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Updated Space Command lawsuit flags new Trump actions targeting Colorado

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Lindsey Toomer
(Colorado Newsline)

A lawsuit that says the Trump administration violated Colorado’s state sovereignty has been updated to cite additional federal actions the state says are unconstitutional, according to Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser.

The Trump administration has “ramped up a widespread campaign of retribution to punish Colorado” in recent weeks, Weiser, a Democrat running for Colorado governor, said in a press call Thursday.

An October lawsuit says President Donald Trump’s decision to move U.S. Space Command from Colorado to Alabama is an unconstitutional violation of state sovereignty, since he said he based that decision on how Colorado runs its elections.

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Trump’s moves to terminate transportation funding for Colorado, close the National Center for Atmospheric Research, require updated eligibility interviews for people receiving federal food assistance, and deny Federal Emergency Management Agency relief for areas affected by wildfires and flooding also violate state sovereignty, the amended lawsuit says.

“This series of events and the timing, demonstrate and reflect an unmistakable campaign of punishment and threats directed at Colorado to respond to what is the lawful exercise of our sovereign authority,” Weiser said. “And sadly, indications are more might be coming.”

Trump has targeted Colorado because of its use of mail ballots in its elections and because the state has refused to release Tina Peters, the former Republican Mesa County clerk serving a nine-year sentence in state prison for her role in a breach of her office’s election systems, according to Weiser. The president threatened “harsh measures” if she isn’t released.

This series of events and the timing, demonstrate and reflect an unmistakable campaign of punishment and threats directed at Colorado to respond to what is the lawful exercise of our sovereign authority.

“Our Constitution’s clear. States have the power to manage elections and administer our criminal justice systems,” Weiser said. “No administration has sought to take away this power and to try to force states to bend to its will. 
This administration cannot be allowed to do so either.”

The amended lawsuit does not include the Trump administration’s recent move to block Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and child care funding, but Weiser said to “stay tuned,” indicating a separate lawsuit could be coming.

Weiser’s lawsuit asks the U.S. District Court of Colorado to declare Trump’s “vindictive” actions specifically targeting Colorado unconstitutional and to bar federal agencies from enforcing the actions.

“I recognize this is a novel request, and that’s because this is an unprecedented administration. We’ve never seen an administration act in a way that is so flatly violating the Constitution and disrespecting state sovereign authority,” Weiser said. “We have to protect our authority, defend the principles we believe in. That’s why we’re going forward in court.”