
Miller abruptly stopped mid-sentence right after saying the words «Plenary Authority», blinking repeatedly at the camera.
Absolute power

President Trump’s deputy chief of staff was answering questions live with CNN anchor Boris Sanchez when something oddly convenient happened just as Miller let slip that Trump holds absolute power under the «Plenary Authority».
Mid-sentence

Miller abruptly stopped mid-sentence right after saying the words «Plenary Authority», blinking repeatedly at the camera.
Some wires got crossed

The anchor kept calling him by name, but the feed soon cut to a commercial break. When CNN came back, Sanchez apologized, blamed the strange incident on “some wires got crossed,” and continued the interview without a single mention of what the deputy chief of staff had just revealed.
Off air

During the live CNN segment, Stephen Miller stated, «Under Title 10 of the U.S. Code, the president has plenary authority.» Miller was then abruptly cut off air.
His remarks

After the commercial break, in an awkward and unsettling moment, Miller resumed his remarks but mysteriously dropped the word «plenary» from his speech: «I was making the point that under federal law, Section, uh, Title 10 of the U.S. Code, the president has the authority, anytime he believes federal resources are insufficient, to federalize the National Guard to carry out a mission necessary for public safety.»
The quiet part

The interview quickly ignited social media, with many doubting CNN’s explanation for the strange moment that unfolded live on television. Users accused Miller of saying the quiet part out loud and blasted CNN for what they saw as a shameful cover-up, even charging the network with being complicit in paving the way for a dictatorial government.
Technical difficulty

According to a more specific explanation given to Newsweek by a CNN spokesperson, the technical difficulty was later attributed to an audio feed from another CNN channel suddenly playing in Miller’s earpiece. Far from quelling suspicion, this only fueled online critics who argued it reinforced the idea of a deliberate cover-up by the news channel.
CNN’s official YouTube channel

«Why did Miller saying the president has plenary authority get cut?» asked one user in the YouTube comments under CNN’s official channel video of the interview. The network had seemingly edited Miller’s controversial line out of its version, while other outlets like HuffPost published the uncut clip.
Plenary authority belongs to Congress

It is vital that the president does not possess «Plenary Authority», as Stephen Miller inadvertently admitted in his interview, because democracy depends on limits, oversight, and a balance of power. In the United States, plenary authority belongs to Congress in certain domains, such as immigration and commerce. Absolute authority by a president would erode checks, accountability, and liberty.