Category: congress

The Country Should Be Pulling Together Right Now – But Then Again, We Have Democrats And The Media

Posted on by Wayne Dupree

The radical press and Nancy Pelosi are both complicit in lying to the American people with their misleading statements and actions that are not related to President Trump in any way.

DISHONESTY OF THE MEDIA

If the ignorant press would look into who is directly (not indirectly) responsible for the safety of the American people, it is the state governors who are on the front lines. Trump can only provide national support, like restricting flights, releasing the military, and forcing the production of needed supplies.

MORE NEWS: Gingrich: Coronavirus Pandemic Is ‘A Global Problem Caused By The Chinese’

The governors are those who direct what their state’s people are to do and how to do it. I am tired of everything being blamed on Trump when it is not up to the President to make those decisions. Did Trump delay action in New York City on telling people not to congregate in groups? No, it was the city’s health commissioner advising just the opposite and Mayor Bill de Blasio not making any directives until well after it was a huge problem. That was not Trump’s fault.

DEMS HAVE BEEN ON THE WRONG SIDE SINCE BEGINNING

Let’s look back at everyone’s comments three or four weeks ago. Democrats did not want Trump to ban travel from China. Do I “blame” them for that? No. They did not have ESP. However, for them to turn around and expect the President or any politician to have the same ESP they didn’t have is disingenuous. Anyone who does not rally behind the President who represents our country at this time of crisis is not patriotic. Quit criticizing and taking political shots. It shows ignorance, hatred, and a lack of patriotism.

The Democrats in Congress and the Senate, along with their friends in the media, need to be held accountable for disregarding the safety of our country for the last three years, to set up the Russia collusion hoax, the Ukraine impeachment hoax and any little thing to stop the progress of fixing this country after Barack Obama. They interrupted any and all activities in Washington, just to reverse the 2016 elections.

MORE NEWS: President Trump Has Done The Right Things To Combat Coronavirus From Day One

AMERICAN DYING

People were dying while Pelosi was messing around with impeachment. People were dying while Pelosi was sneaking in funding for the Kennedy Center and other projects unrelated to these same people she talks about. She only needs to look at herself to see who is fiddling.

As more people become ill, each country’s health care systems will be pushed to the brink to treat an increasing number of patients. Under President Trump’s leadership, the United States is helping its citizens and small businesses with a $2 trillion rescue package. Our President also made the right call by shutting down all passenger air traffic with China and Europe, and fast-tracking desperately needed medical equipment and supplies to critical hotspots like New York. He has the right team in place to see us through this crisis.

NEGATIVITY IS NOT CONSTRUCTIVE

The only way Mr. Trump, or any other heads of state, could have reacted better would have required them to be able to predict the unpredictable, to be prepared for the unpreparable. This is a WORLDWIDE pandemic. The spread in our country was unavoidable. We were under attack before we knew there was an attack before we knew what the enemy was. 20/20 hindsight and arguing about would have, could have, should have is not constructive. The only way to defeat this enemy is for EVERYONE to do their part and stay focused on that victory. The safety of others depends on YOU.

MORE NEWS: It’s Time To Remove Pelosi From Congress So This Country Can Move Forward

I can only speak for myself, but nobody is wholly prepared for something like this to happen. Frankly, I think Trump has done an excellent job of trying to minimize the fear-mongering the media has put out there. It’s not up to the government to save people; it’s mostly up to the people themselves.

They say you tell a lot about a person by how they behave during a crisis. How will Pelosi and the MSM be remembered after we get through this one? Just remember when a liberal blames somebody else, it is the liberal who is more guilty of that thing.

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The post The Country Should Be Pulling Together Right Now – But Then Again, We Have Democrats And The Media appeared first on The Political Insider.

It’s Time To Remove Pelosi From Congress So This Country Can Move Forward

Posted on by Wayne Dupree

On Sunday, during an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (because I refuse to call her Speaker of the House) sharpened her criticism of President Trump’s early dismissal of the coronavirus, saying the delay cost American lives.

Pelosi said that “His denial at the beginning was deadly.”

OF COURSE, PELOSI IS GOING TO TAKE THIS APPROACH

That’s really what Democrats did and as usual, she’s blaming Trump for something she’s guilty of. Where was she at the beginning? I mean the district she governs, is in the worst shape of all, so she has to blame someone else causes hey elections are coming.

