The real reason Republicans in Congress are helping with the Trump coverup

[sharedvalues]

The Republicans in Congress are helping with the Trump coverup. They are blocking effective oversight.

The Founding Fathers anticipated a corrupt President. They did not anticipate a complicit Congress.

But why are Republicans helping cover up for the president? In some cases, as with Nunes and Rohrabacher, it’s because they may well have committed crimes themselves.

I believe the full explanation for the rest of the Republicans is simple. Simply, it is about political power, of course.

But more specifically the coverup is because Republicans know that when Russia helped Trump they also helped Congressional elections. Specifically, they helped in Senate elections. The top of the ticket affects down ballot races, and turnout affects down ballot races. We know the goal of Russia and the Trump and NRA Facebook ads was to suppress Dem turnout. At least three Republican Senators won by a tiny margin, of 3% or less. Pat Toomey won by 1.5% - 86,000 votes - well within the range of votes Russia and secret dark money ads could have suppressed. Flipping two seats- say PA and WI or MO - to the Dems would mean NO GOP majority in the Senate right now.

That means that the Republican Senate majority is ILLEGITIMATE. Their judicial appointments are illegitimate. Their tax cut is illegitimate. Their cabinet appointments are illegitimate. Everything the GOP has done in the last year is a farce and due to massive voter suppression, dark social media ads, billionaires running Muslim hate ads, and worst - a foreign power intervening in our democracy and the guy at the top of the ticket inciting hate to turn out racists.

If it wasn’t for wikileaks, there is a very very good chance we have a Dem Senate.

Let me say it again. Gorsuch is illegitimate. Russia and their intervention put him in that seat.

That’s why the GOP doesn’t want an investigation. They don’t want the rest of America waking up and realizing Pat Toomey and Roy Blunt and Ron Johnson are illegitimate senators.

[applegrove]

1. Why wouldn't the GOP encourage Russians into interfering in US elections

Last edited Mon May 28, 2018, 10:09 PM - Edit history (2)

if it favours republicans? They can claim to not be involved in Russian illegality for the next 10 US elections and their base would buy it. Why wouldn't they want authoritarianism and anti-immigrant sentiment to go global? They don't want democracy and have been building one barrier after another to it for 40 years. They cultivate racism like it is a garden. Abortion and gun shootings too are issues never to be solved. That is evil. The only thing the GOP don't want is to get caught committing a crime. They don't care that a crime is taking place if it benefits them.

[packman]

15. The reason Russia and the GOP are in lockstep

is that the Russians know the Republicans are driven by profit and greed - They can be bought because they are the embodiment of capitalism - profit before patriotism.

[njhoneybadger]

18. The Koch brothers and Putin want oil prices high they profit on turmoil in the Middle East

[BigmanPigman]

35. $$$$$$$$$$ Cohen is STILL the Deputy Financial Chair of the RNC!

He funneled illegal money into the GOP campaigns, particularly Ryan and McConnell. THAT is the reason for their support. THIS IS THE BIG STORY!
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100210595088

[stuffmatters]

2. This! And it sure didn't start in the 2016 election:ex Gardner & Tillis in 2014

Cory Gardener in Colorado, that never,ever was believable and Tillis in NC always smelled.(Tillis enlisted CambridgeAnalytica,small world department,in his squeaker over Hagan.)

[triron]

6. 2014 was an anomaly. Points to something smelly.

[randr]

3. Follow the money, follow the money, follow the money brick road------

[Maraya1969]

4. I wonder if Dems can have Gorsuch removed from his position for being illigetimate

Especially if we get definitive proof that Russia caused the GOP wins we could argue that McTurtle knew about their efforts and thus held the position up and would not put forth Merrick Garland.

I don't know how they could do it but there are people much smarter than I am that could figure out how.

[rwsanders]

10. Bill Maher said at one time his beef with the Dems is that they won't go full court the way the

repugs will.
Obama should have stated flat out that the SCOTUS appointment was his, if it took 10 days, 10 months or 10 years to vote on a nominee of HIS.
So since the repugs are so fond of executive orders, the next democratic pres should just issue and executive order removing Gorsuch from the Supreme Court.
I had someone who worked for EPA tell me that the federal rule making process is so slow that it may take 50 years to undo what has been done to this point.

[ChoppinBroccoli]

16. I Don't Think It Can Be Done That Way

Believe me, I think the very top priority and first order of business Democrats should have when we take back the Congress AND when we take back the White House would be to reverse literally everything Trump as done (I'd do it in one bill and call it the PMURT Bill--full reversal of everything he ever did and wiping his name off of the books forever). However, I'm pretty sure you can't remove a Supreme Court Justice by Executive Order.

This is my problem I have with most RW'ers: they have no idea what an Executive Order is, what one does, and how they can be used. They simply think it's a way a President can make law by fiat, but that's not the case. An Executive Order is simply an instruction the President gives to his Cabinet members telling them how they are to conduct their business. I don't know how you could remove a Supreme Court Justice by Executive Order.

