Category: Republican Reality

Trump’s ‘purgatory’: WSJ editorial board rips GOP for nixing Cheney while failing to see the bigger for 2022

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The Wall Street Journal editorial board is offering a critical assessment of House Republicans’ vote to oust Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) from leadership, warning the move will not nix the party’s problems ahead of the 2022 primary election.

In fact, the board ward the GOP could face deeper consequences in the long term for its failure to address the real problem: the haunting existence of former President Donald Trump, a political nightmare which the publication describes as Trump’s “purgatory.”

In an effort to stay in the former president’s good graces, Republican lawmakers voted in favor of stripping Cheney of her leadership role. But the Wall Street Journal warns that ousting Cheney won’t make lawmakers look better in the eyes of Republican voters. Continue reading.

Rachel Maddow explains how Bill Barr’s corruption in document scandal could end in a Trump indictment

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One of the biggest revelations this month was in the court decision by federal Judge Amy Berman Jackson, who ruled that former Attorney General Bill Barr lied to Congress, the court and the country when he claimed that the Justice Department had done an investigation into whether it could charge Donald Trump. Not only was there no investigation or collaboration with deputies and prosecutors, it was Barr’s decision, followed by the falsification of documents to justify it after the fact.

Those documents are slated to become public by Monday if the new Justice Department doesn’t fight the case. That comes as Democrats got former White House Counsel Don McGahn to agree to testify about what he told special counsel Robert Mueller in the Russia investigation that resulted in so many examples of obstruction of justice in part two of Mueller’s report. 

Judge Jackson “has already told us what her review of that document and of the Justice Department’s actions around that time indicate about the process that was followed in terms of deciding whether or not Trump would be criminally charged,” said Maddow. “What she’s told us already in her ruling is that the Justice Department didn’t substantively consider potential criminal charges against former President Trump, despite the evidence that was laid out against him.” Continue reading.

Trump Ignored Cyber Defense, But GOP Blames Biden For Pipeline Hack

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EDITOR’S UPDATE: Colonial Pipeline announced that its East Coast gas line resumed operations around 5 pm ET on Wednesday evening. But the company cautioned that operations will ramp up for a few days before the line reaches full capacity.

Gas prices are up this week after a hacker attack shut down a major East Coast gas pipeline. Congressional Republicans are blaming the increased prices on President Joe Biden.

On May 8, the Colonial Pipeline Company announced it had been the victim of a cyberattack involving ransomware. The attack forced a shutdown of most of the privately held company’s 5,500-mile East Coast pipeline, which ordinarily delivers 45% of the region’s fuel and runsfrom Houston to New York. Panic-buying since the announcement has resulted in gas stations running out of fuel and the highest gas prices in six years.

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, a group of hackers with ties to Russia is behind the attacks, though there is no evidence they are acting on behalf of any government. The group, DarkSide, has a history of extorting money after hacking into company computer systems in the United States and Europe. Continue reading.

Republicans are ‘no longer Americans’ because they’ve stopped supporting democracy: Howard Dean

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On Wednesday’s edition of MSNBC’s “The Beat,” former Democratic Party chair Howard Dean outlined the existential threat Republicans pose to American democracy — and suggested that as long as the GOP is on this path, they cannot call themselves American at all.

“I think this is a more serious problem than what’s going on in the Republican Party,” said Dean. “This is a contest to see if our democracy and our country survives. And most Republicans have chosen their power and chosen not to have a democratic country. The lies that have been told, there was a Georgia congressman out there saying there was no insurrection and it was all peaceful and all this stuff. It is not just the lies that Trump won the election. It is the Republican Party that has embraced this lie.”

“I think Liz Cheney deserves a lot of credit,” continued Dean. “I’m sure there will be people that are horrified that I should say that. But what we need is not that we all agree on our vision of America. What we need is honesty and to stand up for core democratic principles. The Republicans have abandoned principles. McConnell has abandoned them. All the backbenchers are carrying on and people from all over the country. The vast majority do not have a spine. If you could find six spines in the Republican Party, I would say you are exaggerating.” Continue reading.

Trump White House counsel Donald McGahn expected to answer House committee questions ‘as soon as possible’

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Former Trump White House counsel Donald McGahn is expected to answer questions “as soon as possible” in a closed session with House lawmakers about former special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s investigation, according to an agreement outlined in court filings Wednesday night.

