Today: Republican Senators Recommend Charges Against Author of Trump Dossier To me, it appears as though Senators Grassley and Graham are just trying to curry more favor w/ Lord Trump. But maybe the Justice Department has a better source of intel than Fox & Friends? Although it does seem like the actions of Fusion GPS (a.k.a. Glenn Simpson) should not go without scrutiny. This whole thing is the type of nightmare you wake up from with clinched fists, grinding your teeth.It was not clear why, if a crime is apparent in the F.B.I. reports that were reviewed by the Judiciary Committee, the Justice Department had not moved to charge Mr. Steele already.
Do we live in real life anymore? I've been listening to this podcast recently, Slow Burn, that details the Watergate investigation. There are eerie similarities between what GOPers are doing now and what they did then, in terms of trying to sabotage the investigations. The difference now, of course, is that they control the committees. Graham should kill himself to save face.
They won't control the Senate after this year's midterm elections, but I'm not so sure about the House.
I thought the conventional wisdom was the opposite, no? That the House, even as gerrymandered as it is, is super vulnerable to the president's popularity, but the senate has a very favorable GOP map this year. I think there are like 10 dems up for reelection in Trump states, or something crazy, but only a couple republicans in Clinton states. The president loses 10-20 house seats in midterms in a year when he's popular. Could be a bloodbath. Both houses should be in jeopardy given that the approval rating could be in the 20s by next fall. Already breaking records.
You're probably right. My only source of reasoning was that the Senate needs only lose one GOPer to a Democrat to flip.
It just occurred to me after listening to an interview with the reporter who broke the mitt Romney story why they did this. They're scaring Steele into not talking to the FBI anymore. If he is afraid that he'll be arrested if he talks to them, even if the chance is remote but real, then he won't talk. He knows more about Trump-Russia than any other private citizen. They want to keep him quiet. This is their way of doing so.
Sounds regrettably legal.? It’d be hard to prove that the intent of the Grassley/Graham recommendation was to intimidate Steele, and distinguish that from a genuine concern that he has lied to the FBI. I’m sure they deliberated with more than one lawyer about it. But the Hubski Court of General Thoughts will record the action as “fucking despicable”. And besides, it’s almost a certainty that everyone in the intelligence communities sees right through this bullshit, and have loathed Trump before he ever took office. Actions like these do more to turn our public servants against the GOP than any oft-demonized Obama-era holdovers.