MORE NEWS: Nancy Pelosi: ‘As The President Fiddles, People Are Dying’

I don’t have to say how much more ignorant it is to use this virus and the deaths of Americans as a political weapon. I think if someone looks in the right place and asks the right questions, you’re going to find an ugly truth about what was really behind this virus pandemic starting and whose responsible.

WHAT HAS PELOSI DONE DURING THIS CRISIS?

Zip, she has done absolutely nothing but rips Trump, scare and divide Americans. Even when Trump banned travel from China – Pelosi blasted Trump for over-reacting. Now All health experts agree that the travel ban saves thousands of US lives.

Who was it that held up the relief bill to add emissions standards for aircraft, solar panel credits, amnesty for illegals and a bunch of other non-essential items that push their agenda? It seems to me, holding the American voter hostage for your party’s program is irresponsible and callus.

MORE NEWS: Hillary Clinton Hit With Backlash Over Joke About U.S. Leading In Coronavirus Cases: Trump ‘Did Promise America First’

Worldwide, at the time of this writing, there have been 685,000 cases, 481,000 are mild with little or no symptoms, 146,000 are already fully recovered. The world has had 32,000 deaths from COVID-19.

Where was San Fran Nan with her opinions when that was happening?

LET’S NOT FORGET JANUARY – MARCH

Let’s dig a little deeper. While this was going on in January and early February, what was Congress doing? Hmmm. Oh, they were impeaching Trump. Hindsight is 20/20, and Trump has made some mistakes, but don’t put it all on the President. The Congress was not exactly doing what they needed to do in January, February, and early March, either.

As more people become ill, each country’s health care systems will be pushed to the brink to treat an increasing number of patients. Under President Trump’s leadership, the United States is helping its citizens and small businesses with a $2 trillion rescue package. Our president also made the right call by shutting down all passenger air traffic with China and Europe, and fast-tracking desperately needed medical equipment and supplies to critical hotspots like New York. He has the right team in place to see us through this crisis.

MORE NEWS: Hillary Clinton Hit With Backlash Over Joke About U.S. Leading In Coronavirus Cases: Trump ‘Did Promise America First’

AMERICA SIDES WITH TRUMP

If I remember right, the latest Gallup poll shows that 60% of Americans approve of the president’s handle of the pandemic. Maybe it is Pelosi that is trying to deflect wasting time on impeachment, adding to non-health related items to the latest CO-VID bill, etc. Well, you get the idea.

President Trump could come up with a cure for this virus and Pelosi would complain he was trying to put the pharmaceutical companies out of business. Trump is doing a great job dealing with this crisis.

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White House halts participation in congressional coronavirus hearings

Posted on by Kerry Eleveld

The White House has told Congress that it's simply too busy to spare the time to testify at any coronavirus hearings, at least until the end of March, according to Roll Call. “While the Trump Administration continues its whole-of-government approach to stopping the spread of COVID-19, it is counter-productive to have the very individuals involved in response efforts appearing at congressional hearings,” White House spokesman Judd Deere said in a statement Wednesday. 

Apparently, "whole-of-government" doesn't include Congress in the view of the White House. The blackout approach to information sharing with Congress was outlined in a memo obtained by Roll Call. “We remain respectful of the essential role of Congress in this effort and we look forward to working with Congress closely as we all rise to meet this challenge,” the memo read.

Frankly, it's hard to believe anyone in the West Wing even bothered to write that line. The Trump administration has made it crystal clear that it views Congress's "essential role" as entirely subservient to that of the executive branch. In everything from basic congressional oversight to the impeachment inquiry to the most threatening public health epidemic in a century, the Trump administration has spiked cooperating with Congress at every turn. 

The only difference this time around is that the White House isn't exclusively stiff-arming House Democrats. The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee was forced to cancel a hearing Wednesday that lawmakers had arranged to livestream publicly. Lawmakers had lined up witnesses from the Department of Health and Human Services, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, and the Food and Drug Administration.

That hearing has been postponed indefinitely while the White House continues the "whole-of-government" response it adopted several days ago after Donald Trump finally realized his delusional world was no match for a highly contagious virus that threatens to kill nearly 1% of the people who get it or more, depending on available care for the most critical cases.

