Trump’s national emergency declaration an abuse of executive power, says Rice U. political scientist

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David Ruth
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Jeff Falk
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Trump’s national emergency declaration an abuse of executive power, says Rice U. political scientist

HOUSTON – (Feb. 15, 2019) – President Donald Trump declared a national emergency Friday to fund the building of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Credit: 123RF.com/Rice University

Trump’s decision, said Rice University political scientist Mark Jones, is “more akin to the abuses of executive power we are accustomed to seeing by presidents in flawed presidential democracies than in the United States.” The declaration “adds some weight to the side of the scales of justice in support of impeachment.”

Jones is available to discuss this development and related issues, including the Texas political community’s response to Trump’s declaration, with the news media. He is a professor of political science in Rice’s School of Social Sciences and a fellow at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy and Rice’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research. He is a leading political expert and a frequent contributor to Texas and U.S. media outlets. His research has been cited widely in the media as well as by numerous political campaigns.

To schedule an interview with Jones, contact him directly at 832-466-6535.

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Related materials:

Jones bio: https://www.bakerinstitute.org/experts/mark-p-jones

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Founded in 1993, Rice University’s Baker Institute ranks among the top three university-affiliated think tanks in the world. As a premier nonpartisan think tank, the institute conducts research on domestic and foreign policy issues with the goal of bridging the gap between the theory and practice of public policy. The institute’s strong track record of achievement reflects the work of its endowed fellows, Rice University faculty scholars and staff, coupled with its outreach to the Rice student body through fellow-taught classes — including a public policy course — and student leadership and internship programs. Learn more about the institute at www.bakerinstitute.org or on the institute’s blog, http://blogs.chron.com/bakerblog.