Flake to try to force vote on bill protecting Mueller

[brooklynite]

Source: The Hill

Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) announced Thursday that he will try to force a vote on legislation protecting special counsel Robert Mueller in the wake of President Trump ousting Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

Flake said he and Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) will go to the Senate floor next week to try to get a deal on advancing the legislation.

"When the Senate convenes next week, @ChrisCoons and I will ask for unanimous consent to bring S.2644, the Special Counsel Independence and Integrity Act, to a vote on the Senate floor. After the firing of The AG, it is more important than ever to protect the Special Counsel," Flake said in a tweet.

Read more: https://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/415792-flake-to-try-to-force-vote-on-bill-protecting-mueller

[dameatball]

1. Maybe he can do at least one thing right before he leaves.

[cstanleytech]

16. I suspect this has nothing to do with doing the right thing rather I suspect

this is about Flake trying to build on the myth that he a moderate that can be trusted as my guess is he intends to run for President down the road and is counting on Trump backlash hitting the other Repugnants.

[llmart]

17. I agree with you.

He isn't doing this out of any concern for us. He has designs on the Presidency.

[Power 2 the People]

19. +1

[Honeycombe8]

22. President? What's he smoking? What a joke. nt

[Ace Rothstein]

37. Yeah, the nutty Republican base will never vote for him.

And nobody on our side of the aisle will either. Maybe he can win an election within Arizona but he'll never win a national election.

[Deb]

26. Absolutely

[dameatball]

36. Yeah, I was headed down that same road myself, but going to see what plays out. I think you are

probably right.

[True_Blue]

40. ITA

[lagomorph777]

41. Probably true, but I'll take it, regardless of motivation.

Maybe he wants to go out with a shred of decency though. Hey, anything is possible.

[cstanleytech]

43. He had a perfect chance to show an honest shred of decency by voting no

to Kavanaugh which he did not do so I doubt this has anything to do now with doing something decent.

[lagomorph777]

44. Yeah there's that.

[calimary]

2. Yeah? Talk is cheap, pal.

Gee, does this mean he works up a little more effort beyond hiding behind that phony-ass look-of-pain CONCERN-face of his.

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

12. Doesn't sound like he is just talking about it.

I'm not going to bad mouth him for doing the right thing just because he is a Republican.

[calimary]

29. We've already seen him short-sheet the bed in other matters.

He wore his “concern face” all day during the Kavanaugh hearings, seemed sympathetic, said some of the right (sounding) things, and looked all pained and troubled when he was cornered in an elevator by two women demanding he hear the voices of the sexually assaulted among us.

And he went ahead and voted for Kavanaugh ANYWAY. Despite making all kinds of reach-across-the-aisle noises. Despite acting as though he really and seriously wanted to consider the opposition. Yeah, my ass. Sorry to be blunt here. But I know a wolf in a shabby-looking second-hand moth-eaten sheep costume when I see it.

Jeff Flake, you have to do A LOT more than just talk a good game or try to wax poetic about how “troubled” you are.

[FSogol]

3. Why didn't he make that a condition of his Kavanaugh vote? flake still believes the GOP will do the

right thing. I think they have proved otherwise.

[The_Counsel]

4. Sorry, But I STILL Don't Trust Flakey Flake...

Yeah, he'll push for the vote...but then he'll vote against protecting Mueller.

That sounds like his M.O., right?

[calimary]

30. Yep. Exactly his M.O.

I won’t get fooled again. Not by him anyway.

Frankly, not by ANYBODY on that side of the aisle. If they’re over there, they’re against everything I’m for, and for everything I’m against.

I don’t trust a single one of ‘em any farther than I can throw my house.

[The_Counsel]

39. Exactly.

+1,000,000

[catbyte]

5. He must either knows it has no chance of even being brought to a vote or he'll cave.

All hat & no cattle. I really, really, really wish he'd prove me wrong just this once.