Tlaib Called ‘Not American’ After Picture Shows Her Wearing T-Shirt That Erases Israel

Posted on by Rusty Weiss

Republican Dalia al-Aqidi, a challenger to Ilhan Omar’s congressional seat, blasted Rep. Rashida Tlaib after a photo emerged of the Michigan Democrat wearing a t-shirt which wipes Israel off the map.

The picture shows Tlaib gleefully celebrating the release of a book by another anti-Semite, Linda Sarsour.

Some observers noticed the t-shirt she was wearing features an image depicting the “state of Palestine” where Israel is currently located.

Wipes Israel Off the Map

The image shows an outline of Israel with words, according to one online vendor which sells the shirts, that “spell the word Palestine up close.”

“Stand in solidarity with Palestine by wearing this beautiful Palestinian tee-shirt,” the online store description of Tlaib’s t-shirt reads.

RELATED: Trump Fumes Over Video Showing Giddy Rashida Tlaib on Her Way to Impeachment Vote

Tlaib’s Hatred of Israel

Tlaib has a ridiculously well-documented history of anti-Semitic statements, ranging from policy disagreements to the absolutely absurd. The following is a short rundown:

  • Tlaib said thinking of the Holocaust provides her with a “calming feeling.”
  • Accused pro-Israel advocates of having dual loyalty.
  • Has a long history of associating with Palestinian terrorists.
  • Supports the BDS movement and posed for photos with a campaign fundraiser who promoted anti-Semitic conspiracy theories.

Just this past month, a former New York Democrat lawmaker was forcibly ejected from an event featuring Tlaib when he dared to ask her about past anti-Semitic statements.

RELATED: NY Dem Forcibly Removed From Event Featuring Rashida Tlaib

Anti-American

Aqidi, an Iraqi refugee, told the Washington Examiner that Tlaib’s shirt, as well as her history of vile statements, disgusted her.

“I grew up in the Middle East, where erasure of Israel from the maps means only one thing: genocide against the Jewish state and its citizens,” she said. “We see it from Hamas and other Muslim Brotherhood terrorists. To see this from a member of Congress is disgusting, and it’s not American.”

Aqidi insists that this kind of open bigotry and hatred for our ally in Israel is a direct result of certain ‘Squad’ members being elected to Congress.

“This kind of hatred is new in American politics,” she claimed. “It was only 2018 when Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib came to Washington, and seeing things like this only shows how important it is that we send them packing in November.”

Aqidi has hammered Omar in the past as well, suggesting her campaign contrasts that of the Minnesota Democrat by being pro-American.

The post Tlaib Called ‘Not American’ After Picture Shows Her Wearing T-Shirt That Erases Israel appeared first on The Political Insider.

Pelosi Calls Herself ‘Lioness,’ Insists Trump Is ‘Most Dangerous Person’ In American History

Posted on by Rusty Weiss

In a glowing interview with Variety magazine, Nancy Pelosi hammered President Trump as the most dangerous person this country has ever seen.

The Speaker of the House also presented herself as a “lioness,” determined to protect the children from this dangerous President.

“I have real problems with this president because he doesn’t tell the truth, he doesn’t honor the Constitution and he’s harming children,” she said unironically as a person who doesn’t tell the truth, honor the Constitution, and harms children

“My whole message is about children,” the staunch abortion advocate claimed. “Anybody who hurts children — I’m a lioness. Watch out.”

Pelosi then engaged in her trademark hyperbole over the ‘dangers’ of President Trump.

“We have the most dangerous person in the history of our country sitting in the White House,” the California Democrat suggested, advising Democrats to turn out and vote to defeat him.

RELATED: Trump Hammers ‘Incompetent’ Pelosi For Trying to Politicize Coronavirus

The Children

Odd how Pelosi, the ‘lioness’ protecting children, is the current leader of a Democrat party that supports abortion right up until the moment of birth.

Also odd, how she didn’t utter a word about children being separated from adults who were using them as a means to cross the border when Barack Obama was doing it.

Some ‘lioness.’

It’s all for show, of course. Pelosi isn’t concerned about the children so much as she’s concerned about the next election.

“People thought Hillary would win so they didn’t all turn out,” she said of the 2016 election. “Nobody could possibly think that somebody like Donald Trump could be elected president of the United States.”

