Greg Sargent Profile picture
Jun 14, 2024 10 tweets 6 min read Read on X
An important development: Trump's criminality is becoming a genuine wedge issue against Republicans.

Don't be fooled by GOP's outward shows of unity behind Dear Leader. The cracks in the facade are very clear.

Here's some evidence. 1/

(Link to piece)
newrepublic.com/article/182728…
People overlooked this. But when Rep Mike Simpson, a very senior GOPer, told @playbookdc that he opposes defunding Jack Smith, he also directly undermined the entire Trump/GOP argument that the prosecutions are the illegitimate work of the Deep State. 2/

newrepublic.com/article/182728…
Image
This is a big deal. A top GOPer essentially admitted Jack Smith is operating within his legit institutional role. As Jamie Raskin told me:

"Mike Simpson just destroyed MAGA-world’s argument that Trump’s prosecution...is fraudulent or in bad faith." 3/

newrepublic.com/article/182728…
Image
More from Jamie Raskin on Rep Mike Simpson opposing the defunding of Jack Smith:

“Other Republicans should follow Simpson and stop demonizing the justice system and the rule of law."

This is how Trump’s criming is becoming a wedge against the GOP. 4/

newrepublic.com/article/182728…
Image
More evidence that Trump's criminality is becoming a wedge: Vulnerable House Republicans are balking at voting for all the craven things Mike Johnson is offering to shield Trump from the law.

This has happened numerous times now. Evidence below. 5/

newrepublic.com/article/182728…

Image
Image
Trump's ritual humiliation of Rs like McConnell on the Hill is all about forcing them to *act as if* the politics of Trump's criming favors the GOP/isn't an issue.

This is spin. The real tell is vulnerable Rs not wanting to vote for shielding Trump. 6/

newrepublic.com/article/182728…
Image
Trump is forcing Rs to repeatedly vote on protecting him from the law. That's bad for Rs, full stop.

GOP pretending his criming is a winner is psyops. As I try to show, Ds now get this.

(h/t @brianbeutler @joshtpm for making versions of this point) 7/

newrepublic.com/article/182728…

Image
Image
A link to the full argument at @newrepublic is below. 8/8
newrepublic.com/article/182728…
Related and key from @brianbeutler: Dems have an opening to drive a wedge between Trump and the corporate class. The story is that this class has capitulated. But that doesn't *have* to remain true, just as GOP submission to Trump is only half the story.
offmessage.net/p/the-gops-fin…
Also watch @SimonWDC on Trump/GOP:

"MAGA has been a failed politics. They're doubling down on a politics that keeps losing."

Dominance/submission rituals are about papering this over. But vulnerable Rs are balking at voting to protect Trump right now.

• • •

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 @GregTSargent

Apr 1
A note on JD Vance's repulsive response to the deportation of a Salvadoran in "error": The whole point of his stunt is to show that Trump feels free to remove people even when the law *doesn't* justify it.

I spoke to the man's lawyer. Hair raising stuff:
newrepublic.com/article/193442…
“If nobody can do anything to bring him back once he’s been deported, then the order preventing his deportation in the first place is meaningless,” the lawyer for Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was deported in "error," tells me.

It's absurdly circular:

newrepublic.com/article/193442…Image
Image
The Trump administration's position is effectively a declaration that it has the power to remove people, outside the law, in "error," without having any subsequent responsibility to rectify that “error.”

Here's the pattern:

newrepublic.com/article/193442…Image
Image
Image
Read 6 tweets
Mar 24
Time to focus on Marco Rubio's role as a chief Trump enabler. Rubio is helping execute some of Trump's worst designs: Terminating program for Ukrainian kids, deporting people to foreign gulags, wrecking USAID, arrests with zero due process.

My new piece:
newrepublic.com/article/193064…
First up: Marco Rubio's State Department terminated the program tracking Ukrainian children abducted by Russia.

