Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), the chair of the House Intelligence Committee, went after House GOP leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on Thursday for sticking by former President Donald Trump through the thicket of scandals in which he’s been relentlessly entangled. There’s been no widespread distancing from Trump within the GOP, even following the ex-president’s decision amid the unfolding war in Ukraine to take the opportunity to plead for Russian leader Vladimir Putin to release purportedly damaging information on the Bidens to help Trump’s political ambitions. How is that not something that pushes Republicans to get away from Trump in greater numbers? Why is glibly allying himself with a murderous authoritarian not a deal-breaker for Republicans? As Schiff mockingly put it:
‘What does the [GOP Leader] call the time when the president of the United States was siding with Putin over his own intel agencies? When he was withholding military aid from Ukraine to extort political favors? When he was inciting a mob to attack the Capitol? The good ol’ days.’
What does the @GOPLeader call the time when the president of the United States was siding with Putin over his own intel agencies?
When he was withholding military aid from Ukraine to extort political favors?
When he was inciting a mob to attack the Capitol?
The good ol’ days.
— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) April 21, 2022
In the elections set to unfold this year, control of both houses of Congress will be at stake, and it could be close, since both chambers are already closely divided. In the Senate, there’s currently a 50-50 party split, with Democrats in control only because of Vice President Kamala Harris’s role as a tiebreaker. And among the threats poised by Republicans taking control of Congress would be the implementation of something like the ridiculous policy plan that Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) recently put forward, promoting the prospect of raising income taxes on over half of America. Senate Minority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has expressed opposition to elements of Scott’s plan — which also promotes an across-the-board standard of consistent time limits for federal legislation remaining in effect, thereby forcing it to be re-approved and potentially threatening key federal programs like Medicare and Social Security. However, Scott leads the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), meaning that he’s not just a backbench Senator. And if Trump becomes president again — he’s already established his antagonism towards NATO, which could (theoretically) free up possibilities for further Russian aggression in the event of another Trump presidency.
NEW: Kevin McCarthy told fellow House Republicans immediately after Jan 6th he would call Trump and tell him to resign.
McConnell crowed that Democrats driving to impeachment would “take care of the son of a bitch for us.”
Then came the rowback 👇https://t.co/FBdURbtXDq
— Jonathan Martin (@jmartNYT) April 21, 2022