RELATED: Pelosi Frets: End of the World If Trump Wins in 2020

All For Show

Furthering the argument that everything she says and does is politically calculating, Pelosi admitted to Variety that her State of the Union stunt this year was, in fact, well thought out in advance.

Though previously claiming she tore up her copy of President Trump’s speech spontaneously, Variety reports that “the decision to rip up her copy was not impulsive.”

“He used the Congress as the backdrop for a reality television show when he had absolutely no reality in his speech,” Pelosi complained.

Speaking of losing touch with reality, the top Democrat has previously fretted that this “dangerous” man winning in 2020 would mean the end of “civilization as we know it.”

What will really sadden Pelosi is the knowledge that it was her push for impeachment that is going to help Trump get re-elected.

The post Pelosi Calls Herself ‘Lioness,’ Insists Trump Is ‘Most Dangerous Person’ In American History appeared first on The Political Insider.

Ever since impeachment, independents have gotten really clear on which party cares about them

Posted on by Kerry Eleveld

Donald Trump’s impeachment and subsequent acquittal have clearly focused the minds of independent voters as to which party really gives a damn about them. When asked whether Democrats or Republicans are "more concerned with the needs of people like you?”, respondents consistently moved toward Democrats over the course of the impeachment process, and strikingly so after Senate Republicans acquitted Trump, according to data from Civiqs. 

When House Speaker Nancy Pelosi first announced the inquiry, a plurality of 34% of independent respondents said “neither” party cared, while 31% said Democrats, and 29% said Republicans. But over the course of the inquiry, the “neither” contingent dwindled, with most poll respondents concluding Democrats cared more about their personal concerns.

By the time House Democrats impeached Trump, a plurality of 33% of respondents said Democrats were more concerned with them, while “neither” and Republicans tied at 31%. But after Senate Republicans acquitted Trump, the share of independent voters saying Democrats cared about people like them shot up to 37%, while Republicans stagnated at 31% and “neither” dwindled down to 27%.

Civiqs Results

This data reinforces recent polling from Gallup showing that nearly 60% of voters think their congressional representative deserves to be reelected, the highest level of public satisfaction with congressional members since 2012. Both surveys bode well for Democrats in November.

But hey, impeachment was supposed to doom Democrats’ politically and pundits tell us Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is masterful for selling out our country. Apparently, independent voters don’t agree.

John Bolton Speaks Out, Blasts Democrats’ Impeachment Of Trump As ‘Grossly Partisan’

Posted on by LifeZette

Former National Security Adviser John Bolton finally spoke out this week, slamming Democrats for their “grossly partisan” impeachment effort against President Donald Trump.

During a public appearance alongside Susan Rice, who had his same role in Barack Obama’s White House, Bolton said that his own testimony would not have changed the entire outcome of the Senate impeachment trial, according to the Associated Press. Despite what Democrats who wanted him to testify said, Bolton does not believe his testimony would have made a difference in the final impeachment vote.

“People can argue about what I should have said and what I should have done,” Bolton said. “I would bet you a dollar right here and now, my testimony would have made no difference to the ultimate outcome.”

He also said that the way Democrats handled the impeachment trial “drove Republicans who might have voted for impeachment away because it was so partisan.”

MORE NEWS: Disturbing new report reveals FBI had multiple informants in Trump’s presidential campaign

Rice disagreed with him, saying that nothing could have led her “to refuse to share information with Congress or the public that I thought was of national import.

“I can’t imagine withholding my testimony, with or without a subpoena,” she said. “I also can’t imagine, frankly, in the absence of being able to provide that information directly to Congress, not having exercised my First Amendment right to speak publicly at a time when my testimony or my experience would be relevant.”

Bolton, however, stood his ground, saying that the reason he didn’t “spill his guts” about Trump’s business dealings with Ukraine was that doing so would have led to him being prosecuted criminally. When asked if he would have complied with a subpoena from the White House, Bolton brought up the White House review process that is determining whether the contents of his upcoming book about working in the Trump administration can be disclosed.

MORE NEWS: The five best presidents in American history

“I’m not here to speculate on that with the pre-publication review process under way,” Bolton said as the audience laughed. “Laugh all you want. This is the judgment of my counsel, somebody I worked with 35 years ago, 30 years ago at the Department of Justice.”

