Sen. Schumer: An unelected shadow government is conducting a hostile takeover of the federal government.

[bigtree]

Chuck Schumer @SenSchumer
An unelected shadow government is conducting a hostile takeover of the federal government.

DOGE is not a real government agency.
DOGE has no authority to make spending decisions.
DOGE has no authority to shut programs down or to ignore federal law.
DOGE’s conduct cannot be allowed to stand.

Congress must take action to restore the rule of law.

Chuck Schumer @SenSchumer 14h
By shutting down USAID, DOGE is doing the work of Russia and China at the expense of the United States.

It’s dangerous.

It’s against America’s interests.

Congress must take action to restore the rule of law.


watch Sen. Schumer speaking on the Senate floor yesterday:

[SheltieLover]

1. And what are pukes saying? Ho hum, another day at the Fed feeding trough?

[Zorro]

2. Schumer's message needs to be made by someone with fire in his belly

His dispassionate style does not convey the seriousness of the absolute national and constitutional emergency we are in.

[bigtree]

5. nether does shitposting about him as he makes these very important points

...which are meant for US to act, as well.

Call republicans, and use your strong voice.

Just don't lead with this silly nonsense about Schumer not having 'fire in the belly,' because that's not actually advocacy against republicans.

[Zorro]

9. You call it shitposting

Like it or not, Schumer's message delivery style does not effectively convey the seriousness of our current direction. Ignoring that reality doesn't improve the situation.

[bigtree]

12. I found him serious

...and I don't need him to jump up and down like a monkey to get what he said here.

That's why I posted it, knowing full well that the cool kid thing is to claim you can't listen to the old guy because he's not animated enough for you.

This isn't a talent show, it's about the issues he's raised which you don't appear to care enough about to even mention, so what am I supposed to take from these criticisms other than that they're an invitation to turn away from what he said?

I just think that's silly, and so goddamn irresponsible..

[AverageJoe]

90. This issue is not whether he got your attention

It is whether or not he is getting attention from the less engaged public. I think getting out the message with one’s hair on fire is necessary right now.

[ihaveaquestion]

14. Politics is more than just saying the right words. Democrats need to project the ability to fight for their constituents

Schumer used to be that person, but lately it seems he's given up and doesn't seem to have any fight left in him.

Appearances matter. Trump has shown us that if nothing else. His words are moronic garbage, but he speaks in a way that appeals to his base and that worked for him.

We keep saying that Democrats need to wake up and I think the base of the party is there, but what about the leaders of the party? How are they being effective? This is a serious question. Sometimes I see it and sometimes I don't.

Get my post taken down for trashing Democrats if you want, but this is a discussion that needs to be had.

[bigtree]

19. then you're practicing it wrong by not elevating the substance of the Dem leader's very correct informing

...just a series of posts complaining about his style, and not a word about the substance, but you want me to accept that you care about something more than trashing the Dem leader.

This post isn't about Schumer's delivery, it's about what he's warning against. We should piggyback on that advocacy and exercise our own activism toward republicans who are actually in charge of all of this.

Who do you think republicans will notice more? Their opposition leader, or the voice of a voter?

[GoreWon2000]

52. Ignoring 25 years of dem leadership's failure to act

and gloss over it is wrong too. There's been an all out assault on American democracy for 25 years now and all the dem leadership continues to do is either hide in cowardice or bring a slingshot to the fight while the repugs get away with throwing out we the people's votes as was the case in 2000 and bring, AK-47S, baseball bats and metal flagpoles to beat police officers on 1/20/21. Now we have an unelected billionaire blatantly violating the U.S. constitution in order to cut government programs that help real people and keep our country safe in order to find the money for big tax cuts for billionaires like himself. Now is not the time to be "nice" to our dem leadership. The failure of the dem leadership to act these past 25 years is why our country is where it's at now. Too many Americans have now given up on democracy. Our democratic form of government has been under broad daylight attack for 25 years now. We need an all hands on deck approach to save American democracy for future generations.

[bigtree]

60. it's a lie that Democrats have 'failed to act for 25 years'

...so everyone can just stop reading there.

