/political-beatdown On Democracy with FP Wellman: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/on-democracy-with-fpwellman Uncovered: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/maga-uncovered Coalition of the Sane: https://meidasnews.com/tag/coalition-of-the-sane Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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free of charge bet mgm operates pursuant to an operating agreement with iGaming ontario well it certainly looks like we're heading towards contempt proceedings against the trump regime and its doj in federal courts as the trump regime and the DOJ continues to give federal courts the middle fingers and also pretend that they won in the Supreme Court when they lost 9-0 in the Abrego Garcia case. So the federal district court judge in Maryland, as you may know, has been ordering the Trump DOJ to provide status updates each day since the Supreme Court's nine to zero order requiring the Trump regime to return Abrego Garcia. Now, the Trump DOJ has been submitting some declarations from people that, let's just say, are far from compliant

and not saying at all the efforts that are being taken to facilitate the return of Abrego Garcia. They're kind of written in a mocking tone as well to the federal court. For example, in the declaration submitted yesterday after Nayib Bukele left the White House, the declaration basically stated we're not returning him and then said, I understand in response to a question regarding Abrego Garcia, President Bukele of El Salvador said, quote, I hope you're not suggesting that I smuggle a terrorist into the United States. How can I smuggle a terrorist into the United States? Of course, I'm not going to do it. That question is preposterous. A video of the meeting is here. I declare under penalty of perjury. And then you

have J.D. Vance making posts like the entire American media and left-wing industrial complex has decided the most important issue today is that the Trump administration deported an MS-13 gang member and a legal alien when he was challenged by Mike Gillette and said, no, the most important issue is that the Supreme Court ruled nine to zero in a decision that you must return him. Trump is not a dictator or a king. He's a president and a president must follow the Supreme Court's rulings. If he does not, he must be removed from power. It's that simple. To which J.D. Vance then takes the Supreme Court's ruling and makes it into this ridiculous argument against nobody. Are you proposing we invade El Salvador to retrieve a gang member with no legal right to be in our country when in the Supreme

Court's decision, where in the Supreme Court's decision does it require that? Well, let's take a look at the Supreme Court's decision where it clearly says the order by the district court properly requires the government to facilitate Abrego Garcia's release from custody in El Salvador and to ensure that his case is handled as it would had he not been improperly sent to El Salvador. And then when you go to the joining opinion in the 9-0 ruling, it says, the government's argument moreover implies that it could deport and incarcerate any person, including U.S. citizens, without legal consequence so long as it does so before a court can intervene.

Because every factor governing requests for equitable relief manifestly weighs against the government. It is therefore ordered that Abrego Garcia's return be facilitated. And then this is what they're going with now. They're claiming the Supreme Court ruled in their favor. This is Stephen Miller's line that's being repeated by Pam Bondi. Let's play it. I promise you, if he was your neighbor, you would move right away. So you don't plan to ask for it? But the Supreme Court is asking to... What's the ruling in the Supreme Court, Steve? Was it nine to nothing?

Yes, it was a nine to zero. In our favor. In our favor against the district court ruling, saying that no district court has the power to compel the foreign policy function of the United States. As Pam said, the ruling solely stated that if this individual at El Salvador's sole discretion was sent back to our country, that we could deport him a second time. No version of this legally ends up with him ever living here because he is a citizen of El Salvador. That is the president of El Salvador. Your questions about it per the court can only be directed to him. Let's bring in Democratic Congressmember Richie Torres. Congressmember, you just introduced the Repeal the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 and repeal the

International Emergency Economic Powers Act, IEPA. Restore constitutional balance, return power where it belongs, and the United States Congress. You're right. Why is it so important that you're introducing this? And what do you make of those statements by Miller and others in the Trump DOJ? Look, the imperial presidency of Donald Trump is as much a product of congressional capitulation as it is of Donald Trump himself. Historically, Congress has gone too far in passing too many laws that concentrate too much power in the executive. The time has come to return power back where it belongs, in the hands of the people and their elected representatives in Congress. We should repeal the Alien Enemies Act, which enables the president to deport people without due process.

