Even some (although not enough) Republicans were appalled by Attorney General Pam Bondi’s performance jackassery on Capitol Hill last week. The Senate was bad enough but the House hearing was so over-the-top it wound up doing the opposite of what Trump ordered Bondi to do. Her performance was intended to get Congress to back the hell off, and to the public say ‘STFU about Epstein and get over it.’ Instead Bondi gave the issue of the Epstein Files a shot of adrenaline straight into the heart. Trump’s approval has taken yet another hit and lawmakers are increasingly worried it could drag THEM down. That’s why one GOP Congress Critter is warning defections in the GOP ranks are coming.
Thomas Massie’s warning to his fellow GOPers has to be being discussed on Capitol Hill. And in Congressional offices back home where staffers are fielding calls (or, fearing direct interaction with constituents only listening to voicemails and logging the content) because it’s more than folks here that are riled up. MAGA has been riled up by this too, and by Trump himself. I won’t dig into all the why of it but it’s important they are loaded for bear. Without MAGA, Trump and other Republicans are screwed come election time. Not that MAGAs will turn around and vote for Democrats. However they can and likely will vote in significant numbers for third-Party candidates. Or not vote at all. Either way it’s good for Democrats.
We’ve thought in the past Trump was losing his grip on MAGA only to have our hopes dashed. Like Texas voting blue it’s always turned out to be a mirage. However on this there are actual signs Trump’s base is cracking, and might even rupture. It turns out MAGAs don’t like pedophiles any more than felons in prisons do. That dislike extends to those who protect pedophiles. Via Bondi in her capacity as AG Trump has gone to extraordinary lengths to not only distance himself from anything in the Epstein files, he’s also clearly trying to protect “friends” (I use the term loosely), donors, political allies and even members of his cabinet.
Massie isn’t the only one calling Trump out. We have the GOP’s version of ‘The Squad’ as in Greene, Boebert and Mace raising hell. Greene in particular has been front and center advocating for the victims and could wind up being as much a thorn in Trump’s side as Massie. One of my Senators (Tillis) has been openly critical but then he’s retiring so he doesn’t need MAGA anymore. However while with so many Republicans deciding to walk away rather than run in the primaries we can expect more we have GOPers who ARE running for re-election and in some places where this will matter.
Massie, according to this article from Raw Story says we are about to see plenty more defections from Trump over this. As for what “this” is let me remind you:
Last week, Bondi attempted to blow off concerns about the Epstein files by snapping at House Judiciary Committee lawmakers on both sides of the aisle while furiously insisting time would be better spent applauding stock market gains under the president. Then over the weekend, the Department of Justice released a comprehensive list of names found in the Epstein documents that did nothing to shed light on any possible investigation and only ramped up more criticism.
When asked about pursuing court action to enforce compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, Massie declined to escalate immediately. “I don’t think it’s necessary to proverbially pull a knife right now in this argument because we’re winning it. When the attorney general is reduced to a stack of pre-prepared insults to deliver, and then the DOJ is responding to my every tweet with additional unredactions, I don’t think I’m going to change what I’m doing just yet. We’re at a stage right now where we still have steam.”
I think Massie is right. The recent House vote on tariffs, another big issue for Trump where a small group of Republicans joined Democrats to rein Trump in is a sign that willingness to look out for their own interests is starting to happen. Like a worn out dam, cracks that start out as small leaks can suddenly turn into a big hole. That is what Massie seems to be predicting:
He also warned the GOP that it’s likely to get more opposition from inside its ranks.
“On any given day, I would just need one or two of my own co-conspirators to get something done,” he told Politico. “I think you’re going to see more defections.”
Keep in mind this is all happening with primaries getting underway. Early voting has already started in some places. An unusually high number of incumbents have already decided not to run, and by a significant number more Republicans are calling it quits. If anything we can expect that to increase during the next month and more filing deadlines come up. Even for some trying to get another term there are a startling number of primary challengers and how to navigate this Trump created problem could leave a lot of the winners politically bleeding. All, the while as Massie says it only takes one or two to join with Democrats on a given thing and the whole GOP has yet another mess to contend with.
In the end we are watching in real time lots of Republicans play the “Do I protect Trump or my own political career?” game. I don’t know about you but I will take every bit of enjoyment from their torment that’s out there to be had. Sooner or later the bill was always going to come due for enabling Trump. Maybe, just maybe “LATER” has finally arrived.
Friends, I know everyone begs you for money. I promise, among all those asking for spare change, we are the smallest and the hardest working. We’re a group of old, disabled people, except for one writer in his mid-50s. The rest of us are in our sixties and seventies, and this is a labor of love. All we’re asking for is the chance to keep telling the truth about Trump and help ensure democracy survives. If you can help, please do. Thank you. Ursula
Don’t count on it Denis. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not super confident about November either but I wouldn’t count on many Republican voters turning to 3rd party candidates. I am concerned about turnout.
But hey, maybe AOC will continue flapping her gums and the dems will shoot themselves in the foot after all!
The only thing I count on is Trump trying to prevent there being a midterm election.
Oh you and your conspiracy theories.
Further obfuscation from what can be clearly described as The Epstein Administration.