Trump's new acting attorney general once claimed states can 'nullify' federal law: report

While campaigning for his unsuccessful Senate bid in 2013, now-acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker told a crowd that states have the right to "nullify" federal law and should do so with the Affordable Care Act.

CNN's KFILE reported that Whitaker made the comment when taking a question about the antiquated notion of nullification that he admitted "has been turned down" and is not recognized by the courts and the federal government.

"Now we need to remember that the states set up the federal government and not vice versa," he told the audience. "And so the question is, do we have the political courage in the state of Iowa or some other state to nullify Obamacare and pay the consequences for that?"

"The federal government's done a very good job about tying goodies to our compliance with federal programs, whether it's the Department of Education, whether it's Obamacare with its generous Medicare and Medicaid dollars and the like," the man who is now the nation's top law enforcement official said. "But do I believe in nullification? I think our founding fathers believed in nullification. There's no doubt about that."

The report noted that Whitaker also said he believes the courts are an inferior branch of government.

The judicial branch has "become more powerful than the other two branches because the other two branches lack political courage to stand up," he added.