Bolton is correct that his testimony would not have changed anything because it was clear from the get-go that the Senate would be voting along party lines. The only senator to break from his party was Mitt Romney (R-UT) who had his own personal vendetta against Trump. No other senators were swayed by the Democrats’ nonsense, as they saw right through their partisan effort. Nothing Bolton could say or not say would have had any impact on this.

This piece originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.

Read more at LifeZette:
Trump and Barr pull a classic con on Democrats
Cher comes unglued—claims Trump is going to shoot someone in New York City
Meghan McCain confronts AOC on ‘The View’ about Socialism and behavior of ‘Bernie Bros’

The post John Bolton Speaks Out, Blasts Democrats’ Impeachment Of Trump As ‘Grossly Partisan’ appeared first on The Political Insider.

Voters have little interest in taking away Nancy Pelosi’s Democratic House majority

Posted on by kos

At the federal level, Democrats face three distinct challenges: 1) win the White House, 2) take control of the U.S. Senate, and 3) retain control of the U.S. House. Of the three, that last one appears to be the easiest task. 

Civiqs Results

That’s about eight months of data, and you can see how stable the numbers are. The closest Republicans have made it is a six-point deficit, and the largest Democratic lead has been eight points. You can’t see it (it’s behind a paywall), but among white voters, it’s 53-41 Republican, because of, you know, “economic anxiety.” But that’s significantly offset by black voters (90-6) and Latinos (72-23). Note that Democrats have shown improvement among white voters—prior to impeachment, it was 53-39. 

Incredibly, it’s 61-33 Republican among white men. Among white women? 47-46, Democratic. Chew on that. That’s a 29-point gender gap! 

Also, white women weren’t pleased with Donald Trump’s acquittal in his impeachment trial: 

It’s a slight shift, but notice pro-Democratic bumps both when Trump was impeached in the House and then again when the Senate acquitted. In an otherwise static trend line, such subtle movements matter, particularly in our 50-50 country. 

Note that in 2018, the national House popular vote was 53-45, or … 8 points. As long as Democrats maintain the same margin, as they do in our current Civiqs tracker, we should hold on to the House relatively easily. Republicans are likely seeing the same numbers in their own internal polling, which is why so many of them are once again jumping ship. Actions speak louder than words, and in this case, they confirm the numbers. 

Retaining control of the House is of paramount importance as a bulwark against a potential second Trump term, given the difficulties of the Senate map (in short, winnable, but tough), and the uncertainness of the presidential contest (it’s not a gimme). And with victories in the courts, on ballot initiatives, and in successful efforts to pick up state legislatures (a battle that continues unabated this year), we will be in a much better place during the post-census redistricting battle. This is a majority we can build on. And so far, the public is in little mood to reverse course. 

Fascism at CPAC, Bernie winning by being the least-weak, and more you might have missed

Posted on by Cara Zelaya

Doesn’t it feel like February is fully blurring together AND that it’s lasted about a decade? The New Hampshire primary was this week. THIS week. Feels like a month ago.

Anyway, here’s what you might have missed. 

Disgusted with Republicans? You don't have to wait until November—we can beat one next month

By David Nir

At moments like these, November can feel a long way off. But if you want to channel your disgust and your anger into productive action right now, there’s something you can do: Help elect union plumber Harold “Howie” Hayes to the Pennsylvania state House next month.

Of course, we can’t all help but be worried and paying attention to the huge presidential race in November, but we need to make sure that we’re fighting for progressives EVERYWHERE, ensuring that our candidates are getting the resources that they need. 

Howie’s race is particularly interesting. Please help out if you can, it’s one of the best ways that we can #resist. 

On March 17, the Keystone State will hold a special election in the 18th House District, located in the Philadelphia suburbs. The seat became vacant when its former representative won a different office last year—one of more than a dozen Republicans in the chamber who’ve decided to bail rather than seek re-election.

Better still, this area has a history of supporting Democrats at the top of the ticket: It voted for Hillary Clinton by a 53-44 margin in 2016, and supported Gov. Tom Wolf and Sen. Bob Casey by more than 20 points apiece in 2018. And here’s the key stat: Thanks to big gains two years ago, Democrats need to flip just nine seats to take control of the 203-member House this fall, despite the GOP’s extreme gerrymander. If we win in March, that figure shrinks to eight.