[Ohiogal]

6. I really wonder

how many of the spineless, cowed, GOP senators would support such a bill, anyway. They're all so afraid of the Orange Asshole, it's ridiculous.

[RockRaven]

7. Prediction: McConnell himself won't allow it to come to a vote

And even if I'm wrong, between Ryan and the House GOP, Trump's veto or pocket veto, it never becomes law.

[BumRushDaShow]

13. Only if they can't get the unanimous consent

to discharge it from committee. One objection to the unanimous consent and it's killed.

Democrats could try to attach it to a Continuing Resolution to continue funding the government (the current one expires December 5th I think).

But agree that if something like that did pass, it could be pocket vetoed (which happens between Congressional sessions because the current one could adjourn to seat the new Congress in January). However, since they have pretty much made pro-forma sessions a standard practice, there would probably not be a formal "adjournment", so he would need to affirmatively veto.

[FarPoint]

8. I support the action 100%...but...

Flake is a master of being two- faced.. talks the talk to give a preformance of one being sincere and politically competent as a Senator. ..he failed miserably with Kavanaugh. I won't take the bait again.

[calimary]

31. Yep. Exactly the point I was making, too.

Don’t bet on him for anything. He’ll talk a good game. Even a GREAT game. And then he’ll go right on ahead and vote the wrong way anyway.

He’s just being a wanker.

[The Liberal Lion]

9. Brave final acts from Sir Robin (Jeff Flake)?

[MontanaMama]

27. That's friggin' hilarious.

Great comparison!

[RestoreAmerica2020]

10. Sure he will...then he'll vote against it. What's the idiom? Ah...fool me once

shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. Now well see the usual so called "nice" republiklans ramp up their predictable chicanery..Collins, Corker..and other is like them, make their way onto MSM--all talk, no action.

[EarthFirst]

11. This guy is all over the place...

...the problem is; he’s generally slapped back into line and never follows through.

[tinrobot]

14. I hope he succeeds

Doubt he'll follow through...

[ffr]

15. I wouldn't hold my breath. Protest at 5:00 PM today. Find your city's location and go!

https://www.trumpisnotabovethelaw.org/event/mueller-firing-rapid-response/search/?from=

Link to tweet

[calimary]

32. Love this! Great use of a red necktie!

[in2herbs]

18. IMO it's just a maneuver by Flake to work toward ensuring that dRump is not the 2020 presidential

candidate cuz Flake wants to be.

[Saviolo]

20. On this week's episode of "How Will Jeff Flake Screw This Up?"

Again, nice words from Flake, but until he actually DOES something, I'm way past done giving him the benefit of the doubt. Everything he says and does is to further his presidential run whenever he gets around to it. He can show how he was "the moderate Republican who stood up to Trump" despite not every actually doing that.

[SHRED]

21. Too little too late

Link to tweet

[Honeycombe8]

23. Just for show. Too late, & he voted to put Kav on S.Ct. to rule how Trump wants.

Flake is not very adept at being a crafty politician, if that's what he's aiming at.

[Bettie]

24. It's Flake so I figure this is

another empty gesture as all of his actions are and he'll talk about it for a second and then drop it when they tell him to.

[AdamGG]

25. Hopefully, they can do this now while it's still 51-49

[C Moon]

28. And of course McConnell will ignore it.

[SharonAnn]

33. Good luck with that! As a lame duck, I doubt that he has much clout or influence.

[-Steph-]

34. I suspect this has to do with Trump boasting yesterday that he "retired" Jeff Flake.

[Bob Loblaw]

35. $1 says he votes nay

nt

[sharedvalues]

38. False headline. Flake "asks everyone for consent on a bill...."

Flake didn’t try to force anyone to do anything. He’s too weak for that.

[onetexan]

42. i'm tired of waiting for the Flake to grow a spine, like the rest of the spineless GOP

[DFW]

45. Knowing Flake

He will sponsor legislation protecting Mueller's investigation, and then vote against it.