President Donald Trump’s national emergency to build the southern border Wall can also be supplemented with powers derived from other active national emergencies and also existing executive orders.

“We may be using one of the national emergencies that (President Barack Obama) signed having to do with cartels, criminal cartels. It’s a very good emergency he signed, and we are going to use parts of it in our dealings on cartels,” President Trump stated.

Politifact confirms (emphasis added): “Obama did use emergency powers to freeze the financial assets of four foreign criminal operations, but it’s unclear how that would help build a wall.

Trending: Arizona Democrat Mark Kelly Refuses to Shake Border Patrol Agent’s Hand: “You’re One of Them”

On July 25, 2011, Obama announced that “significant transnational criminal organizations constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States.”

Obama targeted four groups, including Mexico’s Los Zetas criminal network, a Russian group called The Brothers, Camorra operating out of Italy and Japan’s Yakuza.”

Politifact passage ends

Interesting.

HERE’S THE TEXT OF THE OBAMA NATIONAL EMERGENCY

Clearly, President Trump is finding a comprehensive approach culled together from precedents on the books to supplement and bolster the new national emergency that he has declared.

I reported:

President Donald Trump has no reason to hesitate in declaring a national emergency to build the southern border Wall. The national emergency is real and it’s hitting us hard.

Formally declaring a national emergency is not a big deal, especially if you look at all the foreign-focused situations that prompted President Trump’s predecessors to use the emergency option — including Barack Obama, who declared 13 national emergencies, 11 of which are still active. Did the mainstream media call Obama a dictator for using this strategy?

President Trump has declared three national emergencies himself. Surely the systemic destruction of the United States through open-borders crime and drug proliferation warrants a fourth push on the “emergency” button. If you look at all the dimensions of this issue — the drugs, the human trafficking, the cartel violence, the suspected terrorists routinely apprehended — the Border Crisis merits several national emergencies, at least.

Here are the 31 national emergencies that are in effect right now. Are these situations making you panic at all times? Are these problems bigger than the existential threat of losing our borders? You decide.

1. 1979: Blocking Iranian Government Property

Our oldest still-running national emergency comes from the Iran hostage crisis. Does the existence of the Ayatollah constitute a national emergency? Yes. Should Barack Obama have sent the Iranians $1.7 billion in cash pallets? No, that should have been another national emergency right there.

2. 1994: Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction 

Bill Clinton regulated WMD’s.

3. 1995: Prohibiting Transactions With Terrorists Who Threaten To Disrupt the Middle East Peace Process

This bans any dealing with Hamas and Hezbollah, but again it does not seem like the spirit of this national emergency has been upheld very well by some of our recent leaders. The Obama White House stifled anti-Hezbollah efforts to make it easier to finalize their disastrous Iran deal.

4. 1995: Blocking Assets and Prohibiting Transactions with Respect to the Development of Iranian Petroleum Resources

Some regulations on the oil business.

5. 1995: Blocking Assets and Prohibiting Transactions with Significant Narcotics Traffickers

Does building a Wall count as “Blocking Assets” for drug dealers?

6. 1996: Regulations of the Anchorage and Movement of Vessels With Respect To Cuba

The Cuban Missile Crisis was no laughing matter, and the Communist threat close to our shores has not gone anywhere.

7. 1997: Blocking Sudanese Government Property and Prohibiting Transactions with Sudan

This national emergency did not prevent Bill Clinton from bombing a Sudanese medicine factory during the Monica Lewinsky scandal, which prompted Christopher Hitchens’ greatest ever anti-war headline in The Nation: “Close But No Cigar.”

8. 2001: Blocking Property of Persons Who Threaten International Stabilization Efforts in the Western Balkans

How about blocking migration of persons who threaten national stabilization efforts of the United States?

9. 2001: Continuation of Export Control Regulations

Something to do with exports.

10. 2001: Declaration of National Emergency by Reason of Certain Terrorist Attacks

9/11 was a national emergency. How Bush and Cheney responded to 9/11 left us in perpetual national emergency.

11. 2001: Blocking Property and Prohibiting Transactions with Persons Who Commit, Threaten To Commit, or Support Terrorism

This national emergency is a no-brainer. But it didn’t stop Barack Obama from making transactions with persons who commit, threaten to commit, or support terrorism.

12. 2003: Blocking Property of Persons Undermining Democratic Processes or Institutions in Zimbabwe

This is not more important to the United States than the security of our own border.

13. 2003: Protecting the Development Fund for Iraq and Certain Other Property in Which Iraq Has An Interest

In 2013, Reuters pegged the total U.S. taxpayer cost of the Iraq War at $1.7 trillion, not including outstanding veteran benefits.

14. 2004: Blocking Property of Certain Persons and Prohibiting the Export of Certain Goods To Syria

Bashar al-Assad has been a longtime target of the national security establishment in Washington, which does not seem to care quite as much about the national security threat on our southern border.

15. 2006: Blocking Property of Certain Persons Undermining Democratic Processes or Institutions in Belarus

Belarus is a country in Europe.

16. 2006: Blocking Property of Certain Persons Contributing to the Conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Too bad this Bush-era national emergency is not called “Blocking Access of Certain Persons Contributing to the Conflict in Texas and Arizona.”

17. 2007: Blocking Property of Persons Undermining the Sovereignty of Lebanon or its Democratic Processes and Institutions

Lebanon is a country with borders, much like the United States.

18. 2008: Continuing Certain Restrictions with Respect to North Korea and North Korean Nationals

Nobody ever made any real progress in North Korea until President Trump.

19. 2010: Blocking Property of Certain Persons Contributing to the Conflict in Somalia

Some pirate-related sanctions on Somalia.

20. 2011: Blocking Property and Prohibiting Certain Transactions Related To Libya

Hillary Clinton took out Muammar Gaddafi and now there is an active slave trade in Libya.

21: 2011: Blocking Property of Transnational Criminal Organizations

Does this apply to the Clinton Foundation?

22. 2012: Blocking Property of Persons Threatening the Peace, Security or Stability of Yemen

Yemen is not known for its peace, security or stability, and neither is the United States in the age of open-borders mass migration.

23. 2014: Blocking Property of Certain Persons Contributing to the Situation in Ukraine

Ukraine and the United States of America are different countries located in different parts of the world.

24. 2014: Blocking Property of Certain Persons with Respect to South Sudan

Sudan is a place fraught with emergency, granted, but so is the United States in our borderless present.

25. 2014: Blocking Property of Certain Persons Contributing to the Conflict in the Central African Republic

Drug cartels are contributing to the conflict in the American Republic.

26. 2015: Blocking Property and Suspending Entry of Certain Persons Contributing to the Situation in Venezuela

The “suspending entry” part is good.

27. 2015: Blocking the Property of Certain Persons Engaging in Significant Malicious Cyber-Enabled Activities

The criminal cartels in the United States are more tech-savvy than they let on, and pose serious threats to the American people.

28. 2015: Blocking Property of Certain Persons Contributing to the Situation in Burundi

Burundi is in Africa.

29. 2017: Blocking the Property of Persons Involved in Serious Human Rights Abuse or Corruption

President Trump’s first national emergency.

30. 2018: Imposing Certain Sanctions in the Event of Foreign Interference in a United States election

President Trump won fair and square, it had nothing to do with the Russians.

31: 2018: Blocking Property of Certain Persons Contributing to the Situation in Nicaragua

The situation in Nicaragua is presenting itself at our southern border.