Share this page!

Greg Sargent Profile picture
Twitter logo
9 Feb, 4 tweets, 3 min read
Let's drop this bad framing which says GOP senators must choose whether to be "loyal" to Trump or not. Their choice is actually between being loyal to Trump and being faithful to their oath to defend the Constitution. Sorry: It can't be both. New piece:
washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/…
Trump's lawyers will argue the Senate "lacks jurisdiction" to convict him, because he's no longer in office.

This is BS. But it also reveals how badly GOP senators want to avoid taking a stand on what Trump actually did, revealing their own dereliction:

washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/…
Trump's lawyers say he didn't "direct anyone" to wage the assault, and that he couldn't have incited the assault because some "preplanned" it.

It's hogwash. He deliberately sought to disrupt our constitutional processes with violence and intimidation:

washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/…
Senators take an oath to defend the Constitution. As jurors, they pledge to be impartial.

I talked to scholar @BrettschneiderC about the role these oaths play in the constitutional scheme, and why acquitting Trump will inevitably be a betrayal of them:

washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/…

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
　

Keep Current with Greg Sargent

Greg Sargent Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @ThePlumLineGS

Greg Sargent Profile picture
8 Feb
Not good. Dems are worried that implicating the GOP in Trump's effort to overturn US democracy will make conviction harder. But acquittal is *preordained.* Spelling out GOP complicity is crucial in getting both the story and the politics right. My latest:
washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/…
One of the most consequential questions of the moment is whether Democrats will accept **and act upon** the full implications of the GOP's ongoing radicalization.

A full accounting into the insurrection is absolutely critical to that larger project:

washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/…
Large swaths of the GOP are deeply implicated in Trump's effort to overthrow US democracy. It lasted for months, with active complicity of many Republicans.

It would be folly to insulate the GOP from this, in the belief that conviction remains possible:

washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/…
Read 6 tweets
Greg Sargent Profile picture
5 Feb
Good to see: By moving on reconciliation, Dems show they're learning. They're wise to McConnell's scam, in which he used filibuster to *withhold* cooperation. Going big on spending now could boost faith in govt and undercut Trumpist populism. My latest:
washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/…
Here's how Mitch's scam works:

He claims the filibuster facilitates bipartisanship. But the truth is the opposite: He uses it to *withhold* bipartisan cooperation, for cynical purposes.

Reconciliation makes bipartisanship *more* likely, as I argue here:

washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/…
If Dems go big on spending now to address deep injustices revealed by the pandemic, it could revitalize faith in government and clear political space for sanity on immigration and climate.

That's my answer to Trumpist populism:

(citing @nytdavidbrooks)

washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/…
Read 4 tweets
Greg Sargent Profile picture
4 Feb
Marjorie Taylor Greene's ideology isn't just QAnon. It's also MAGA. Greene endorses violent warfare against the opposition, just as Trump did. Republicans won't meaningfully hold her accountable for this, just as they're acquitting Trump for it. My latest:
washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/…
We still don't have an answer to this question.

At the meeting where Republicans gave Marjorie Taylor Greene a standing ovation for supposedly renouncing some of her views, did any of them confront her over her endorsement of executing Democrats?

washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/…
Context matters. The GOP's exoneration of MTG comes as Republicans are memory-holing their own role in helping incite a violent attack on lawmakers.

It's no wonder they're refusing to hold Greene accountable for her own endorsement of political violence:

washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/…
Read 6 tweets
Greg Sargent Profile picture
3 Feb
There is a clear link between the GOP dilemmas over Marjorie Taylor Greene and Trump's impeachment. In both, Republicans largely still have not unambiguously declared that political violence is wholly intolerable and has no place in their ranks. My latest:
washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/…
Republicans who criticize MTG keep focusing on her conspiracy theories. They use phrases like "nutty" and "loony lies."

I call BS. Greene has also *endorsed the execution of Democrats.*

Rs should say more about that, too. But that's dicey for them:

washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/…
Republicans are "relieved" Trump's lawyers are focusing on constitutional arguments, per Politico.

That's because Trump's actual deeds are indefensible.

A new look at the attack shows it was unambiguously understood by many as an assault on lawmakers:

washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/…
Read 5 tweets
Greg Sargent Profile picture
2 Feb
Dems are investigating whether the suppression of DHS intelligence about violent white supremacy and right wing extremism -- done to bolster Trump's campaign agitprop -- may have helped exacerbate the insurrection at the Capitol, @RepAdamSchiff tells me:
washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/…
@RepAdamSchiff The post-Trump fumigation will have to be epic.

We need a full reckoning with Trump's use of large swaths of the government to manufacture a left-wing terror threat and downplay violent right wing extremism, and the ways all this led to the insurrection:

washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/…
@RepAdamSchiff A great NYT report revealed how hyping of Antifa distracted from right wing violence.

As @adamgoldmanNYT and team noted, this came when the far right threat "was building ominously.”

I asked @RepAdamSchiff about this. Dems are examining related things:

washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/…
Read 4 tweets
Greg Sargent Profile picture
1 Feb
Republicans are now openly boasting of their plot to win the House through extreme gerrymanders. This alone should dissuade Biden and Dems from negotiating down the stimulus to secure bipartisanship. Dems may have only 2 years. Make them count. My latest:
washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/…
Media is getting snowed by the GOP proposal. It's a double-whammy of bad faith. It's meant to create the impression that Rs are willing to do *something* amid two major crises while also creating a bogus way to claim Biden is reneging on "unity" promise:

washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/… ImageImage
Dems keep saying they learned the lessons of 2009-2010.

Okay, but those lessons are also that:

1) scaling down ambition to chase bipartisanship doesn't stave off midterm losses, and

2) losing the House means a much slower recovery.

So go big now:

washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/… ImageImage
Read 4 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!

This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Too expensive? Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal Become our Patreon

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us on Twitter!

Like this author's thread?

Get emails when @ThePlumLineGS has new unrolls!

Check out other threads from @ThePlumLineGS!

Read all threads by @ThePlumLineGS