Senators' press conference slams "drain the swamp" lie and more.

[El Mimbreno]

" target="_blank">VIDEO
WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall led Senate and House Democrats in a press conference to discuss President Trump's many broken promises to "drain the swamp” of special interests during the first 100 days of his administration. As Udall said, in spite of his pledges to return Washington the people, President Trump has stocked his administration with billionaires and lobbyists, refuses to adhere to essential transparency precedents, continues to conceal his ties to Russia, and is caught in a stunning web of conflicts of interests that could violate the U.S. Constitution and other ethics laws.

During the press conference, Udall and the Senate and House Democrats unveiled a special report on the extensive list of broken promises from the Trump administration to "drain the swamp” of special interest power.

Udall was joined at the press conference by U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), and U.S. Representatives Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.), Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), John Sarbanes (D-Md.) and Katherine Clark (D-Mass.).

Below are Udall's opening remarks as prepared for delivery.

"As a candidate for president, Donald Trump's promised over and over again that he would 'drain the swamp' in Washington.

"He promised to return Washington to the people, and to rid it of lobbyists and special interests. It was literally Trump's rallying cry.

"It is stunning how quickly he broke that promise. And it's deeply disturbing how many times he has violated it in his first 100 days.

"His cabinet is the wealthiest in modern history. It is stocked with lobbyists and special interest representatives.

"He has rolled back President Obama's ethics standards, and yet has broken his own weaker rules repeatedly.

"He claims to have no ties to Russia, even as the FBI says it is investigating him for his connections.

"He promised open, honest government. Yet he berates the media and he has refused to continue President Obama's policy of publishing the White House visitor logs.

"The American people have a right to information about who has access to the president. But President Trump doesn't want them to know.

"Mr. Trump promised to relinquish control of his business. Yet, he and his family continue to do deals. And they're blatantly profiting from the presidency.

"The list goes on and on. It seems Mr. Trump is determined to dig the swamp deeper, and make it murkier than ever before.

"Just yesterday, he proposed a massive tax cut that would benefit himself and the other multi-millionaires and billionaires in his cabinet.

"But we can't be sure just how much this tax plan would help Mr. Trump and his family — because to this day, the president refuses to release his tax returns.

"You have our report, 'President Trump's Broken Promises to 'Drain the Swamp.''

"It's long. But it represents a mere fraction of the ways Mr. Trump has made himself one of the most ethically challenged presidents in modern memory.

"We are part of a bicameral group of Senators and members of the House who are dedicated to shining a bright light on President Trump's murky swamp.

"We are holding him accountable this week – and as long as he is president.

"My colleagues are joining me today to give more details about the report.”

EDIT: fixed the link

[Sculpin Beauregard]

1. Any working links? This is important.

[El Mimbreno]

3. Let me try again

[Sculpin Beauregard]

4. Thanks!

[2naSalit]

2. K&R

[spanone]

5. ...and his moronic base loves him.

[NoMoreRepugs]

8. the "base" that unfailingly supports Rump scare me as much as Rump himself

[sagesnow]

6. Drain the Trump Swamp now! n/t

[SHRED]

7. The Republican owned MSM tends to ignore Democrats

Unfortunately.

[samnsara]

9. when you drain a swamp.....

...all you have left are the bottom feeders. That's his admin now!

[El Mimbreno]

13. Great comment!

Bottom feeders, rotting stuff, mud, maybe some toxic residue.

[Honeycombe8]

10. Yes! The Dems are doing their job calling these things to the public's attention. nt

[dchill]

11. K&R.

[LiberalLovinLug]

12. Scary watching the USA turn into Russia

Putin is popular in Russia. Maybe not quite as much as his hey day, but still he has majority approval. Trump doesn't have a majority, but close to it. And that 96% would vote for him again. Could Trumps popularity actually rise and solidify as Putin's? Yes. Just as many scoffed at him winning both the primaries and then the presidency, there is an assumption that it will only be a matter of months that he will be impeached and gone.

Trump is tapping into the same strategy as Putin. Appealing to the basest prejudices and fears of the majority, and surrounding himself with family and yesmen. He has a national TV network, the most watched, that devotes 24/7 in defending him and demonizing his opponents, as Russian TV does.

But what is troubling is how much this works, from Hitler to Mussolini to every 'strong man'. Enough people voted in Turkey to strip themselves of democratic institutions and civil rights because their strong man told them it was important for their security. Duterte in the Philippines enjoys a majority of popularity for acting the same way.

This phenomenon is still not completely understood. Just how deadly it works on a population. Trump may well win in 2020 and get the popular vote as well. Especially if he manages to foment war and creates an enemy like North Korea to piss off and react to him.

I think the Democrats, if the media refuses to see the threat, must be on the forefront to educate the public of this possibility before, or even while it is happening. Because reading that list in the OP, there should be plenty there for the population to rise and demand he be impeached immediately, but its not happening. And it may never happen. If we cannot convince the frogs in the pot the dangers of the slowly rising heat in the water, it does no good just listing Trumps lies and hypocrisy, because that 'strong man' method is immune to that kind of criticism.

How can we make people aware of what is happening to them psychologically?

[El Mimbreno]

14. That's some scary shit...

All the more so because it's true.

And I sure wish I had an answer to your question. We just keep pounding away at our misrepresentatives, but we need to talk to the trump voters, especially the ones who are having regrets. As soon as anyone says "I wish I hadn't..." invite them to a party or Indivisible meeting.