That being said, I've had many conversations with my cousin, who believes that as soon as Trump is found to have colluded with the Russians, the entire 2016 election should be declared illegitimate, and when Trump is removed from office, all of his appointments should be removed as illegitimate as well. As much as I would love this, I keep telling him that I don't think there's any mechanism in the Constitution for such a thing. He said he thinks there is (and he's a pretty smart guy, plus I HOPE he's right).

[njhoneybadger]

19. The election will never be declared illegitimate.

No matter how you chop it, Broccoli or Broccolay

[Eyeball_Kid]

30. A Supreme Court Justice can ONLY be

removed through impeachment. There is no other lawful mechanism that can remove him. It’s a lifetime appointment. And yes, it’s tragic.

In legal fantasyland, it’s perhaps possible that the USSC can rule that an election is illegitimate, but it would also have to rule that Congressional decisions are ALSO illegitimate to have an effect on the Gorsuch appointment. The Senate approved the nomination.

[sharedvalues]

39. Legal mechanisms must be used.

There is no legal mechanism to revert an election.

There IS a legal mechanism to remove an illegitimate justice. It is impeachment. If there is a big enough outcry, Gorsuch will be impeached.

It is on us and the Democrats to raise that outcry.

Our country was attacked. The attackers helped one party, the party that creates divisions in America to help big business and GOP billionaires. We cannot let that stand. We should have a justice that is GOOD for America. Not Gorsuch, a justice from the party that attackers boost because they know helping the GOP hurts America.

[sharedvalues]

38. Dems certainly can get Gorsuch removed. Impeachment.

If there is a big enough public outcry, Gorsuch can be impeached.

I'll bet five dozen donuts right now:
If every Democrat said, day and night, over and over
"The Russians influenced the election. They influenced the Senate race. They flipped the election to Toomey. The Republican Senate majority is illegitimate. Gorsuch not only sits in a stolen seat, he was appointed by a stolen President and confirmed by a stolen Senate. He must be impeached".


"Gorsuch should be impeached. Gorsuch shall be impeached. Impeach Gorsuch. Gorsuch was put in by a party helped by the Russians. Impeach Gorsuch."

If the Democrats got their PR act together and said that over and over again, the Senate would vote to impeach Gorsuch.

I'll put five dozen donuts on that. Your choice what.

[Lucky Luciano]

44. Win in 2020 and get 60 senators. Pass a law to get 11 Supreme Court Justices.

Appoint 2. Fuck them.

[sharedvalues]

47. Pack the court.

Even I wouldn’t go that far, Mr. FDR.

But yes, it is legal.

[Lucky Luciano]

48. The only solution to getting gorsuch-ed. nt

[sharedvalues]

49. I think we can get him impeached. He's illegitimate

If we tell everyone we know that the Senate GOP majority is illegitimate, we just might get to impeachment.

But I like the cut of your jib. I’m pretty sure FDR didn’t stop because it was illegal, he stopped because of public outcry.

[California_Republic]

5. We need to honor the election results.

And work hard to win 2018

[triron]

7. And when the Russians do it again, we honor that too?

Not me, not never.

[PoiBoy]

8. This... +1,000,000

No way... no how...

[Eyeball_Kid]

31. The USIC knew well before the election

that Trumpy IS A RUSSIAN AGENT. Read John Schindler’s latest article on The Observer.

http://observer.com/2018/05/what-did-the-fbi-do-in-2016-about-russian-connections-to-donald-trump/

[smirkymonkey]

11. No. No we don't.

But we do need to work hard to win 2018 and make sure they don't steal the elections again.

[BadgerMom]

12. We can't honor the dishonorable.

We can’t legitimize the illegitimate. I don’t wish to blow things up. I want to call out the crime, though

[green917]

24. We need to do the opposite actually!

The longest serving D.N.I. (and a 50 year honored veteran of our intelligence service) has now, vocally, called 45's election into question as illegitimate because a foreign government subverted our democracy with the help of the, now, potus. We can never accept that! Because it goes against everything we believe in as a nation and depraved that which we hold most solemn and sacred. We need to call out and refute what was done to this great nation of ours and continue to, not only call it out, but prevent it from ever happening again! Otherwise, we're no better than a banana republic because we will have government of, for, and by the foreign oligarchs rather than a government of, for, and by the people.

[TallMike]

9. I Just

don't know what to say. Such blatant shit stirring. Your my nomination for that guy this year.
all the best.

[BadgerMom]

13. Not very friendly for a newbie with few posts, TallMike.

You make me think, ”Hmm?”

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

14. It's "you're" or "you are". Learn how to fucking spell. nt

[green917]

22. If you're ever in minneapolis...

Your 1st drink is on me.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

40. I might just

hold you to that.

[sharedvalues]

20. You don't like that Pat Toomey was elected by Russians?

I mean, I don’t like it that the Russians got Pat Toomey elected instead of the rightful officeholder Katie McGinty.

But that’s what Jim Clapper, the longest serving (50 yrs) US spy boss said. “The Russians swung the election outcome.” Trump got way more votes in PA than Toomey’s margin.

