Trump slams 'watered down' US travel ban

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - President Donald Trump on Monday slammed his Justice Department for crafting a "watered down, politically correct" version of his original travel restrictions that many have criticized as an unconstitutional ban on Muslims.

"The Justice Dept. should ask for an expedited hearing of the watered down Travel Ban before the Supreme Court - & seek much tougher version!" he wrote in a succession of early-morning tweets, breaking with his administration's refutation of the order being a "travel ban".

"People, the lawyers and the courts can call it whatever they want, but I am calling it what we need and what it is, a TRAVEL BAN!" he added.

In January, Trump signed an executive order that banned migration from seven Muslim-majority countries for at least nine months, and suspended the U.S.' refugee program for 120 days.

A later version of the order removed Iraq from the list of designated countries, but was still met with subsequent legal defeats that stalled its implementation.

The Department of Justice last Thursday asked the Supreme Court to hear the case on appeal, and filed two emergency applications with the top court seeking to overturn lower court rulings that blocked the ban on the grounds of discrimination.

During his Monday morning Twitter deluge, Trump also took aim at the U.S. court system, calling it "slow and political!"

"In any event we are EXTREME VETTING people coming into the U.S. in order to help keep our country safe," he said.

The Justice Department did not immediately respond to request for comment.