[GoreWon2000]

91. Dems failed to act during Bush 2000 coup

FYI, it's a fact that not 1 Senate democrat would co-sponsor the Congressional Black Caucus's challenge to the fraudulent Florida 2000 vote count. That is the ugly and hard to hear truth. Then they acted like W had gained the White House in a routine election. 2000 was not a routine election. It was a coup carried out by the Bush brothers and rubberstamped by the repug controlled SCOTUS majority. Our country has been on a downward slide towards dictatorship ever since. The dem party leadership then ran the Bush brothers 2000 coup against Biden in the 2024 dem Presidential primary after 14 million dem party primary voters had voted for Biden and threw out the votes of 14 million dem party primary voters. Between the Bush brothers coup in 2000 and the dem party leadership coup duing the 2024 dem primary, it's no wonder that so many voters have given up on democracy and have voted for dictator tRump. BTW, 15 of my 24 years spent working on dem election campaigns were spent in Florida.

[bigtree]

96. you need a time machine

...your posit is still false, on its face.

Anyone who bothered to pay attention to what Democrats do, instead of obsessing on the thing we think is so important, can see that without our Democrats in place during republican majorities, we'd already have lived through what we're experiencing now.

[GoreWon2000]

97. You need a fact check

Please provide the name of 1 Senate democrat who co-sponsored the Congressional Black Caucus's challenge to the fraudulent Florida Presidential vote count in 2000. You won't find one. Do you not remember how Congressional dems then acted like Bushthief had gained the White House in a normal Presidential election? What part of the fact that the 2000 Presidential election was not normal do you not understand? Apparently, you don't think repug theft of a Presidential election that disenfranchised millions of voters is a problem. I've been watching what the dem leadership does and their failure to act is why our country is now on the verge of becoming a Nazi dictatorship. The dem party leadership ran the same anti-democracy Bush coup against Biden in the 2024 dem party Presidential primary and disenfranchised 14 million dem party primary voters and then had the nerve to claim that the dem party was the party protecting democracy. The dems failure to protect we the people's right to vote in the last 25 years makes it no wonder that millions of Americans have given up on democracy and are now willing to vote for a dictator. I have 24 years experience of working on dem election campaigns, everything from local state legislative campaigns all the way to Presidential campaigns. 15 of my 24 years were spent in Florida. I'm curious to know where you were in 2000 and since? Do you have any dem election campaign experience? Everything I've written in this post are actual facts based on what actually in fact happened.

[brakester]

72. I agree, but

why can we all write/call our congress critters every day and use the style you WISH Schumer did. I WISH the same thing.

It's more effective if we can concentrate on what WE, personally, need to do and not spend so much time pointing fingers at our allies.

AOC has the fire in her belly and she has a message you could read.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100219986805

[GoreWon2000]

92. We need to do all of the above

The dem party leaders should not have to have the grassroots pressure them to act. They should recognize the threat and act to meet the threat on their own. They should be the ones to lead and galvanize the grass roots to support their efforts.

[Mysterian]

58. Communication is a huge part of leadership

Schumer's communication is FAIL. If we had to rely on Schumer reading from his notes, "Give me liberty or give me death," we'd still be part of the British Empire (might not be such a bad thing, actually).

[bigtree]

61. I got what he said

...do you want me to shout it at you in my most macho voice?

[pinkstarburst]

95. I agree.

While I have the utmost respect for the senator, he has about as much charisma as McConnell. And he's up against Trump, who unfortunately has lots of natural charisma. We need to get some democrats speaking who have fire and can better articulate our message.

[valleyrogue]

16. He is the Senate minority leader

It doesn't matter his style. It is the fact he is the most powerful Democrat in the Senate.

People were complaining about Tom Daschle and Harry Reid because of their low-key styles.

[Rebl2]

29. Absolutely

Someone needs to replace him like senator Whitehouse or senator Bennet.

[displacedvermoter]

33. Senator Warren!

[Mblaze]

62. I agree

But then some would complain about her school-marmish tone.

[jalan48]

46. I agree. It's difficult listening to him read all his speeches.

[slightlv]

57. I've always been turned off by the way Sen Schumer speaks...

and I think you hit on the perfect word to describe it..."dispassionate". Very good! And especially infuriating when WE are feeling most passionate about the crisis!

