Republicans are more than sore losers. They’re actively trying to rip power from their victorious Democratic opponents—and more importantly, their own constituents who put those Democrats in power.
In both Michigan and Wisconsin, state Republicans are staging power-grab coups in the 11th hour.
Wisconsin’s GOP-controlled legislature is trying to jam through legislation to curb governor-elect Tony Evers’s power “and potentially make it harder for Democrats to get elected in the future.”
The Michigan GOP is following suit after Democratic women won the gubernatorial, attorney general, and secretary of state races. Terrified of the so-called “Democratic trifecta,” Michigan Republicans are championing legislation to protect their foul legacies.
Once again, Republican elected officials are ignoring the will of the voters for their own petty gain. Voters aren’t standing for it.
As journalist Dan Rather put it yesterday, “The whole idea of elections is that they have consequences. Those who lose live to fight for the people’s vote another day. Trying to change the rules on your way out the door is a national shame.”
COMPLICIT.
CIA Director Gina Haspel, whom the White House has been trying to bar from talking to Congress, finally briefed a small group of Senators this morning on the involvement of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
This is the response from Republican Senators:
CNN’s Manu Raju noted the rare agreement of Democratic and Republican Senators post-briefing: “Member after member say it’s crystal clear that MBS is involved in the murder and the WH is willfully ignoring evidence.”
President Trump still refuses to acknowledge the prince’s nearly undeniable involvement in the brutal murder. He even sent Secretary Mattis and Secretary Pompeo to intentionally mislead Senators during a briefing last week, while preventing the CIA from attending.
Sound familiar? Maybe that’s because it’s the same pattern of behavior Trump follows with his refusal to criticize Russian President Vladimir Putin. We know that the Russians have leverage over Trump—and it’s likely that the Saudis do, too.
Read the Center for American Progress’ statement regarding Khashoggi’s murder here. Congress must hold Saudi Arabia accountable.