Vice President Joe Biden offered up a blistering attack against presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump Thursday night, denouncing his “racist” and “reprehensible” comments against Judge Gonzalo Curiel.
Biden, who was speaking at the American Constitution Society convention in Washington, warned attendees that Trump could not be trusted as president and could abuse his power by committing impeachable offenses given his “direct threat” against the judge. He specifically singled out Trump’s past statement saying that he could level a civil suit against Curiel once he is elected president in November.
“These are words, in my view, of one who would defy the courts if they ruled against him as president,” Biden said. “Not just in a business case, but a case challenging government abuse of power. Raising the specter of ‘coming back in November,’ ‘doing a civil case’ from the Oval Office is not so veiled a threat. It’s a direct threat, and to use the office of the presidency, were he to acquire it, to intimidate and undermine an independent judiciary would be blatantly unconstitutional abuse of power.
“Either Mr. Trump, which is possible, doesn’t understand … because this is a realm in which he’s never dealt before, or he doesn’t care,” Biden said. “That would border on an impeachable offense for a president actually to use the great powers of the office to attempt to undermine a federal judge by placing pressure on that judge in any case. Especially one the president has, in this case, of personal financial stake.”
“This kind of conduct is pernicious and unprecedented, and the legal profession should not remain silent. Should not put up with it. As one prominent conservative legal commentator put it this way, this behavior in a president smacks of authoritarianism and tyranny. I agree.”
The vice president kicked off his broadside by calling out Trump’s potential effect on the judiciary, which he noted later on in conjunction with the GOP’s continued blocking of Chief Judge Merrick Garland, who President Obama nominated to replace former Justice Antonin Scalia.
“I think his conduct is undermined and threatening, and potentially doing damage to the constitutional imperative of an independent judiciary that the American people can have faith in,” Biden said. “It matters.”
Later on, Biden was supportive of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, telling attendees that “God willing” she will become the next president of the United States.