[brakester]

75. Schumer and Jefferies

are introducing legislation to stop DODGY and to cut off their access to our sensitive data.

Yes, and what are you personally doing with your passion?

Have you written to your local paper, called or emailed your reps in congress? Are you planning to show up on Wednesday to peacefully show your anger at this coup?

[Duncan Grant]

66. 25 recs for this post

I’m encouraged by this.

[BannonsLiver]

69. No way! Chuck is talk'n tough!

You know he means it when the readers are tilted a certain way. 😉

[totodeinhere]

93. I have been saying the same thing about Chuck for some time.

He needs to pass the baton to someone younger and more dynamic.

[Irish_Dem]

3. The GOP has always wanted to drown the US gov't in a bathtub.

Their dreams are coming true.

[CaptainTruth]

24. Well, if Musk is "the government"...

[Irish_Dem]

27. Yes we will get behind the bathtub drowning concept now.

[ihaveaquestion]

4. Schumer's statement and delivery lack any emotion. This is why "the people" say Democrats don't fight for them.

How about showing some righteous anger and laying into Repukes?

Scream and shout!

Get worked up!

Pick a fight!

[bigtree]

7. I found all I needed to act in what he said

...and don't see ANY utility coming onto a post advocating against republicans and doing nothing more than criticizing the senator's delivery.

What I want to do is spread this messsage, and that's what Schumer is doing from the elevation of his office.

It's not actually advocacy against republicans, to step all over posts or floor spoeeches informing people about what republicans are doing or what they're doing. It's just shitposting about Democrats.

More than that, it's a diversion from his message, which is the most insidious fault of all of the criticisms about style over substance.

Do something to advocate along with the Democratic leader. Something more than just this navelgazing backbiting nonsense about his delivery.

[ihaveaquestion]

8. Americans want fighters. Democrats who don't fight are seen as week and ineffective and this costs them elections.

We don't get elected and we don't get to change anything. It's as simple as that.

[bigtree]

10. you're pining for a machismo that isn't necessarily appreciated by everyone as strength

...I don't pay a lot of attention to shouty people.

The message is what's important here, and you're still distracting from it. That isn't actually advocacy against republicans, so I'll leave you to it.

[Felicita]

48. Your words of reason are right on, bigtree

Let's not get diverted from the important message Schumer is making because of his style.

[Moostache]

32. Amen...and hear! hear!

Schumer is about as energetic as a nursing home between lunch and dinner. He inspires nothing but contempt and confusion - is this guy REALLY in a fight for the survival of representative republican governance or is he sending a strongly worded letter to the HOA about trash pick up on alternating Wednesdays?

This moment in time is not to be met with reserve and silence. This is when we stand up to the bully or we consign billions around the planet to die in the inevitable wars that will come.

I believe that party leaders need to inspire and actually LEAD. I don't see it, but if you do, carry on and hope for the best.

[brakester]

76. What are

YOU doing?

[brakester]

77. Beside

"hoping for the best?"

[BannonsLiver]

70. He doesn't have it in him

[bucolic_frolic]

6. Trump is failing to defend the nation, the Constitution. He is enabling the coup.

Somebody better start thinking real fast.

[OrlandoDem2]

11. So do something, even if it seems extreme! In fact, in this day and age "extreme" is good!

[bigtree]

15. hello. We just had an election. Sorry you missed it.

...republicans now control ALL branches of government.

Adjust your expectations accordingly.

[ihaveaquestion]

18. So we're just supposed to lay down and take it? Throw up our hands and give up?

How about some practical answers instead? I just hear you saying it's out of our hands and we can do nothing about the situation.

[bigtree]

20. I don't see anyone laying down

...that's just pablum.

The Senate leader outlined what he intends to do. Watch the vids I posted.

[Moostache]

37. And yet, when in the minority position...

The GOP:

1) stopped single payer health care - despite a 59-40 (and ratfuck Liebermann) Senate and House minority status...
2) use the filibuster to stymie military promotions for entire terms because of ONE asshat (Tuberville, AL)

And when they were in the majority of Congress but not in the White House:

1) Stole one Supreme Court Justice outright (Gorsuch)
2) Forced another unqualified goon/sexual assaulter onto the court (Kavanaugh)
3) Sped through ANOTHER religious nutbag to the court (Comey-Barrett)

The Democratic Party is standing on the precipice of being the Whigs if they do not shut down the entire US Senate, stuff the streets with protesters AND file so many lawsuits that it will actually make Trump say "DAMN...thats a litigious bunch"...

