Republicans wither under the Trump stress test: Do his bidding or retire

[babylonsister]

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/1/31/1737643/-Republicans-whither-under-the-Trump-stress-test-Do-his-bidding-or-retire

Republicans wither under the Trump stress test: Do his bidding or retire
By Kerry Eleveld
Wednesday Jan 31, 2018 · 3:34 PM EST


Republican Rep. Trey Gowdy of South Carolina is retiring. After years of flushing millions in taxpayer dollars down the drain on his Benghazi escapade, #memogate appears to have proved too much for the man. Rather than speak the truth about a crackpot document he was complicit in helping to create, Gowdy's leaving while he can expand his horizons and presumably still look himself in the mirror. In other words, just like his former colleague Jason Chaffetz, he's getting out while the gettin's good.

Gowdy—the only GOP member of the House Intelligence panel to actually view the classified materials the secret memo was based on—reportedly pressed House Intel chair Devin Nunes to let FBI Director Christopher Wray see it. Nunes acquiesced, Wray's fears were not allayed by the viewing, and Nunes proceeded with his Committee vote to release it anyway. Wray then joined Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein in a futile effort to convince House Speaker Paul Ryan and finally White House Chief of Staff John Kelly that releasing the memo would both misrepresent the facts and undermine national security. Both efforts appear to have fallen on the deaf ears of two gutless GOP leaders in a position to make a difference.

But more to the point, Gowdy on the one hand and Ryan and Kelly on the other represent the two choices Republicans in Washington have concluded they are confined to: Do Trump's bidding or leave Washington. The closer GOP lawmakers are to the federal justice and national security apparatus or anything related to congressional oversight of the executive, the more they face the stress test of that ultimatum.

The third option of speaking the truth—one which actually requires the fortitude of true self-sacrifice in pursuit of a greater good—clearly isn't a risk any of these Republicans are willing to take. Even the Bob Corkers and Jeff Flakes of the GOP have fallen silent in the face of multiple reports that last year Trump pursued the dismissal of Special Counsel Robert Mueller. At present, they say, they see no urgency in protecting the special counsel from Trump. Apparently they are content to publicly air an occasional grievance without taking any concrete steps whatsoever to put the force of their words into action. The jackpots at the end of their congressional rainbow are just too tantalizing to forfeit for a truly patriotic act that might help save the republic.

more...

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/1/31/1737643/-Republicans-whither-under-the-Trump-stress-test-Do-his-bidding-or-retire

[fleur-de-lisa]

1. Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha!

Either way, the RePutin Party is fucked. Good riddance!

[tanyev]

2. It still doesn't make sense that elected officials who have been around for some time

are capitulating that quickly to a blowhard reality star who just blew into town. I think Trump's Russian BFFs have given him some interesting information on a lot of Republicans.

[Wellstone ruled]

3. All one needs to know is this,

the Republican Committee Chairman all received massive donations to their Campaign Coffers. And when they quit,they can keep the money. Can you imagine the Millions of dollars that is sloshing around in their bank accounts.