09 03 25 Colo Attorney General Phil Weiser on Trump's decision to move Space Command

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
It is Colorado's Morning News, state officials criticizing President Trump's
move to move Space Command headquarters from Colorado Springs to Huntsville, Alabama.

Speaker 2 (00:08):
And Kaway's Connor Shree. You've spoke with Colorado Attorney General
Phil Wiser, who says this will impact military readiness.

Speaker 3 (00:15):
I'm disappointed by this decision, which is bad for our
space sector. It's bad for our national security, it's bad
for Colorado. I am not surprised because there are lots
of reasons to believe the initial decision that was made
shortly after January sixth, twenty twenty one, to put Space

(00:35):
Command in Alabama was made for political reasons. There's lots
of concern that this is made for political reasons and
not on the merits of what's best for America and
what's best for all the people. There are many people
whose lives are upended, approximately seventeen hundred who are serving
our military part of Space Command, and their lives have

(00:55):
now been thrown into potential turmoil. What do they do?
This is not the right way for us to build
leadership in this area and the right way to treat
dedicated public servants.

Speaker 1 (01:06):
So you believe this is retaliatory.

Speaker 3 (01:09):
This has been talked about in political terms from the beginning.
There's a letter from former Mayor John Southers, who made
the case about how this action was viewed by the
President as something he would personally make depending on whether
or not Colorado voted one way in the presidential election
or not. I am someone who believes that we need

(01:31):
to do what's best for America and we need to
keep these issues on the merits I don't think there's
any merits base argument that Alabama is the right place
for Space Command. The officials in the Air Force who
have looked at this, the official who's worked in Space Command,
they've always been in Colorado, in Calder Springs. The idea
that we're going to upend all of that is going

(01:52):
to be disruptive and harmful to national security, to our
leadership in space. This is a misguided decision, and we
are prepared to challenge it.

Speaker 1 (02:02):
The language in your press release is that this decision
is unlawful. What about it is unlawful?

Speaker 3 (02:08):
There are guardrails in our law that make sure that
when decisions are made, they're made appropriately. We have reason
to believe this is not such an approbate decision, and
we're going to get to see a little more detail
soon about the basis of the decision. But we're prepared
to take the administration to court, as I've now done

(02:29):
thirty five times in counting. This is a unique case
because it will just be the state of Colorado taking
on the Trump administration. Many the other cases obviously involve
other states too, but this is about larger issues than
just Colorado. It's about our national security. It's about the
way in which decisions are made that affect people's lives.

(02:50):
We believe that, like in so of these other cases
I've brought, once a court looks at it, we're going
to get a fair hearing and this administration will have
to defend its actions on the mayor. We live under
the rule of law, and that's why we have courts
to oversee decisions like this one.

Speaker 1 (03:06):
What would you say to proponents of this move who
would likely point to that year's old Government Accountability Office
survey that rated Huntsville a better location than Colorado Springs.

Speaker 3 (03:17):
I have not myself looked at that survey. I would say,
look at the history. The leadership of Space Command has
been in Colorado for a very long time. This is
not something that we're starting on a blank slate. We
have built up capability in Colorado, we have built up

(03:38):
leadership in Colorado. The idea that you will ignore all
that is going to disrupt the continued development of Space Command.
This is going to be harmful to Spaseman because a
lot of people whose lives are here in Colorado are
going to have to make terrible choices. Do they keep
their potential jobs and move or do they go another
direction and compromise is the future of Space Command?

Speaker 1 (04:03):
Do you think a possible transition would not impact military readiness?

Speaker 3 (04:09):
You raise a question about timing and how this is managed.
I don't know what those details are, but I will say,
even under the best circumstances, this is a body blow.
This is a harmful step. It's going to hurt Space Command.
It is going to hurt our readiness. It's gonna hurt

(04:29):
the quality of the team that's being built because that's
team currently all situated in Colorado with an ecosystem around it,
with a promising future. The undermining of that is going
to be harmful. It's gonna harm obviously Colorado. It's gonna
harm people's lives it's gonna harm national security.

Speaker 2 (04:51):
That's Colorado Attorney General Phil Wiser. We'll get more reaction
coming up at five point forty nine from Congressman Jason
Crow and from Colorado Springs may Or Emmi Mobilade. Coming
up the seven forty nine