Hispanic House Republicans compare Biden to Venezuelan leader Maduro over 'outrageous' SCOTUS plan
A trio of Cuban American House Republicans is comparing President Biden to some of Latin America's most notorious autocrats over his proposal to transform the Supreme Court.
Florida GOP Reps. Maria Salazar, Mario Diaz-Balart and Carlos Gimenez recorded a video earlier this week arguing that Biden's plan falls in line with methods used by former Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez and current President Nicolás Maduro, whose recent re-election was widely denounced by the international community as illegitimate.
Salazar said Biden's plan "is outrageous" and "goes against the system, the American exceptionality, that we all enjoy."
BIDEN, HARRIS CALL FOR SUPREME COURT TERM LIMITS, CODE OF CONDUCT, LIMITS ON PRESIDENTIAL IMMUNITY
"I mean, look, we've seen this happen in history time and time again. When somebody, for political reasons, tries to change the institutions – the Supreme Court, by the way, has been instrumental in maintaining the rule of law and democracy in this country," Diaz-Balart said.
"It is highly dangerous, unacceptable, and that is real threat to democracy and to all of the freedoms that we enjoy in the United States."
Gimenez chimed in, adding, "We had a great example of a threat to democracy yesterday, when the Maduro regime invalidated an election and tried, or is trying to, stay in power."
"What's the first thing that Hugo Chávez did when he became president 24 years ago? He actually reformed the Supreme Court of Venezuela, so he made things legal for himself," Gimenez continued. "Touching the judicial system is one way to maintain power, and so this is really, really dangerous for the national security, for our security, and the security of democracy here in the United States."
TRUMP IMMUNITY CASE: SUPREME COURT RULES EX-PRESIDENTS HAVE SUBSTANTIAL PROTECTION FROM PROSECUTION
Salazar then jabbed Democrats' warnings that former President Trump represents a threat to democracy, adding, "The president of the United States is saying that he wants to change the democracy. Not President Trump, but President Biden. So be very careful, because touching the Supreme Court is touching the core of the American system."
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment.
Biden detailed his plan for a binding code of ethics as well as a constitutional amendment limiting presidential immunity and mandated term limits for Supreme Court justices in an op-ed published in the Washington Post on Monday.
The plan was near-universally heckled by Republicans, but Biden's Democratic allies, who have been pushing for similar or more radical Supreme Court changes, praised the initiative.
"Clear ethics violations and increasing politicization have made clear that SCOTUS is broken – and that reform is urgently needed to restore Americans’ faith in the integrity of the Court," Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., who has proposed legislation on the issue, wrote on X.
However, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., signaled that any such changes would not be taken up by a GOP-controlled House.
"This proposal is the logical conclusion to the Biden-Harris Administration and congressional Democrats’ ongoing efforts to delegitimize the Supreme Court. Their calls to expand and pack the Court will soon resume," Johnson said Monday. "This dangerous gambit of the Biden-Harris Administration is dead on arrival in the House."