564

Senator Bob Corker-0ne of the few GOPers willing to regularly criticize this Manchurian ‘President’ is declaring the damn has broken. 

Corker isn’t even running again so he of all people shouldn’t be afraid to take on the illegitimate ‘President.’ Yet the record shows that until now he’s been willing to do little but talk. Now he seems to be saying he’s willing to do more than just say some disapproving words. Hopefully he will take it up with Mitch McConnell. Ditto Mark Sanford who is demanding Trump’s tax returns. Great but shouldn’t you be calling Mitch McConnell?

Overall, though, the GOP response to Helsinki aka #TreasonSummit has been little more than baby’s breath.

The GOP tells us  ‘it’s awful, disappointing, disgraceful, shocking and it’s really too bad there’s nothing we can do about it.’ When the media pushes them they reply ‘what can we do about it?

This is appalling and itself an abdication of their legislative role. Let’s be real-they are the only ones empowered to do anything about it. The Constitution as they well know, empowers Congress with the power of oversight over the Executive. But they aren’t arguing in good faith they know this perfectly well.

This is the party that held nine Benghazi hearings despite no one being charged, who is still investigating Hillary’s emails two years after the election was stolen from her. The party of Fast and Furious, of Lois Lerner and the conspiracy theory that the IRS was picking on the Tea Party. They offered more than just a few disapproving words then.

This is the party of  Jeremiah Wright, of Birtherism, of Whitewater, of Travelgate, of Vince Foster. Whitewater was about a small land deal the Clintons lost money 20 years ago and this nothingburger scandal led to Clinton’s eventual impeachment. The GOP once spent 100 hours investigating the Clinton’s Christmas list.

Now they tell us they have no idea what to do about Trump selling out his own country to Vladimir Putin for all the world to see the very same Putin who rigged the election for him? For starters how about a simple, formal holding so-called ‘President Trump’ in contempt? You know, they did to Eric Holder over the largely creative fiction Fast and Furious scandal?

There are literally over 100 different things the GOP as the party that controls Congress could do about Trump-and if Clinton were President they’d already have done the first 100. The afternoon after #TreasoninPlainSight,. Senator Chuck Schumer came up with a list of four different actions can take.

https://lastmenandovermen.com/2018/07/17/gop-expresses-shock-outrage-and-dismay-over-trumps-treason-but-what-will-they-do-about-it/

“Schumer later listed four ways that Republicans could back up their rhetorical criticism of Trump: strengthening Russian sanctions that Congress approved last year; seeking testimony from Trump advisers who traveled with Trump to the meeting; stopping any attempts to undercut special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation; and prodding Trump to ask for the extradition of 12 Russian nationals Mueller indicted on Friday for election interference.”

It seems to me that number two-testimony from the Trump advisers is a no brainer and particularly important. Senator Jeanne Shaheen had a kind of variation on this:

By no means is any of this exhaustive.

The House Intelligence Committee could-and should-reopen the Russia investigation. Congress could also simply take away Trump’s power to dissolve NATO. Note this is not an idle concern as this headline just came in:

FN: In just the latest demonstration of how dangerous Trump is for national security-Mueller testified on July 23 that the FBI continues to investigate the question of if he’s a national security threat-Macron just yesterday was quoted as saying that NATO is suffering a ‘brain death’ thanks to Trump’s lack of leadership. 

Of course, Ukraine if you’re listening is all about how  Trump is harming both the interests of NATO and our own national security interests while promoting the interests of Putin-giving Russia a big footprint in Ukraine would give Russia among other things the power to control major oil reserves and raise the price of gas for Europe.

End of FN

In the last few days I’ve heard some appalling arguments-appalling because they are wrong and those making them ought to know better-that after all the Constitution gives the Executive almost carte blanche over foreign affairs(!)

Is the GOP that wraps itself so tight in the Constitution actually trying to sell this fairy tale now? The Constitution clearly empowers Congress as the branch to make treaties with other nations. It’s true that, effectively, throughout our history the Executive has become more and more powerful in foreign affairs and today he has virtual carte blanche. But it was Congress who has so empowered him-in other words, abdicated its own role.

Right now-if they desire-and since the GOP is allegedly so dismayed about the #TreasonSummit-there are well over 100 different ways that they could roll back Trump’s ability to do mischief in foreign affairs and further weaken and stain our international standing.

But they are shamefully choosing not to do it.

For this reason James Comey has jointed the #Resistance. There are a whole host of recovering Republicans who are now all in for a Democratic Congress: Jennifer Rubin, Steve Schmidt, David Frum, Max Boot, George Will(!), Bill Kristol-not that this list is exhaustive.

Comey left the GOP in April after they set up the Trumpian website ‘Lying Comey.’ Now Comey is joining in the ranks of the former Republicans for a Democratic Congress.

If you’ve  read this far into this book you know I’m  very critical of Comey’s role in the email probe-the presser, the letter-his actions led to Trump’s win. I don’t think this was his intention but he allowed himself to be a victim of his own moral grandiosity and  the many rogue Trump agents within the FBI.

https://lastmenandovermen.com/2018/07/15/you-want-unprecedented-animus-many-in-the-fbi-2016-viewed-clinton-as-the-anti-christ-personified/

But he sure is doing everything to win me over I must confess! While I still think he should admit he made the wrong call on the presser and letter-and these were very costly errors-welcome home, Jim Comey!

UPDATE: Comey just donated the maximum to the Jennifer Wexler, the Democrat in his district as I cover in the next chapter. 

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2018/07/18/james-comey-youre-not-helping/?utm_term=.e3d9c9c2fb1c

UPDATE 2:  Still he has not come to terms with his indefensible actions in giving us Trump and until he does so he can’t truly enjoy redemption. Until now he’s refused to admit any introspection, doubts, or second thoughts. Until he does so redemption will be denied him. For his own good as well as the nation’s he needs to be honest with himself and us.

Meanwhile the IG continues to fail to release the report on the rogue FBI agents who forced his hand. As I argued in Chapter A the Dems should at some point make Comeygate part of their impeachment inquiry-and have Comey and McCabe in for testimony regarding Emailgate-regarding the terrible decisions they both made; though at least McCabe admits the presser and letter were big mistakes. Even regarding his leaking word about the Clinton  Foundation investigation is understandable at least; he was being slandered as a Clinton shill for the simple fact that his wife was running as a Democrat. He was trying to correct the record but chose the wrong way to do it.

Regarding impeachment as I’ve explained elsewhere in this book I don’t believe it should be artificially shortened and believe they should take the Comey Letter as the model-impeach Trump 11 days before the election!

Force Mitch McConnell to have to field questions about the trial in the countdown over the last few weeks.

 

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October 28, 2016: a Day That Will Live in Infamy Copyright © by . All Rights Reserved.

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