Vitter Rips Jeb on Birthright Issue

Sen. David Vitter, who is running for governor of Louisiana, said on “The Laura Ingraham Show” that many Republicans in Louisiana view former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush as part of the problem with Washington.

“Quite frankly, they’re not talking much about it. That’s the first observation,” said Vitter. “Secondly, when he comes up, I think he’s viewed as the political establishment, and there’s a whole lot of sentiment, like I’m describing, against that.”

Jeb Bush believes birthright citizenship is guaranteed by the 14th Amendment to the Constitution.

Vitter especially took Bush to task on Tuesday for his stance on birthright citizenship. The two men are on opposite sides of an issue that has gained a lot of attention on the campaign trail this season — automatic U.S. citizenship for any infant born on U.S. soil. Bush believes birthright citizenship is guaranteed by the 14th Amendment to the Constitution.

“I think that’s crazy,” said Vitter, who has sponsored legislation that would require at least one parent be a U.S. citizen or a permanent legal resident in order for a baby to get citizenship at birth. “All of it should not be allowed to lead to automatic citizenship.”

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Originally passed to grant citizenship for former slaves, the 14th Amendment long has been interpreted by most authorities as granting automatic citizenship to all babies born in this country, with a few exceptions, such as the children of foreign diplomats.

But a number of legal scholars have challenged that view in recent years. Vitter told Ingraham he disagrees with the conventional interpretation.

“I don’t think anything in the Constitution, including the 14th Amendment, requires (or) mandates birthright citizenship,” said Vitter.

Pointing to the text of the amendment itself and the legislative history surrounding its passage, Vitter said, “I don’t think anything in the Constitution, including the 14th Amendment, requires, mandates birthright citizenship.”

Vitter’s bill would give the courts an opportunity to decide that issue once and for all. But first, it would have to pass. And that is unlikely with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., running the chamber, Vitter suggested.

“We’ve been struggling for a vote and haven’t gotten it yet,” he said.

Vitter credited businessman and now presidential candidate Donald Trump with focusing national attention on immigration in the face of the GOP leadership’s reluctance to take on the issue.

“I think that is why Donald Trump is so attractive to many people,” he said.