Rubio has the power to ensure that the underlying data and evidence is transferred to Europol. Why won't he allow this? He won't say.

newrepublic.com/article/193064…Image
Image
Image
Next up: Rubio is key to the deportations of Venezuelans to a notorious prison in El Salvador, many without any evidence. Rubio negotiated the deal making this possible. He says this is a good deal for taxpayers and that these are "good jails."

newrepublic.com/article/193064…Image
Image
Read 6 tweets
Mar 19
Horrifying: After the contract tracking Ukrainian children abducted by Russia was terminated, the underlying evidence of these potential war crimes seems to be missing, a bipartisan group of Reps just charged in letter to Rubio. Two GOPers signed. Details:
newrepublic.com/article/192924…
Two *GOPers,* Don Bacon and Brian Fitzpatrick, joined this letter, which says underlying info/evidence collected on abducted Ukrainian children has vanished.

They're calling on Rubio to say what happened to this data. State Dept still saying nothing.

newrepublic.com/article/192924…Image
Image
“The State Department is controlling this information,"
@RepAdamSmith told me. "They have to be the ones to tell us: Where is it?”

This is dicey for Rubio. He's trying to seem neutral in Russia-Ukraine talks. Will he come clean on what happened here?

newrepublic.com/article/192924…Image
Image
Read 5 tweets
Mar 1
Horrific: One of the USAID programs Trump just terminated was set to deliver lifesaving treatment to hundreds of thousands of starving kids abroad. Much of it is now in a Georgia warehouse.

Rubio's promise to preserve urgent assistance was a lie.

New:
newrepublic.com/article/192193…
This is one of hundreds of terminated USAID contracts. The full list is appalling: There's tons of the "lifesaving humanitarian assistance" that Rubio promised to protect.

Former USAID official Atul Gawande tells me we'll see a "a massive loss of life."

newrepublic.com/article/192193…Image
Image
The cancellation of the lifesaving assistance for starving kids abroad is really a galling one. This stuff was grown by American farmers and manufactured by American workers. This spreading of American bounty and good will long had bipartisan support.

newrepublic.com/article/192193…Image
Read 4 tweets
Feb 25
Awful news --> Delivery of therapeutic food assistance to nearly 400,000 severely malnourished kids is suddenly in doubt due to Trump-Musk firings at USAID, two manufacturers of the product tell me.

"Starving children are waiting," one says.

New from me:
newrepublic.com/article/191935…
The product is called Ready to Use Therapeutic Food. It's a paste made mostly of peanuts, milk, and sugar, designed for children to ingest if they're on the edge of starving to death.

It's made in two US factories, one in Georgia, the other in RI.

newrepublic.com/article/191935…Image
Both companies have contracts w/USAID, and have enough raw materials piled up in their warehouses to make this paste for 360,000 children.

But latest USAID firings crippled payment system and removed people overseeing contracts. So they're now in limbo.

newrepublic.com/article/191935…Image
Image
Image
Read 4 tweets
Feb 22
Remarkable: Trump's own pollster just found that in swing House districts, Dems lead by 5 points and voters want tax policy to prioritize working people, per Politico.

Yet GOP is about to slash the safety net and give the rich huge tax cuts!

New piece:
newrepublic.com/article/191841…
Trump's pollster found that in 18 swing House districts, 68% are unhappy about their financial situation. Majorities want ACA's expanded subsidies to continue and oppose corporate tax cuts.

Swing voters want the opposite of what Trump/Rs are set to do.

newrepublic.com/article/191841…Image
Image
Next week, House Republicans will vote on a blueprint that could lead to $880 billion in Medicaid cuts, big cuts to spending on food stamps, and more big tax cuts for rich/corporations.

Trump's own pollster finds broad opposition to these priorities.

newrepublic.com/article/191841…Image
Image
Read 7 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

Don't want to be a Premium member but still want to support us?

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

Donate via Paypal

Or Donate anonymously using crypto!

Ethereum

0xfe58350B80634f60Fa6Dc149a72b4DFbc17D341E copy

Bitcoin

3ATGMxNzCUFzxpMCHL5sWSt4DVtS8UqXpi copy

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us!

:(