HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - U.S. Rep. Ed Case, D-Hawaii, says the Trump administration is abusing its power and is a threat to the rule of law.

He spoke at the state Committee on Judiciary chaired by state Sen. Karl Rhoads.

Case gave state senators a long list of actions by the Trump administration that are contrary to the rule of law, including destruction of federal agencies and funding already directed by law; firing of key federal officials from independent agencies; ignoring federal court orders; eroding independence of key federal agencies like the Department of Justice; and abuse of power to intimidate opponents referencing the controversy over comedian Jimmy Kimmel briefly taken off the air.

“What are the chances that Trump will be able to run for a third term?” asked state Sen. Stanley Chang.

“I think the chances are low, very low. There’s no plausible legal argument for it. For him to gain a third term, it would either be a complete overturning of the foundations of our country or constitution or some corruption,” said Case.

“We have unfortunately observed the U.S. president mocking judges and deriding their decisions. He’s threatened judges with impeachment for adverse rulings,” said Rhoads.

Republican state Sen. Brenton Awa did not attend the hearing to focus on other priorities.

“For Sen. Rhoads, he’s one of those that gets triggered a lot by the president,” he said.

Case said Congress is working hard to preserve hundreds of millions of dollars in funding for education, minorities, and social services.

He said the rule of law is not the same as agreeing or disagreeing with Trump policies. He said ignoring rule of law is not good for the country in the long term.