Gov. Dayton: Trump Executive Orders Are 'Antithetical To Our American Values'

In a statement released Tuesday, Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton called executive orders issued by President Donald Trump "ill-conceived," adding that "some of them are unconstitutional," while others are "antithetical to our American values."

"All of them have ramifications for our state and our people," Dayton said. "As these and future executive orders are issued, I have instructed my cabinet to determine what impacts they will have in the lives of Minnesotans."

Dayton said he will work with Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson "to defend the rights, freedoms, and Constitutional guarantees of the people of Minnesota."

"I will uphold my sworn oath to ‘support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Minnesota,’ and do everything possible to ensure that every Minnesotan is treated lawfully and fairly.”

In a similar statement, Lt. Governor Tina Smith said that "Americans, and Minnesotans especially, are decent, fair, and open-minded people," and that the executive orders issued in recent days "defy our core beliefs as Americans, and go against the founding principles of our nation."

"This is not who we are."

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Image via MN AFL-CIO, Flickr, used under Creative Commons