One would think the Secretary of Homeland Security would know the definition of “habeas corpus,” but she offered Democratic New Hampshire Senator Maggie Hassan the exact opposite of what habeas corpus is.
She’s either stupid and unfit for the job, or she’s gaslighting us. Or, she’s all three.
“So, Secretary Noem, what is habeas corpus?” Hassan asked.
“Well, habeas corpus is a constitutional right that the president has to be able to remove people from this country and suspend their right to…,” Noem wrongly said.
“Let me stop you, ma’am,” Hassan said.
“Habeas corpus is the legal principle that requires that the government provide a public reason for detaining and imprisoning people,” Hassan continued. “If not for that protection, the government could simply arrest people, including American citizens, and hold them indefinitely for no reason.”
“Habeas corpus is the foundational right that separates free societies like America from police states like North Korea,” she told Noem. “As a senator from the live free or die state, this matters a lot to me and my constituents and to all Americans.”
“So, Secretary Noem, do you support the core protection that habeas corpus provides, that the government must provide a public reason in order to detain and imprison someone?” Hassan asked.
“I support habeas corpus,” Noem said, “I also recognize that the president of the United States has the authority under the Constitution to decide if it should be suspended or not.”
