Dan Patrick suggests taking Biden off ballot in Texas

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R) on Tuesday suggested taking President Biden off the ballot in Texas due to his handling of immigration, citing the Colorado Supreme Court’s ruling to kick former President Trump off the state’s ballot.

“Seeing what happened in Colorado tonight … makes me think — except we believe in democracy in Texas — maybe we should take Joe Biden off the ballot in Texas for allowing 8 million people to cross the border since he’s been president, disrupting our state far more than anything anyone else has done in recent history,” Patrick said in an interview with Fox News anchor Laura Ingraham.

The Colorado Supreme Court on Tuesday handed the Trump campaign a major blow, ruling the former president should be kicked off the state’s Republican primary ballot under the 14th Amendment, due to his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack.

The 4-3 ruling cited the 14th Amendment’s “insurrection clause” and argued Trump was involved in an insurrection by prompting false claims of election fraud and directing his supporters to go toward the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

The four majority justices ruled the office of the presidency falls under the insurrection clause, which says those who previously took oaths to support the Constitution as a “member of Congress,” “officer of the United States,” “member of any State legislature” or an “executive or judicial officer of any State” cannot engage in a rebellion against it.

Trump’s campaign has vowed to appeal the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court. Trump appointed three members of its six-member conservative majority.

Patrick’s comments come amid a flurry of criticism of Biden’s handling of the U.S.-southern border from both sides of the aisle.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) signed a border law earlier this week, allowing for the prosecution of migrants entering the U.S. from Mexico. It would allow any Texas law enforcement officer to arrest those who are suspected of entering the country illegally. Those arrested would either agree to a judge’s order to leave the U.S. or be charged with misdemeanors.

While the law is likely to set up a battle between Texas and the federal government, Patrick appeared optimistic Texas would win such challenges.

“So we spent a lot of time, Laura, in the Senate writing this bill, along with the governor, and we believe we have a bill that will survive any type of Supreme Court challenge because we are being invaded,” Patrick told Ingraham.

Republicans’ frustrations over the U.S.-Mexico border have been at the forefront in the Senate, with many on the right demanding stricter border measures as part of a larger deal to fund border security, Ukraine and Israel. After days of negotiations with the White House and the Department of Homeland Security, the Senate went home without a deal.

Meanwhile, immigration advocates in Congress, primarily Democrats, told The Hill earlier this month they are upset with the White House for linking Ukraine funding and border policy in the White House’s supplemental funding request.

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