Jimmy Carter: Supreme Court seems ‘eager to see rich people become more powerful’

Former President Carter ripped the Supreme Court for allowing “rich people” to become more powerful under election laws.

The massive campaigns contributions allowed under the court’s Citizens United ruling has led to corruption, Carter said in a PBS interview released Wednesday.

“The Supreme Court seems to be eager to see rich people become more powerful and to see corporations become more powerful than individuals with their — with their previous rulings,” Carter said.

And because of that, there’s “very little chance” we will see money removed from politics, Carter said.

The power gained by people who give a lot of money to political candidates has resulted in a “vast disparity in income in America,” polarizing society more than anything else, Carter said. 

“When I ran against Gerald Ford — who was the president of the United States then — you know how much money we raised for the general elections? Zero,” he said.

The only thing the Supreme Court can do now is fight partisan gerrymandering, Carter said.

The court heard arguments on Wednesday about whether a legislative map for Maryland that led to a Republican lawmaker’s defeat at the polls was unconstitutional.

That will help control the acquisition of power in a state from being controlled by one political party, Carter said.

Carter, 93, has been making a number of political appearances and interviews while promoting his new book, “Faith: A Journey for All.”

He said Tuesday that he doesn’t believe the students protesting for gun control will change laws that threaten the Second Amendment.

But Carter told PBS that the Parkland students will leave “a more permanent effect” on gun legislation.

“I think the NRA is facing the greatest challenge that it has in the last 15 or 20 years,” Carter said.