McGahn will appear before the House Judiciary Committee after House Democrats sued to enforce a 2019 subpoena for his testimony about whether President Donald Trump obstructed justice in Mueller’s Russia investigation.

The agreement, negotiated by President Biden’s Justice Department and House lawyers, is intended to end the long-running litigation over McGahn’s testimony that the Trump administration had blocked. But it leaves unresolved the question of whether a congressional committee can compel the testimony of a close presidential adviser. Continue reading.

Capitol insurrection forces military’s extremism problem out of the shadows

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Servicemembers and veterans make for prized recruits for extremist organizations

In the late 1980s, Chuck Leek was an aviation electrician stationed at Naval Base San Diego, home of the Pacific Fleet. There, he worked on electrical systems that ran through Navy helicopters. He says he was a “full-on skinhead.”

Leek, now 54, has cut ties with the white supremacist movement and works to bring others out of it. While in the military in California, Leek and two other neo-Nazis he met while in training formed a skinhead gang, rented a house together and began working to recruit other active-duty servicemembers.

Military commanders largely looked the other way. Continue reading.

Rep. Greene aggressively confronts Rep. Ocasio-Cortez, causing New York congresswoman to raise security concerns

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Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene aggressively confronted Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Wednesday and falsely accused her of supporting “terrorists,” leading the New York congresswoman’s office to call on leadership to ensure that Congress remains “a safe, civil place for all Members and staff.”

Two Washington Post reporters witnessed Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.) exit the House chamber late Wednesday afternoon ahead of Greene (Ga.), who shouted “Hey Alexandria” twice in an effort to get her attention. When Ocasio-Cortez did not stop walking, Greene picked up her pace and began shouting at her and asking why she supports antifa, a loosely knit group of far-left activists, and Black Lives Matter, falsely labeling them “terrorist” groups. Greene also shouted that Ocasio-Cortez was failing to defend her “radical socialist” beliefs by declining to publicly debate the freshman from Georgia.

“You don’t care about the American people,” Greene shouted. “Why do you support terrorists and antifa?” Continue reading.

Palm Beach actively planning for possible Trump indictment: report

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Law enforcement officials in Donald Trump’s new hometown are preparing for the possibility of the former president getting indicted.

Officials in Palm Beach County, Florida, have taken part in planning sessions in case Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance secures an indictment against Trump while he’s at his Mar-A-Lago residence — and working out what might happen if Gov. Ron DeSantis invokes an obscure state law to protect his fellow Republican, two high-ranking county officials told Politico Playbook.

“The statute leaves room for interpretation that the governor has the power to order a review and potentially not comply with the extradition notice,” said Joe Abruzzo, circuit court clerk for Palm Beach County. Continue reading.

Republicans’ Overthrow of Liz Cheney Risks Worsening Their Headaches

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As the party ties itself ever tighter to Trumpism, some Republicans worry about the implications for 2022 and far beyond. “I don’t think it’s a healthy moment for the party,” said one congressman.

WASHINGTON — As she arrived at the Capitol on Wednesday morning to meet her fate, the soon-to-be deposed No. 3 Republican in the House hinted that she was already eyeing her next role.

“The party is going to come back stronger, and I’m going to lead the effort to do it,” Representative Liz Cheney said as she stepped into an elevator and down to her demise.

Less than an hour later, accompanied by the acclaimed photographer David Hume Kennerly, a family friend, Ms. Cheney returned to her office for an interview with NBC’s Savannah Guthrie. A sit-down with Bret Baier of Fox News was to follow. Continue reading.

Reporters fact-check McCarthy for saying he doesn’t ‘think anybody is questioning the legitimacy of the election’

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House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) is facing a fierce fact-check from journalists after making another revisionist claim about his party’s response to the 2020 election.

On Wednesday, May 12, McCarthy spoke to reporters after attending a meeting with President Joe Biden. While speaking to reporters, the California lawmaker said, “I don’t think anybody is questioning the legitimacy of the presidential election. I think that is all over with. We’re sitting here with the president today.”

The perplexing comment quickly caught the attention of reporters who jumped at the opportunity to fact-check McCarthy for his inaccurate claims. On May 7, former President Donald Trump called the election the “Fraudulent Presidential Election of 2020” in a message to his supporters. Continue reading.