We should repeal the International Economic Emergency Powers Act, which enables the president to impose taxes and tariffs that have destabilized the global economy. We have to restore the constitutional balance. The United States Constitution envisions Congress as the Article I branch of government, as the first among equals, and we should return to that constitutional balance. Even when Congress capitulates, which it did, I mean, clearly all the MAGA Republicans in the House and Senate, many of them seem to be okay with authoritarianism, but then Trump gets smacked

down in a nine to zero ruling by the Supreme Court that says very clearly, unambiguously, facilitate the return of Ebrego Garcia and treat him as though he was not improperly taken and sent to a foreign country, give due process. And if at the end of the due process that's given, there are findings that are made, you can act on those findings, but we're a country of due process. And then the Trump regime goes, actually, this was a win, nine to zero. He stays in El Salvador. You've seen a lot, Congressman. What are you making of this argument that they're making right now, that they won? Look, we live in an Orwellian universe where the truth no longer matters, facts no longer matter. We have in the United States a president who's a malignant and pathological narcissist, who is willing not only to wrongfully deport an innocent man, but also willing to defy an order,

a unanimous order from a right-wing Supreme Court to reverse the wrongful deportation, and to see both the President of the United States and the President of El Salvador openly mock the federal courts is an embarrassing spectacle. And so I introduced the Rescue Act, which is an attempt to secure the release of those who have been wrongfully deported. If you're a foreign leader like the president of El Salvador, and you refuse to comply with a federal order from a U.S. court, then you should be held accountable. There should be geopolitical consequences, and those consequences should be severe and swift. It should include the suspension of normal diplomatic relations,

the suspension of trade relations, determination of foreign assistance. We need an enforceable means of defending due process. Of all the abuses of the Trump presidency, there is no greater threat to individual freedom than his frontal assault, his complete contempt for due process, right? We live in a country where the Trump administration can wrongfully label anyone a non-citizen gang member, abduct you in the dead of night, and then render you to a foreign prison to be tortured. There was that moment, so eerie, you know, I think it'll forever be etched in history as just one of those, you know, low points, although the depths of depravity seem to be getting lower and lower by the day and by the minute with Bukele sitting there as Trump glazes him, sitting in the same location where Trump was attacking Zelensky and mocks our allies.

And they were asked a very simple question about following the Supreme Court ruling. And you mentioned it, Bukele's there just mocking our system of justice and due process. How would you expect me to return? Do you expect me? I do not have any power whatsoever. And it was such a mockery of the United States from an authoritarian from the country of El Salvador, by the way, which its entire GDP is like, well, we're attacking all of our allies and attacking all these countries. I mean,

El Salvador has what a 25% poverty rate, the entire GDP is $35 billion. So great. We've attacked Canada, Europe, Australia. and now we've won a guy who's claimed to fame, if you want to call it that, or infamy, is building concentration camps in his country. Let me just show everybody the clip just because I think I got to play it. Then I'll get your reaction to it, Congressman. Let's play it. How can I smuggle a terrorist into the United States? I don't have the power to return him to the United States. But you can release him inside of the United States. Yeah, but I'm not releasing... I mean, we're not very fond of releasing terrorists into our country.

I mean, we just turned the murder capital of the world into the safest country in the Western Hemisphere, and you want us to go back into releasing criminals so we can go back to being the murder capital of the world? No, that's not going to happen. Well, they'd love to have a criminal released into our country. I mean, there's a fascination. They would love it.

Yeah. Congressman, I want to get your reaction. But you know what I think about there? Chief Justice John Roberts tried to act like a moderate guy who gave Trump absolute immunity. And when the liberal justices were saying that exact scene is what's going to happen. Chief Justice John Roberts, nah, I don't think that's going to happen. And I could just imagine him watching that after trying to give an off ramp to Trump in that ruling to save face and do it in the right way, going, yeah, yeah, you played me. What do you make of it?

Look, I'm recoiling in horror and shock. I no longer recognize my country. We live in a morally inverted universe where the president is treating our friends as enemies and our enemies as friends. And his mission in life seems to be a strongman, a dictator in the image of Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin. And it's just, it's utterly horrifying. I think our country is undergoing transformation in real time. But for me, of everything that Donald Trump has done, by far the worst is the frontal assault on due process. You know, there's more language in the Bill of Rights about the rights of the accused,

about due process, than there is about any other right. Like the founding fathers recognized that due process is not one right among many. It's foundational to everything else. And Donald Trump is striking at the very foundations of our democracy and our constitutional system. Finally, Congressman, it's been a dark conversation. Any room for hope? I mean, the protests growing. I think the people you're seeing in your district standing up more and more. Where do we go from here? a monarchy and he's the king and we're his subjects. And there's been a powerful grassroots movement of Americans from every major city, from every place in this country, sending a powerful message that America is not a monarchy, that Donald Trump is not a king,

that we're not his subjects. We are citizens and we're willing to fight for our democracy. And so the groundswell of resistance to Donald Trump is reason for hope. And I'm hopeful that come 2027, House Democrats are going to be in charge of the House of Representatives. Hakeem Jeffries is going to be the first African American speaker in American history. And we're finally going to have checks and balances that will rein in the extremes of a Donald Trump president. Congress member Richie Torres, thanks for joining us as always. Always a pleasure. Everybody hit subscribe. Let's get to 5 million subscribers. Can't get enough Midas? Check out the Midas Plus sub stack for ad-free articles, reports,

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