Sanders wins New Hampshire by being the least-weak of a suddenly weak field

By kos

In 2016, Bernie Sanders won roughly 50% of the Iowa vote (if not more; no popular vote was recorded). This year? His final vote was 26.5%, essentially halved.

In 2016, Sanders received 152,193 votes in New Hampshire in a 60-38 blowout of Hillary Clinton. This year, he barely eked out a one-point victory over small liberal college-town Mayor Pete Buttigieg, receiving only 75,690 votes, or 25.7% of the vote. Again, he lost half of his 2016 support.

Are you a Sanders supporter? Are you still on the fence? Here at Daily Kos, we are staunch Blue No Matter Who folks. That doesn’t mean that we’re not concerned about the current state of the primary. 

No white male has ever gotten 63 million votes in a presidential election. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton both hit 65 million. When our nominees look like our base, we perform better. But this latent fear of the white Republican voter, stoked by Biden, did a real disservice to the women in the race.  So he stomps into the race, when no one was asking for him, damages serious, credible candidates by dint of his name recognition, and then runs the most godawful campaign of the cycle, leaving nothing but a damaged legacy in its wake. Unbelievable.

Fascism: CPAC head warns Romney to stay away, saying he would fear for senator's 'personal safety'

By Hunter

It was easy to miss in all the [raises arms, gestures broadly in all directions], but on Sunday Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) Chair and aggressive Trumpophile Matt Schlapp delivered a warning of sorts to Utah Sen. Mitt Romney: Not only are you not invited to this year's CPAC, Mitt, but it could be very bad for you if you dared show up.

Romney dared to do his job and follow his sense of values and ethics. Unfortunately, if you’re a Republican, you now face serious consequences for daring to have any sense of morals. 

"We won’t credential him as a conservative. I suppose if he wants to come as a non-conservative and debate an issue with us, maybe in the future we would have him come. This year, I’d actually be afraid for his physical safety, people are so mad at him," Schlapp told interviewer Greta Van Susteren.

What will Trump do if there is violence enacted toward a member of his own party who openly disagrees with him, like Romney? Do we have to look further than to remember how he treated Senator McCain? 

Indeed, CPAC is in many ways now the heart of the new Republican fascism. It has always been a den for the crackpots of the far-far-right, but that did not stop it in past years from becoming a must-stop speech location for conservative lawmakers, pundits, hangers-on and archconservative administration officials. The discussion has always been conspiratorial and angry, but in recent years has become more explicitly fascist in nature.

Great. Wonderful. Yikes. That’s no terrifying at all. …

House Judiciary Committee passes NO BAN Act to terminate Trump's Muslim ban

By Gabe Ortiz

The House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday voted 22-10 to advance the NO BAN Act, which would terminate impeached president Donald Trump’s Muslim ban, to the full House floor. Politico reports that the vote was split along party lines, with Democrats voting in favor of ending this discriminatory policy, and Republicans voting in favor of continued state-sanctioned discrimination against Muslims.

Advocates cheered the bill’s passage in committee, with the executive director of the civil rights organization Muslim Advocates, Farhana Khera, saying in a statement, “This historic bill could be the first ever passed by a chamber of Congress to specifically affirm the civil rights of American Muslims.” A hearing held by House Democrats last year on the NO BAN Act was believed to be the chamber’s first-ever hearing on Muslim civil rights.

We’re, of course, worried that this will die in the Senate. But it’s vital that the House and the rest of us activists and organizers keep up the fight. We have to show that we have better values than the current Senate and our racist wannabe fascist president.

This is how democracies die': House Democrats' flagging urgency on Barr's depravity is inexcusable

By Kerry Eleveld 

The rule of law is the very virtue that separates a democracy from a dictatorship. Though one’s ability to vote is a feature of democracy, elections are meaningless without a functional legal apparatus to safeguard them. People are allowed to cast votes in virtual dictatorships all the time, but their collective will is ultimately crushed by leaders who rig the outcomes. Without the rule of law America is doomed as a democracy, and the sanctity of the legal system is exactly what Donald Trump and his attorney general, William Barr, are working to dismantle in real time by turning the Department of Justice into a tool of the State.

This was easily the biggest story of the week here in the United States, but it is truly terrifying that it doesn’t seem to be spurring rampant national protests instantly. This is a code red.