Or are you feeling bad that Toomey wrote the tax cut bill that screws every American? I know it sucks to have the GOP pass a tax cut for billionaires that sticks you with the equivalent of a $30k car that you just put on a credit card. Good luck paying back that $30k of debt the GOP just stuck you with. Toomey wrote that bill to benefit his donors, the Koches.

[Turbineguy]

17. Yes, indeed

Hitler or Stalin must have wished they had help like this.

[green917]

21. There's more to it than this explanation

It's important to remember that Michael Cohen and Elliot Broidy are the deputy finance chairs (still) for the Republican national committee. The Republicans in Congress are all swimming in Russian and Ukrainean dirty money laundered through broidy (who, I believe, took an abortion bullet for 45) and Cohen. They're protecting tweety Amin because they're up to their eyeballs in his money laundering scheme. There's a reason that the last 8 lawyers that Robert Mueller added to his investigative team are financial crimes experts... this, the whole scandal, has always been about following the money. These fuckers (including 45, in my opinion) are all going to do lengthy prison sentences... it's just a matter of time and all of the obfuscation is just trying to sway public opinion against the investigation and delay that inevitability as long as they can in the court of public opinion.

[sharedvalues]

23. Money AND illegitimacy???

Honestly “swimming in dirty money” is too far beyond the public facts right now even for me. Could be true. But I’m withholding judgement.

On the other hand we know that our election was unfairly influenced and that the GOP Senate majority is thus likely illegitimate. That’s a HUGE deal.

Maybe it’s both dirty foreign money and an illegitimate GOP Senate. After all we know there is a ton of legalized-political-bribery dark money that goes to Republicans from their billionaire donors. But until we get more facts I’m focusing on Illegitimate Toomey, Blunt, and Johnson.

[green917]

26. Google Alexsnder Torshin

AlexanderTorshin gave 10's off millions of dollars to the NRA in a deal brokered by Elliott Broidy and they (the NRA), subsequently, gave $30,000,000 to the Republican party in the 2016 election (more than ever before by a factor of 3)... coincidence? I don't believe in coincidences and this little factoid doesn't even touch the meetings Broidy set up with UAE and the Saudis.

[sharedvalues]

28. I'm with you

It will be really good for America if the NRA is brought down for foreign donations and Russian control. And if the GOP had Russian dollars going into their Koch-via-CitU-opened coffers, I want them to go down hard.

Ps. It’s not just the NRA and Torshin- check out recent stuff on Vekselberg from Virginia Heffernan and Natasha Bertrand.

Tons of smoke about money from Russia and Saudi and UAE and Qatar. Tons of smoke. Let’s see what Mueller delivers.


Meanwhile, Toomey is illegitimate, and we need to GOTV in November. The best way to fix the country now is elect Democrats.

[Eyeball_Kid]

32. Look at the money and protection motives,

and all of a sudden, the GOP complicity and silence makes perfect sense. There are a lot more facts available than those approved by the mainstream media. Seriously, Louise Mensch and other freelance journalists are and have been MONTHS ahead of the MSM in reporting the facts. I’d seen and read the Steele dossier weeks before Buzzfeed published the big scoop. I dug it out of their twitter feeds.

[sharedvalues]

25. Also

Re: Broidy, have you seen the Paul Campos article?

https://www.google.com/amp/amp.nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2018/05/theory-playboy-model-had-affair-with-trump-not-broidy.html

[green917]

27. I have... most interesting!

Broidy and cohen are both at the heart of the cyrillic gravy train... going to be an interesting summer.

[Kurt V.]

41. I've come around.

for historians, Republican leadership will bare the brunt of this cluster fuck.

[beachbum bob]

29. unfortunately, votes and elections do matter....whether we accept it or not

and why we all must take action in nov 2018 and 2020. Handwringing don't win elections

[Mr.Bill]

33. One thing I know,

if we take back the Senate we should not let Trump appoint any Supreme Court justices.

[alfredo]

34. If they took NRA money, they received Russian money laundered through the NRA

[lindysalsagal]

36. Nope. This is the reason they're conspiring to cover up for frump.

https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary/2017/08/03/tangled-web-connects-russian-oligarch-money-gop-campaigns

[debsy]

37. I have been thinking this same thing about Gorsuch since the summer of 2016 when the Russia story...

The Republicans were in on the conspiracy which is why they won't do anything about it.

[sharedvalues]

45. Don't even have to be in on the conspiracy

If foreign actors and illegal acts helped Trump they also helped down ballot races.

Even if Pat Toomey has nothing to do with Russia (he’s still deeply in bed with GOP billionaires, of course), if Russia had an effect, Toomey is in office because of it.

The GOP Senate majority is suspect even if not a single Republican senator is complicit. (Of course they are complicit now for not investigating.)

[marieo1]

42. minngal

Terrible but how can it be STOPPED!!!!!

[sharedvalues]

46. Get out the vote. Dem investigations in 2019.

Give congressional Dems subpoena power.

And get out to protests and raise a sign and your voice . Show up. At the polls and at protests.

It will be grassroots efforts that fix the country.

Get out the vote! Blue wave, 2018.

[bucolic_frolic]

43. Everything since 1/20/17 is illegitimate

EVERYTHING

[ck4829]

50. Kick