Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, in his bid to become Colorado’s next governor, said he will stand up to the Trump administration and there will be consequences for President Donald Trump’s associates when all is said and done.
Over 100 people attended a meeting with Weiser at the Durango Public Library on Saturday, where he addressed concerns about policies around immigration; diversity, equity and inclusion; and the separation of powers regarding church and state, as well as other concerns on the top of residents’ minds.
Weiser responded to residents’ questions and made his case for leading the state of Colorado, saying he is inspired by his grandmother’s survival in a Nazi concentration camp and her birth to his mother a week before U.S. forces liberated the camp.
“We go from being born in that concentration camp to standing here before you, having worked for justice – Ruth Bader Ginsburg, President Barack Obama in the White House, as your attorney general … now, ready to be your governor,” he said.
One resident asked Weiser if legal action should be taken against federal law enforcement agencies that break the law in their line of duty, referencing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and illegal action perpetrated against U.S. citizens.
When it comes to immunity, the law has it wrong, Weiser said. A president can hold immunity afforded to no one else. U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation agents who would investigate and prosecute crimes committed on Jan. 6, 2021, for example, are being pushed out. Others who remain are told to take actions that violate the law.
“A challenge in seeing this through is ... federal jurisdiction,” he said. “The Justice Department, which is in fact giving cover and comfort to criminal activities, isn’t going to prosecute people.”
He said civil lawsuits are another option. But there needs to be “public accountability” that will hold government agencies accountable.
“Asking law enforcement to violate the law, which is what violating due process is … is a serious corrupting of our law enforcement system. The sooner we put a stop to it, the better,” he said.
cburney@durangoherald.com
