In a tweet, he elaborated on his understanding of the First Amendment: “It is not `freedom of the press’ when newspapers and others are allowed to say and write whatever they want even if it is completely false!” Over and over, he has said that he would somehow “ open up” the libel laws so that he and other public figures could more easily sue news organizations. If they don’t retract these purportedly false statements, he said, “they should, you know, have a form of a trial.” Though his ignorance may seem amusing at first, Trump's disregard for constitutional principles is deeply disturbing. Immigration lawyer: Trump's wall won't work Khizr Khan, who lost his son in Iraq, gave a moving speech at the Democratic National Convention in which he criticized Trump for not understanding the Constitution. Trump responded that Khan had “ no right to stand in front of millions of people and claim I have never read the Constitution, (which is false) and say many other inaccurate things." Ironically, the response proved Khan’s point. The First Amendment secures his right to say nearly anything he wants, even if it is untrue - which in this case it was not. Indeed, if making false statements were illegal, Trump himself would have had to put on an orange jumpsuit long ago. And remember, you’re not taking property…” Huh? Of course you’re taking property: that’s why the law calls it “a taking.” He explained himself this way: “So eminent domain, when it comes to jobs, roads, the public good, I think it’s a wonderful thing, I’ll be honest with you. One real part of the Constitution is the Fifth Amendment, which forbids government to take private property “for public use, without just compensation.” Trump has a long history of abusing this process for his own gain. GOP Rep. Mark Sanford told reporters in July about a meeting between Trump and congressional Republicans: “At one point, somebody asked about Article I powers: What will you do to protect them? I think his response was, ‘I want to protect Article I, Article II, Article XII,’ going down the list. “I’m proud of it, I love it and I want to go through the Constitution.” That comment was the political equivalent of “I’ll respect you in the morning” - another line that Trump has probably used from time to time, and one that's just about as meaningful. “I feel very strongly about our Constitution,” Donald Trump told Fox News in January.
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