The Enduring Power of Stephen Miller: From the Politics Desk

This is the online version of From the Political Bureaua daily newsletter with the latest reporting and analysis from the NBC News Politics team from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail.

In today’s edition, we have an in-depth look at Stephen Miller’s far-reaching influence in the White House. Additionally, we explore how President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda has placed a renewed focus on the Bill of Rights.

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– Adam Wollner

Stephen Miller’s reach in the White House goes far beyond immigration

By Peter Nicholas, Matt Dixon and Katherine Doyle

Most people know it Stephan Molenaar like the steely face of Donald Trump‘s deportation pressure.

But Miller has other jobs within the West Wing – many other jobs.

Miller’s portfolio: One day, Miller might push to fix Washington, D.C.’s dry, broken fountains, or replace broken security cameras on the city’s streets, a senior administration official said. He is also contributing to the president’s efforts to force changes on college campuses designed to uproot what Trump believes is an embedded liberal culture.

At 10 a.m., Miller will hold a daily meeting with senior federal officials, the topic of which could include the sinking of a boat in the Caribbean that the government deems suspicious or the breakup of a drug cartel.

Marco Rubio may have the most titles in Trump’s second term (four at one point), but Miller appears to have the biggest jumble of assignments. He is both the White House homeland security adviser and policy chief — a long line that allows him to weigh in on virtually every foreign or domestic priority Trump puts forward.

Interviews with thirteen current and former Trump administration officials and lawmakers — many of whom were granted anonymity to speak candidly — suggest that the enormous size of Miller’s portfolio may be partly responsible for his enduring power in the Trump world. He appears to have survived the national uproar over the killing by federal agents of two Americans in Minnesota who were protesting the immigration crackdown that he championed and that the administration recently relaxed.

‘The hammer’: Another reason for Miller’s longevity may be just that: his longevity. Many of the people who were part of Trump’s first campaign in 2016 are long gone: they have become peripheral figures in the Trump world or have been exiled altogether. Miller is an original and one of the few still standing – “the hammer” charged with making Trump’s promises a reality, as former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon described it in an interview.

After years of working in Trump’s company, Miller has made himself virtually indispensable.

“All the executive orders signed on Day 1, Week 1, Month 1 are things that Stephen selected as executive orders that would be written, reviewed, edited and followed,” a former White House official said.

Read more →

Bill of Rights challenged over Trump’s immigration policies in Minnesota

By Allan Smith and Scott Wong

Both in and out of court, more than half of the amendments enshrined in the Bill of Rights are being fought over as a direct result of presidential elections. Donald Trump‘s immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota.

During his second term, Trump and his administration have been aggressive in pushing the boundaries of political conventions, leading to a number of lawsuits. Trump’s efforts to abolish birthright citizenship, freeze federal funds and bypass Congress through executive orders have tested the separation of powers.

The Twin Cities campaign, however, was a flashpoint, with fights over at least six—the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and tenth—of the first ten amendments. Conservative-leaning scholars see both lawyers and judges overstepping their bounds in fiery filings and opinions, while liberal-leaning counterparts see a notable disregard by the Trump administration for the provisions of the Bill of Rights.

Randy Barnettdirector of the Georgetown Center for the Constitution, said he saw the battle for the Bill of Rights in Minneapolis as “unprecedented” because of the number of far-fetched claims he said have been made by proponents and have gained traction before district judges.

In court, the Fourth, Fifth, and Tenth Amendments have been at the heart of legal battles over specific immigration enforcement actions.

John Yoowho was president George W BushThe Justice Department said many of the constitutional battles are taking place because of the uncertain areas of immigration law.

“There are very few cases in the Supreme Court on this, and very few on the responsibility of the federal and state government,” said Yoo, a strong proponent of presidential power who helped write the “torture memos” on interrogations after the September 11 attacks. “So when you have that kind of uncertainty, people step in — lower courts, litigants — and they just start getting creative.”

Read more →

That’s all from the policy desk for now. Today’s newsletter is put together by Adam Wollner.

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