Ugh, I hate starting this thread (and it’s revolting to write “2nd term”), but I want a place to post articles that will serve as a matter of record. For example, this WaPo article about Trump transition not working with the federal agencies that help every president make the transition. Here are things the Trump team are not doing:
Trump has yet to collaborate with the General Services Administration, which is tasked with the complex work of handing over control of hundreds of agencies,because he has not turned in required pledges to follow ethics rules.His transition teams have yet to set foot inside a single federal office.
In calls with foreign heads of state, Trump has cut out the State Department, its secure lines and its official interpreters.
As his team considers hundreds of potential appointees for key jobs,he’s so far declined to let the Federal Bureau of Investigation check for potential red flags and security threats to guard against espionage — instead relying on private campaign lawyers for some appointees and doing no vetting at all for others.Trump’s transition team is considering moving on his first day in office to give those appointees blanket security clearances, according to people familiar with the discussions who spoke on the condition of anonymity to disclose private conversations.
My concerns: control over the agencies will be poor; jeopardizing national security by not using secure lines of the state department with competent interpreters and giving blanket security clearances to people that shouldn’t have them.
I’m not sure if anyone is following the reporting on Emil Bove III, a senior DOJ official, who Trump nominated to be an appeals judge, and the reporting on Kilmar Abrego-Garcia. The former is a the story that would, in the past, be a huge scandal, triggering investigations, almost certainly dooming Bove’s judicial nomination, and maybe ending a presidency. The latter has been described as “Kafkaesque” and I think that’s an apt description, and “evil” might also be an apt word to describe what they’re doing to him. (This Atlantic article sums up some of the things that has happened to him. The latest twist: the witness providing the most damning testimony against Abrego Garcia is a “twice-convicted felon who has been deported five times.” The government is not deporting him because of his testimony. Also, if courts allow Abrego Garcia out on bail, the DOJ lawyer has warned that ICE may immediately deport him.)
As for Bove, this NYT article goes into some of these actions, reporting on a whistle blower’s accusation that Bove expressed a willingness to ignore the court, if it directed the Trump administration to stop specific deportations they were planning on.
I want to rant about a few things and also write about some ideas to push back against Trump’s authoritarian behavior.
First the rant. Trump the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics because he was unhappy with the economic numbers. Speaking of rants, here’s Trump’s social media post:
This is going a long way to undermine the trust of government labor statistics. At what point does the public stop trusting important information and data from the federal government? Remember Trump rails against the politicization of the federal government by the Democrats and the “radical Leftists.” Does anyone have doubts that he doesn’t care about politicizing the federal government?
Speaking of which, he continues to pressure the Fed Chair to lower interest rates, calling for his removal because Powell doesn’t oblige. I really think Trump is playing a dangerous game by undermining the independence of the Fed. In line with this, the Fed Governor is stepping down early from her position.
Now this turns me to another thought: Something must be done to stop these type of actions. The politicization and dismantling of civil service system of federal agencies is another thing that should fought. The Trump administration’s deportation plans and their contempt for due process and court orders should also be addressed. Trump’s enriching himself and possibly compromising national interests in the process. With more time, I could mention other things, but I’ll stop here.
What can be done about this? In a functioning American system, Congress would either halt a lot of these activities, or a lot of investigations would have been started. Congress would likely find impeachable offenses by Trump and his officials, and impeachment would be in effect. But the Republicans are in control of both houses and their abdicating their responsibility. Democrats are in the minority, so I’m uncertain if they could do anything.
Here’s one idea that came to mind: Former congressional Republicans like Liz Cheney, Adam Kinzinger, Jeff Flake, to name a few and any former Trump official should come together and start calling on Republicans to keep their oath of office. Whenever Trump does something egregious–like firing the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, they can hold a press conference. Hold rallies. Go on Fox News, and other right wing outlets. Go on podcasts that Trump supporters listen to and make warn the public of the danger to the country and call on congressional Republicans to defend the Constitution and our system of government. Call on Rupert Murdoch and Fox News employees to cover these stories instead of downplaying–challenge the notion that these concerns are not just due to Trump hate.
The group should also defend conservatism and go on the offensive against conservatives and Republicans who abandoned their principles. Challenge them on who are the real RINOs.
And keep doing this over and over again–and do it as a group. Don’t stand alone. Ask other Republicans and conservative to join the group and speak out. Build the momentum.
Somehow I feel this won’t work ,but I’m not sure why. Anyone?