McCaskill: Folks, that is a constitutional crisis.

[deminks]

Link to tweet

Congress voted 517-5 to impose sanctions on Russia. The President decides to ignore that law. Folks that is a constitutional crisis. There should be outrage in every corner of this country.

[DURHAM D]

1. I hope the Democratic response tonight addresses this. nt

[Chakaconcarne]

18. They F'in better call that out loud and clear!!!!!!!

[onit2day]

65. They also ignored GOP's refusal to vote on Obama's pic for S

That was a constitutional crisis and the senate dems should have walked out on McConnell. Trump's appointee is illegitimate.

[Honeycombe8]

42. Responses are usually to present a positive, forward way within their Party.

Neither Republicans nor Democrats use the response time to criticize the President personally, but usually point the way forward.

It's often a newish politician being introduced to the nation, and who is presenting the party's, and his, vision for a better America....as I recall.

[shanny]

53. Don't. Care.

this isn't a traditional time or pResident.

[Hortensis]

51. There's outrage in my family's corner, Claire!

Real outrage for strong evidence that something very wrong is still going on between Trump and Russia.

His whisperers have had a year now to coax him into enacting. Bannon has been gone since August. Putin's still there.

[UpInArms]

2. It has certainly taken a lot of coffee to wake Claire up

😔

[lagomorph777]

4. Is she woke?

What about the hundreds of GOP congress critters that Trump just flipped off? Are they just going to take it?

[UpInArms]

6. Am not sure

I went to her Town Hall meeting after Charlottesville and she could only say how much she was trying to work across the aisle

smh

[lagomorph777]

7. Hopefully she'll get over that delusion.

[UpInArms]

8. she still has not responded to my faxed letter

after she piled on Franken

[samplegirl]

61. Among other things

She voted for.

[Honeycombe8]

43. They have a new agreement. They all worked together to get their historical tax cuts.

In return, they won't push Trump and will be loyal to him. And he won't destroy their careers and lives, leaving them alone to fill their pockets with those tax cuts. In some cases, they may have been promised a lucrative job when they leave Congress.

I doubt Congress would pass that sanctions bill now.

[Atman]

3. Donny Two Scoops has to pay back some of his debts before he gets kicked out.

The window is closing, and he owes a lot of money to the mob. It's payback time.

[Honeycombe8]

45. He's got it. They all got the big bucks...the tax cut bill. nt

[lagomorph777]

46. Won't help Trump because he already pays no taxes.

[Honeycombe8]

47. We don't know that. The only return we know of...he did pay taxes in it. 1995 I thnk. nt

[lagomorph777]

48. That was several bankruptcies ago.

Now he's up to his eyeballs in debt to Putin.

[Atman]

59. Watch the Netflix documentary Dirty Money, episode 6.

Trump is up to his eyeballs in debt to the Russian mob.

[procon]

5. Will Congress have the balls to act against Trump, or have the Republicans all caved? nt

[thbobby]

10. A better question is

Have the repugs all colluded? We are witnessing an attempt by Rich Organized Crime to extend their influence from Russia to America with the goal being control of the world. This is not a nationalistic plot, it is an organized crime plot. Christians say the meek shall inherit the earth. The mafia of the world is striving to make sure the rich and corrupt inherit the earth.

[erronis]

19. Yup - there won't be any real christians in the organized crime plot. Lots of fake ones, tho.

[olegramps]

22. Religion was and remains to be the opiate of the Republican base.

[Sophia4]

50. Right. This has nothing to do with ordinary Russian people also.

It's about the Russian Mafia.

[RandomAccess]

38. CALL OR WRITE -- NOW

Or actually, do both:

Call 24/7: 202-224-3121
Free Faxes (can incl up to 3 pages attached) to Senators: https://faxzero.com/fax_senate.php
Free Faxes (ditto) to Congress: https://faxzero.com/fax_congress.php
TEXT your faxes: Text RESIST to 50409
Write your MoC - DEMOCRACY.IO https://democracy.io/#/

[nini]

49. I think any of them in a leadership type position is just as dirty

It goes deeper than just 45 - way deeper.

[Beemmeup]

9. We need to organize and get out into the streets on a sustained basis

[Eliot Rosewater]

29. Absolutely

[shanny]

54. yes we do

welcome to DU

[Eliot Rosewater]

68. And while that is exactly what we should do, we wont, even people like me who show

up to any and all marches or events.

For a variety of reasons, mostly organization. Before the majority of us realize what we need to do it will be too late.

And we cant even consider a two nation resolution, where clearly a blue USA would prosper and be wonderful, but were we to split in two Putin would roll into the newly weakened America and take over even faster than he is about to do anyway.

[oasis]

11. Putin's Puppet.

[elmac]

13. yep, both tRump & the GOP work for Putin

welcome to the new cold war.

[lsewpershad]

12. There must be some

action that congress amd or the masses can take to force enforcement.

[elmac]

14. tRump is behaving like his hero, Andrew Jackson

censure is about the only thing the Senate can do, but they won't, because the fascists are all on Putins side.

[MichMary]

15. Trying to remember my h.s. civics class

but that was a VERY long time ago. Is this a "pocket veto?" Is it the discretion of the executive branch to do this? Is there anything in the Constitution, one way or the other, about this kind of situation?

[deminks]

20. Pocket vetos are ignoring bills on the prezinuts desk unsigned.

Donnie signed this one in August. It is the law of the land. The executive does not interpret laws or pick which ones to enforce.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

23. Dirty Donnie doesn't do "executive"

That thing in the Whitehouse doesn't understand the role of any of the 3 branches of government. Else, he would have been the first to speak up in defense of NFL players exercising their 1st Amendment rights instead of the first to trash them. He took an oath with no understanding of what it meant.