This is not the moment to be seen as timid, reserved, statesmanlike or anything other than enraged and righteously so.

[bigtree]

59. you've misrepresented their unprincipled unity as a value

...and ignore that our party has always had self-described 'moderate' Democrats who don't toe the party line, and bend toward republicans on many key issues.

In the last Congress, for instance, we had TWO members out of our slim majority who blocked progressive legislation both in committee and in preventing it from moving to a vote.

The lectures about those obstructionists being a necessary part of the party is still ringing in my ears.

Republicans have no such members, or very few available on very little legislation. None that we've seen yet in the Congress.

Republicans control EVERY branch of government. pretending like Democrats have some magic formula for unraveling that is just ignoring the reality of this moment.

We are ALL out of power or control. The only thing we have is the courts and the next election. Republicans removed the filibuster for those SC votes. That's how they succeeded. If we had the majority, and we had the opportunity with a Democratic president, we could do the same.

The only thing that will stop republicans is to support and elect a majority of Democrats who will stand with the party.

Dragging on the party out of power and control to do something more than we equipped them for is just absurd.

Comparing them with republicans is just sophistry.

[LaMouffette]

89. You say "we have the next election." But I believe Musk messed with the voting machines in the swing states.

I don't know how, but the fact that Trump was saying shit like, "I have all the votes I need! I don't need your votes!" is highly suspicious.

So if Musk was able to mess with the voting machines BEFORE the Orange Blob took power, just think what he will be capable of doing in 2026 to flip elections in the midterm.

So no, I don't believe we should sit back and wait to years for an election that I'm sure they are already trying to rig. I believe we need to, at the very least, protest, protest, protest. Make the GOP and the Supreme Court so nervous that they might actually DO something to curb Trump's power.

[Magoo48]

56. If everything we do is simply biding time until the next election resistance efforts will prove unfruitful.

Nevertheless, arguing about someone style is also counterproductive, because it wastes time better spent on how we can best thwart this coup. We are the government, and we certainly have the numbers to shutdown the illegal excavation of our own government when it no longer is of, by, and for we the people and our common welfare.

[brakester]

80. The republicans

have narrow majorities and trump is nominating republicans from Congress and making them even narrower. The budget deadline is approaching. I see Dems digging their heels in and demanding Elon and Vought be fired as well as not increasing the debt limit and reversing all of this illegal meddling.
They just elected a Democrat in Iowa.

Let's accentuate the positive and work our asses off. This is the start of the war. How many hours are you actively working on this every day?

[valleyrogue]

13. I am guessing there is a lot of work behind the scenes

Last edited Tue Feb 4, 2025, 11:22 AM - Edit history (1)

to stop the Madmen Duo in order to go to the courts, but it can't be done overnight.

[bigtree]

17. of course there is

...this is about all of these legislators' reason for being.

I'm going to guess no one cares more about their prerogative to make laws and to sustain that effort than the folks who do that work.

[Scrivener7]

30. "Patience grasshopper" has no place in the opposition to a coup.

Haven't we learned this yet?

[valleyrogue]

34. What is your solution?

Talk is cheap. Tell us what the solution IS other than violence.

This is the way the system operates. There are things lawyers have to do in order to present a case. It takes time, folks, and lawyers have to make sure they have the right arguments and the right cases to back up their arguments. There is a LOT of research that goes into presenting a case.

Perry Mason is not real.

[Scrivener7]

49. And that's a bullshit response too. No one of us here on DU needs to come up with a solution.

Suggesting we do is just a way to shut people down.

We did not seek election. We did not promise to lead.

I will do whatever my leaders tell me to do, as I'm sure will you and everyone else on this board. But we need our leaders to lead.

Again: THIS IS A COUP.

