Letter: Presidential oath was done wrong

It was surprising to hear Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. make two violations of the Constitution when he had President-elect Donald Trump take the oath of office.

The Constitution is very specific in that the oath of office for the president is in quotation marks and reads, “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of president of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.” That is the entire oath of office.

Roberts added in the oath the words “so help me God.” That phrase violates Article Two of the Constitution as there is no amendment adding these words. It also violates Article Six of the Constitution, which states “... but no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification for any office of public trust under the United States.”

The words “so help me God” were added by George Washington at his option, but that did not change the wording or the intent of the Constitution. The wording “so help me God” is still an option of every person taking an oath of office, but it is not a Constitutional requirement.

Roberts violated the wording and intent of the Constitution when he required Trump to say “so help me God.” One would think the Chief Justice of the United States would know better.

This story was originally published January 26, 2017 at 5:11 PM with the headline "Letter: Presidential oath was done wrong."