Sen. Elizabeth Warren says 'everybody has a right to their opinion'

Sen. Elizabeth Warren says ‘everybody has a right to their opinion’

Sen. Warren on Tuesday said “everybody” has a “right to their” opinion on the Keystone XL pipeline, but she added that “that’s not the only right.”

The Massachusetts Democrat on Tuesday was reacting to an op-ed in the New York Times Monday that accused President Donald Trump of using the issue to advance his political career, calling the move “a blatant political power grab.”

In an oped published Tuesday, Trump called for a “clean energy future” and urged the United States to pursue energy independence.

He said it would be “a great honor” to lead the United Nations and that the country should take the lead on climate change.

Warren, the top Democrat on the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, said Trump has “shown he is willing to use his office for personal gain, and it’s no surprise that this is what he’s doing with this pipeline.

I think that’s appalling.”

The senator also blasted Trump’s decision to issue a temporary ban on new coal leasing, saying the move shows “the president has a pattern of using executive orders to circumvent Congress.”

She added that Trump’s actions are a “reckless move” that will hurt the environment and undermine the economy.

The former Massachusetts governor has been outspoken about her opposition to Keystone XL and has said she would not support a new pipeline under the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge if it were built.

Trump said Tuesday that he has no plans to issue any further orders on Keystone XL, but that he will review the process for approving future pipelines in a matter of weeks.

The Obama administration had said in April that the Keystone pipeline would be approved this year, but the White House later said it had not received final approval.