Democrat on CNN Calls 14th Amendment Ace in the Hole Against Terrorist GOP

Tennessee Democrat Steve Cohen on Sunday told CNN anchor Jim Acosta that the 14th Amendment is an “ace in the hole” for President Joe Biden in the debt ceiling fight, which comes to a head on Monday when Biden sits down with the GOP for a direct negotiation.

Biden will sit down with Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Monday for what could be the last ditch effort at negotiating an end to the debt ceiling fight. But the president has indicated he’ll consider a move proposed on the left and urged on him by progressives in Congress to simply ignore the debt limit based on a particular reading of the 14th Amendment.

“I’m looking at the 14th Amendment, as to whether or not we have the authority. I think we have the authority,” said Biden before departing from the G7 Summit in Japan.

Acosta spoke with Cohen about the debt fight on Sunday’s Newsroom, asking whether the congressman believes Biden should do it now, “sooner rather than later,” due to the legal ramifications.

Cohen brought up Harvard Law professor emeritus Laurence Tribe, who last week advocated strongly that Biden invoke the 14th amendment right away. “I always go with Laurence Tribe,” said Cohen.

“I think he’s considered one of the finest attorneys and legal minds in this country on constitutional issues and others. And if he believes it’s a valid clause that needs to be foremost in the president’s mind and then we really don’t have to make a deal, and the, and the whole debt ceiling is is irrelevant. The Constitution says you have to honor the debt, he said. “So I think it’s an ace in the hole for the president.”

Cohen repeated the phrase toward the end of the conversation, when saying that McCarthy has people like Rep. George Santos and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene to deal with on the GOP side.

“it’s going to be difficult for President Biden to negotiate with somebody who has those type of legislative terrorists on their team,” he said. “And the 14th Amendment is an ace in the hole.”

ACOSTA: Congressman, thanks so much for being with us. You know, the Constitution as we know it, says that the 14th Amendment granted citizenship to formerly enslaved people. But there is this Section 4 of the 14th Amendment that I guess is very important, now. It says ‘the validity of the public debt authorized by law shall not be questioned.’ Some legal scholars say that could apply to the debt limit. What’s your view on this? Should the president go down this road sooner rather than later? In part because, as he was saying a few moments ago, there would be a legal process that might play out.

COHEN: I’m sure there’d be a legal process that would play out. But I always go with Laurence Tribe. If, he’s my expert. I think he’s considered one of the finest attorneys and legal minds in this country on constitutional issues and others. And if he believes it’s a valid clause that needs to be foremost in the president’s mind and then we really don’t have to make a deal, and the, and the whole debt ceiling is is irrelevant. The Constitution says you have to honor the debt. So I think it’s an ace in the hole for the president.

I think he’d like to negotiate and he’d like to be able to show he could work together with the Republicans. It’s going to be difficult. McCarthy’s got to work with George Santos and who knows who he is or what he thinks. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert, they’re about as closely tied to reality as Santos is. So he’s got a whole bunch of those people to deal with, and they can result in the end of his speakership. So it’s going to be difficult for President Biden to negotiate with somebody who has those type of legislative terrorists on their team. And the 14th Amendment is an ace in the hole.

Watch the clip above, via CNN.

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