Trump is reportedly seething after enduring three years of investigations for which he is constitutionally incapable of taking any responsibility. Sure, he called for Russia to find Hillary Clinton’s emails in 2016, and Russia followed suit almost immediately by hacking the Democratic National Committee. Sure, he asked the Ukrainian president to investigate his political rival Joe Biden and withheld desperately needed funding and political backing to pressure him into doing so. But Trump is never wrong, can never be questioned, and surely has never been held accountable in his life. And now that he will carry the stain of impeachment to his grave, there’s going to be hell to pay and the nation’s top law enforcement officer has proven eager to help wherever possible.

I can not repeat myself enough here: we can not let this stand.

But this goes way beyond the interference Barr ran last year on public release of the Mueller report, which otherwise would have been devastating to Trump. Barr is now intervening in the administration of justice on multiple cases, weaponizing the Justice Department against Trump’s political enemies, and shielding Trump’s allies from the full force of the law.

The list of interventions is simply staggering. In brief, they include a relentless effort to find wrongdoing by the officials at the FBI and CIA involved with launching the Russia investigation in 2016, taking specific aim at former FBI Director James Comey and former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe (who was already denied his pension benefits by Barr’s predecessor after decades of service at that bureau).

And on the leniency side, Barr has moved in recent weeks to lighten the punishment for two Trump loyalists and former campaign advisers, Mike Flynn and Roger Stone. In service of that goal, Barr removed the Senate-approved U.S. attorney in D.C. and replaced her in the interim with a close ally from his office, Timothy Shea, who has gladly done Barr’s bidding. Shea is the guy who earlier this week signed off on overruling the sentencing recommendations made by the four federal prosecutors on Stone’s case who have all since resigned in protest. While all these actions are indefensible, Barr’s interference with the sentencing recommendations of a Trump ally was so unprecedented that it has elicited an outcry from a groundswell of former federal prosecutors and Justice Department officials.

We are living in truly terrifying times. We can not grow disheartened or weary; we have to take care of one another and fight like our republic depends on us; because it does. Now more than ever. 

Friends, were there any stories this week you thought we should have highlighted? Are you also totally freaking out but in it for the long-haul to defend our country from the CPACs, the Trumps, the racists?

I’d love to talk to you all below. Let me know. 

The House must demand Barr testify about Stone intervention—and be prepared to force his compliance

Posted on by Hunter

This cannot go on. Three top prosecutors (which may turn into four) in the Roger Stone case have now withdrawn after Attorney General William Barr's Department of Justice ordered them to revise their guideline-based recommendations on Stone's sentencing. This happened the morning after Donald Trump tweeted that he "cannot allow" the prosecutors' recommended sentencing of Stone, an ally and key stonewaller in the Robert Mueller investigation of the Trump campaign's ties to Russian government hacking in the 2016 elections.

It is time to haul Barr to the House to explain himself. Immediately. If he refuses a subpoena, then inherent contempt must be used to force his compliance. The House has broad but almost-never-used powers to compel such testimony: This is precisely the dire occasion they were designed for.

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The resignation of three top names from Stone's case signals clearly that the federal prosecutors involved believe Barr has acted with corrupt intent in reaching down to order a reduced sentencing ask. They, too, should be subpoenaed immediately so that they may describe the situation that led to their self-removal. This is an extraordinary situation: Even if a teetering-toward-fascism Republican Party will not so much as pretend at "concern" for Trump and Barr's move, the House can expose it without their assistance.

It must be done. The Department of Justice has within the span of days been turned formally into a tool for "processing" allegations against Trump's political opponents and, now, overriding the sentencing of Trump's criminal allies. Barr will resist, but it must be done regardless.

Sen. Chuck Schumer is calling for the inspector general at the Department of Justice to “open an investigation immediately.” That internal review, however, would be obviously insufficient. Rep. Adam Schiff, chair of the House Intelligence Committee and lead House manager in Trump's Senate-stifled impeachment trial, sent out an initial statement calling the reported Barr-Trump intervention a "blatant abuse of power" and, coupled with Trump's retaliatory firings, "the gravest threat to the rule of law in America in a generation." But it does not yet threaten subpoenas.

Schiff is correct in his diagnosis—and now the House must once again act. It is not optional; it cannot be danced around. Barr has committed an act of corruption so blatant that prosecutors have resigned rather than carry it out; he must explain himself under oath.