CommentsVOICES--On July 25, the highlight of the Senate discussion and vote to study and repeal/replace Obamacare or do something, anything, to form a new healthcare bill (probably building on the punitive Congressional bill) was the brave Senator John McCain. Even while facing a diagnosis of gioblastoma brain cancer, he made a statement directed at how the Senate should behave, recalling a history of cooperation on both sides of the aisle. It was a welcomed theme and there was raucous applause for some of his strongly enunciated comments. His most important statement seemed to stun this august body, yet it was clearly vital – a remark that was the bravest and most truthful of any that have been made during the disaster of the Donald Trump presidency.
McCain forcefully stated, "remember that we are not subordinates to the President, but rather, we function as equals.”
It seems that McCain is the rare legislator who has learned what the Constitution clearly states and what Trump has never learned: that our form of government, our democratic republic, is based on a tripartite system, with the Executive branch, the Judicial branch, and the elected Congress having equal and separated powers. This was established by the Founders to prevent tyranny by any one branch, or any one person, be it a King or a Dictator.
Immediately after the Senate voted to continue forming a healthcare bill, which only passed 51-50 with the vote of VP Pence (Collins and Murkowski joined with the unanimous Democratic Senators in voting NO) Trump himself chose to hold a press conference wherein he lauded Senator McCain for coming to D.C. to vote, but without alluding to McCain's imposing statements. During the Q&A, he stated to a reporter that Jeff Sessions should never have recused himself and if he had known Sessions would do that, he never would have appointed him Attorney General. This is the same illegal, self-aggrandizing position he keeps repeating.
This ignorant and autocratic leader of our nation still has not studied government; he still does not understand that Sessions was mandated to recuse himself on the Russia/Putin/Trumpster investigation which is now the focus of Bob Mueller as Special Counsel to the Department of Justice. This agency of government is overseen by the Attorney General and Sessions has told the public that his own DoJ lawyer and the ethics lawyers advised him to recuse himself. Sessions was a Trump campaign leader and one of the many Trumpsters who lied to Congress about their involvement with Russia during the campaign.
Which leads to a third weird and alarming happening on this day of infamy.
Major exposed liar and favorite Trump family member Jared Kushner, who is now lawyered up with evidently the top criminal attorney in the United States, came out with some artful words from his attorney in an 11-page document. It specifies his position, not only as Trump's son-in-law but as a top FBI clearance holder who is the prime advisor at Trump's elbow, despite his complete lack of government experience. Kushner's vast denials and failed memory when he filled out all the mandated security clearance forms, raise the Red flag even higher for the Trumpsters.
And this is only one day in the on-going saga of the Trump family and their goal of amassing ever-increasing personal wealth and power. It now seems that the greed and constant deception may lead to indictments for collusion with a foreign government to “fix” an election, breaking the Emoluments Clause every single day since the Inauguration by profiting from doing business with foreign governments. Perhaps even Donnie Sr. may fall under the wheels of the 25th Amendment as to soundness of mind.
Former FBI leaders Brennan and Clapper told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer that if Trump fires Sessions and demands Rosenstein fire Mueller to end the investigation of Russian ties between him and his family, then there must be a political revolt to take down Trump.
That is the fourth shoe to hit the national pavement in this 24-hour period.
Are there any others besides John McCain in the Republican Party who have a conscience and who will put our nation and people -- all our people -- ahead of singular party loyalty?
(Ellen Lubic is Director of Joining Forces for Education, a public policy educator and journalist, RESIST leader, and an occasional CityWatch contributor.) Edited for CityWatch by Linda Abrams.
-cw