[LT Barclay]

63. I think there are solutions that haven't been tried but we need need someone to lead and coordinate

I still think targeted boycotts. Few of us can go without buying gas but we could all avoid Shell for 6 months

[Scrivener7]

67. Exactly. Try everything. But we need someone to coordinate us.

Say what you will about him, but I keep thinking about Andrew Cuomo in the early days of covid when we knew nothing about it.

He showed up every day. He told us what he knew. He told us what we could do given the information we had at the time. We knew what the goal was.

[brakester]

79. Indivisible group

is busy working on this. Have you gone to any of their meetings? They are in cities of any size.

Are you attending the march on Wednesday, March 5th, tomorrow?

Have you given any money to them or any group working on this issue?

Are you talking to friends and family?

Are you calling or emailing any congress critters every day and sharing your outrage?

[Scrivener7]

82. Yes. To all except the march. What, though, does that have to do with

asking our leaders to lead us.

[bigtree]

64. we should have learned govt 101

...the party with the most members in our national legislature controls the agenda and the vote.

Silly teevee sayings don't tell us anything about how to get republicans to vote the way we want them to. But, I do know that dragging Democrats isn't actually advocacy against republicans.

I'm waiting for the folks who think attacking our own party for the poor way we equipped them is some sort of brilliant political act - waiting for these navelgazing critics to actually get around to demanding REPUBLICANS (the ones in charge of every branch of government right now) act to preserve their own institution and prerogative.

[allegorical oracle]

21. What's going on doesn't appear to be very much in the shadows, so far.

[bigtree]

22. I don't think we know the full extent of the breach

...that's what Sen. Schumer appears to be alluding to.

[Scrivener7]

31. Sure. Just like Garland. Working oh so hard behind the scenes.

[valleyrogue]

39. Give us your solution instead of complaining about Schumer.

I don't think you actually have one.

[Scrivener7]

54. OF COURSE I DON'T HAVE THE SOLUTION! WHAT THE FUCK?? NONE OF US DOES! YOURSELF INCLUDED.

So that means none of us are allowed to ask our leaders to lead us? What is the purpose of saying that other than to shut down people you don't like to hear from?

They have the bully pulpit. They have more information than we do, and if they don't they ought to.

Jesus. I'm sorry, but saying I don't have a solution and therefore shouldn't comment is completely demented. Do you not see that?

[bigtree]

65. yes, most of legislators' business involves discussions and debate outside of the public eye

...even more so with ongoing prosecutions.

All of that allows demagoguery about their efforts, but it's always interesting to me how some assign the worst of motives to the people who are ostensibly working to hold Trump and republicans accountable which come right out of their own imaginations.

The realities of what these officials actually do in their jobs should matter more than the projections of fantasy internet prosecution practitioners who repeatedly can't seem to identify the republican party, or anyone actually or ultimately in opposition or to blame in their critical expressions, but here we are.

[valleyrogue]

38. Before Schumer says anything, he has to have ACCURATE info.

I don't think anybody knows besides the Muskrats the full extent of their data breach.

But it goes WAY beyond that. Musk is literally making proclamations of firing people (who cannot be fired without due process) and shutting down agencies and programs that he has NO authority to do. For that matter, Trump is doing it, too, but it is much worse with Musk because he is unelected and has no security clearance to speak of to even be able to DO what he is doing.

Lawrence O'Donnell is right: That treasury secretary needs to be impeached and removed. He had NO business giving that crook, that insane--not "neurodivergent"--man any access to any government agency, let alone the treasury.

[brakester]

81. Raskin was on social media

the other day. He said there were 20 lawsuits in the Courts.

[yardwork]

23. Call your senators and representative.

I called all three today and will continue to do so every day.

[brakester]

83. We are

the grains of sand in their gears! Overload the phone lines. Give them back as good as they are giving us.

[bronxiteforever]

25. That pretty much explains it. I prefer coup

as to what it is. The problem is we have to fight through the regime media outlets to be heard before it is too late.

[MagickMuffin]

26. Doge IS NOT A LEGITIMATE government agency

Only Congress can create new agencies, from my quick research.

So

I don’t understand how it is being legitimized, how no one in Congress seems to care.

[FakeNoose]

43. As I understand it, Elon Musk isn't even a federal employee

He must be a "volunteer" or something. Who gave him a security clearance? Who gave him access to all the government's computer systems, including the official email servers? Musk should be escorted from the premises immediately.