[deminks]

26. agree 100% and welcome to DU!

[PoliticAverse]

52. Trump signed the bill so "pocket veto" wouldn't apply. The Consittution specifically requires

that the President "shall take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed". That would apply to all laws - whether sanctions against Russia or federal laws against marijuana (people seemed to get upset recently when Sessions announced he was going to enforce federal law concerning marijuana).

[mgardener]

16. Contact your Senators and Congressperson

And let them know of your outrage about this
Also let the Whitehouse know!!!!

www.whitehouse.gov/contact

Bookmark and use often!

[lillypaddle]

17. And so ...

a gnashing of teeth - is that his "punishment?" Is that all that will happen?

[llmart]

21. Yes,

that and a strongly worded tweet. This is what our country has come to in my lifetime - urgent, extremely important conversations or declarations are done through a tweet. How pitiful that we've sunk this far.

[Botany]

24. CNN Former National Security Council member: Trump was - and is still likely - 'a tool of the Russia

Former National Security Council member: Trump was - and is still likely - 'a tool of the Russians'

https://www.democraticunderground.com/1017477247

Russia's goal; "undermining U.S. democracy by polarizing the American constituency"


“I think I’ll leave that to Bob Mueller to answer,” Vinograd replied. “What I do think is, we already know from the intelligence community — and the entire intelligence community agrees on this — is that Donald Trump was Russia’s preferred candidate. Now that is not because any kind of personal love for Donald Trump. It is because they viewed him and his election as being more preferable to advancing their policies and to advancing their mission again of undermining U.S. democracy by polarizing the American constituency and decreasing American leverage around the world, and that is what Vladimir Putin wants.”

[TNNurse]

25. Congress needs to be made to see this as an insult.

It ignores their role in government. It makes them look unimportant. Those are some pretty big egos there and for once we need them to speak up and assert themselves.

[onenote]

67. Congress isnt in a position to complain since it passed a law with more holes in it than a colander

Think about it for a moment. Would all but a handful of republicans have voted for this law if actually would force trump to do anything? Dems went along because it was the best the we’re going to get.

[ehrnst]

27. I think it would be good for people here to stop calling for her to be primaried. (nt)

[SunSeeker]

31. +1

[oasis]

34. Exactamundo!

[spanone]

28. K&R...

[TomCADem]

30. Where do Bernie and Rand Paul stand on Russia sanctions?

...and Trump’s actions?

[shanny]

55. don't understand protest votes? especially those that don't change the outcome?

or, don't understand the importance of the Iran treaty?
or, just don't like Bernie?

[TomCADem]

58. So, When They Said No, They Meant Yes?

It was important to send a message to Russia that we would not tolerate Election interference.

[shanny]

60. that message was loud and clear I think

except for tRump.

He's our enemy, not Bernie or even the empty suit that is Rand Paul.

[sinkingfeeling]

33. Too bad the media doesn't think so.

[mnhtnbb]

35. Lock him up!

Better yet, impeach him first, then lock him up and throw away the key. Or, bring out the guillotine.

[Initech]

36. The Fox News crowd is probably loving this shit.

Fuck Fox News.

[Hekate]

37. Kudos to Claire for being the first to actually SAY it already IS a Constitutional Crisis...

I've had it up to here with mealy-mouthed hand-wringing pundits and politicos forever moving it into the vague future: "If he does this, then..." and "If he does that, then..."

"It" has already been done. The Constitutional Crisis has been upon us for some time. Thank you, Senator McCaskill, for saying and naming what is in front of our eyes.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

39. And she votes for tax plan

[judesedit]

40. Lock them up

[Sophia4]

41. I think McCaskill should also give a rebuttal tonight. Thanks.

Last edited Tue Jan 30, 2018, 05:35 PM - Edit history (1)

I understand that Moveon is also organizing something for tonight with Mark Ruffalo and Michael Moore among others. I received an e-mail on it, so that is all that I know.

[mcar]

44. K&R

[bucolic_frolic]

56. Watergate was small compared to this

Watergate was an inside political grab for power.

Today's scandal effects every American's rights, liberties, freedom, future.

We will feel the effects of this for years, if not decades.

[PoliticAverse]

57. There is no "constitutional crisis" because the courts have not ruled on the constitutionality

of this specific law yet.

When Trump signed this bill, he included a "signing statement" that questioned the constitutionality of certain provisions
of the bill (see: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-08-02/trump-is-said-to-add-concerns-in-signing-russia-sanctions-law ). The constitutionality of the bill has not yet been challenged in court. Unless the bill is challenged and the courts rule against Trump and Trump ignores the ruling there is no "constitutional crisis". Note that other Presidents (including President Obama) have similarly issued "signing statements" when signing certain laws and expressed their intent to interpret the law consistent with their view of the Constitution.

[xxqqqzme]

62. It isn't a crisis.

It is a coup.

[DeminPennswoods]

63. Did we forget that Bush/Cheney regularly

attached signing statement to legislation essentially saying they were going to ignore the bill Bush just signed?

Sadly, the sanctions bill gave Trump a way to not impose sanctions and he and his crew took it.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

64. So whose job is it to serve him a summons?

They better get on that. Stat.

[onenote]

66. Exactly what provision is being violated

I’ve looked at the statute and it is filled with provisions allowing Trump to waive the imposition of sanctions or otherwise it impose or enforce them.