This is insane...

[electric_blue68]

73. Eloon was given a special position i think by drumphf- his official designation has been mentioned here...

I've forgotten right now.
I think it's good for 120 days if I read that correctly (so much to keep up with). Is it renewable, I d k.

I think Muck & Co are illegitimate.

[brakester]

85. It's not just Elon.

He has called on his pals from his companies to work along side of him.

WHO are these upstarts? What are their backgrounds and how much do they understand about how government runs?

Their incompetence are cracks that we can drive wedges into.

[Voltaire2]

78. DOGE was put into USDS, avoiding the nomination process, or the need for funding.

US Digital Services was a pre-existing office within OMB. The fascists repurposed it as Musk's 'DOGE'. That part is legal but obviously dubious ethically. No new agency, Musk and his evil child-minions are operating within the executive branch, not as private citizens.

This is mostly irrelevant, as the problem is the executive branch ignoring the impoundment act and taking control of revenue allocations which are a power that belongs solely to the legislature.

[brakester]

84. Schumer and Jeffries

are introducing a bill to stop DODGY.

[cornball 24]

28. NO SHIT, SCHUMER! DO SOMETHING!

[Lulu KC]

35. Thanks for posting this

Campaign time is when styles can be under scrutiny. Fair game.
Now? He's there, he's doing his job, he's speaking in a way that is understandable to his peers. He's speaking the truth.

[LearnedHand]

36. Um, you ARE congress

So get busy DOING something to shut this down.

[S/V Loner]

40. Stop leaving out the Heritage Foundation and...

the Federalist Society.
This is their game-plan. 100%!

[OneGrassRoot]

41. I'm going to lose my fucking mind!

I understand the rules here at DU; I've been here a long, long time. I think Dem politicians and pundits likely check in here too, in this age of social media being pivotal.

In my opinion, now more than ever, we need to have the freedom to loudly beg them to DO MORE! They basically disappeared and largely went silent after 11/5; at least that's the impression most of us have had. It was only last week that they started to speak the truth about the coup as Sen. Schumer is doing here.

AOC and Chris Murphy are the two main ones who have been vocal from the jump and PASSIONATE. Yes, in this age of news being like white noise, with so many people numb and relatively few watching C-span or cable news and only seeing snippets on social media, WE DESPERATELY NEED MORE PASSION. WE NEED ALL DEMS SPEAKING WITH THE FIERCE URGENCY OF NOW.

I hope EarlG is giving us some leeway to be critical of Democrats, because it's done out of frustration because we DO support them and are begging them to do more to support US and democracy itself right now and stop playing politics as usual. Not a single one of them should be worried about the next election; if they are, they're dangerously naive because there may not be another election if Democrats in Congress don't put a stop to what's happening by, at the very least, gumming up the works as much as possible and using every single tool at their disposal.

I WANT them to see us crying out in frustration, via our phone calls and showing up at their offices, and expressing this frustration in a space like this which shows we support Democrats

[ancianita]

42. Schumer & Democrats must announce that Musk is guilty of domestic cyberattack against the United States.

They must announce that Musk is guilty of treason.

All those Silicon Valley guys on the inaugural platform despise Elon.
None of them would ever think to conduct a domestic terrorism cyberattack on the United States Treasury, along with an insurrection to take over the Treasury itself, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and General Services Administration (GSA), and now USAID.
Bill Gates and three other other Big Tech leaders who were not on the inaugural platform can monitor DOGE and Musk's data movements; they can do this from the Pentagon, where they have war rooms.

Musk's cyberattack hacker team has already gained access to the Treasury Department’s payment system, allowing him access to a vast range of sensitive information about most American citizens, businesses, and more. DOGE personnel accessed classified information and security systems at the US Agency for International Development (USAID), and then, with no help from DHS's Secret Service, the top USAID security officials who tried to thwart the attempt were immediately put on leave.
Right now, today, DOGE personnel have accessed classified material across agencies.


And now he's going after CISA, The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and core part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). CISA responsible for cybersecurity and infrastructure protection across all levels of government, coordinating cybersecurity programs with U.S. states, and improving the government's cybersecurity protections against private and nation-state hackers.

Since Musk is a private hacker leader, he's going after CISA.

Congress needs to keep its eyes on Elon Musk. He's the traitor, not Silicon Valley oligarchs who historically have despised him and continue to despise him.

Other Silicon Valley military contractor oligarchs remain silent, but once the US military acts, they'll help.
https://archive.ph/7cNvr

The US Military has in fact historically and contractually funded the establishment of Silicon Valley, not just Elon.
SV and the USM have had a long and complicated relationship, which is what has me worried, because even though the USM swears an oath top to bottom to the US Constitution, it still has to get paid. Will it side with SV oligarchs who back civilians? or with an oligarch who's unconstitutionally taken over their paymaster?
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/silicon-valley/

[FakeNoose]

44. Yes thank you! Musk must be escorted from the premises immediately

TODAY!!!

[ancianita]

47. No one in Trump's government who has any authority to arrest Musk will arrest him, and you and I know it. Musk

is plausibly covered by some loophole that gives him "special" employee status.

There will have to be some serious lawlessness by Trump himself -- or a pattern of unconstitutional actions -- before the military can step in and detain either Musk or both of them. No other part of this government could (or would, if it could) do such a thing.

[FakeNoose]

50. Charging him/them with treason seems pretty serious and urgent

I like your idea about charging Musk for cyberattacking too.
Someone please lock him the f**k up!

[ancianita]

68. Cyberattacking is the basis for a treason charge, since cyberattacking the US Treasury endangers national security,

and so does stealing classified information.

But you should accept the fact that there's no one in this civilian government, except CISA, who can obtain the evidence of his US Treasury and classified data theft to justify and arrest, and no one else but the DOJ could/would arrest him on cyberattack charges, based on that evidence.
Neither agencies with internet monitoring operations, nor congress, have law enforcement rights. And so all that congressional Democrats can do is to announce it to the public.

[Scrivener7]

51. THIS, THIS, THIS!!!

[BlueMTexpat]

45. Then

STOP THEM by all possible means!

[Grins]

53. Remember when GOP screamed about "Unelected judges!!!"

Yeah. Those guys.

[33taw]

55. I thought Bannon was going to get rid of him? Oh, Bannon is MIA.

Lawsuits are our best fight (and that is iffy) against the takeover.

[BannonsLiver]

71. Imagine dying on the hill of Merrick Garland and Chuck Schumer.

Hoo boy. 🤦?♂️

[electric_blue68]

74. Respectfully, Schumer does Need to Sound More Passionate. He Doesn't Have to Shout, though....JFC just modulate....

your (his) voice more. Some Darn inflections. It's not that fucking hard!

Since he is my Senator I've been calling, and emailing, too, bc I get "the mail box Is full" message, and I can't record a message. I'm trying to represent us DU'rs.

Also telling him to use every procedural trick he knows to at least slow things down in Congress.

And I've added Sen Gillbrand to my phone calls.

[Hekate]

86. Thx bigtree

I wonder how many of the naysayers here are actually turning up at rallies in their state capitol tomorrow — or attending an Indivisible meeting — or checking their Congressman’s town hall schedule.

I wonder how many of them are checking in at The Way Forward forum at DU.

[ihaveaquestion]

87. This is more like it! Thank you Jasmine Crockett!

Link to tweet

?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1886905137999872451%7Ctwgr%5Eddab5fb965c25e5d6c9d0210fdb49519a88666cc%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.democraticunderground.com%2F100219989352

[ellise]

88. Stop Talking About It- DO SOMETHING.

Stop talking about doing something and DO SOMETHING. Is there no one in Congress that has the balls to take on these crazy people…is everyone so concerned about reelection they won’t take these criminals on…
Somebody…give them a copy of the Constitution or read it to them. Whole mess is unbelievable!!

[pinkstarburst]

94. With all due respect to Sen Schumer

We need a better spokesperson. He has been an excellent leader and senator. He is absolutely horrible as a spokesperson and is about as interesting to listen to as watching paint dry. We are putting him up in news conferences against Trump, who is a trained media personality?

Buttigieg doesn't currently hold elected office, but we need to get SOMEONE like him, who is articulate, snappy, and quick on their feet, up there at the podium, articulating our position.