BY MATT BERG
& CROOKED MEDIA |
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Daddy arrived and he’s taking his belt off.”
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Donald Trump is making Republican lawmakers’ lives downright awkward, because now they’re being pressured to publicly support his loopiest and most legally-dubious positions.
- President Donald Trump delivered a brand new gut punch to democracy last Friday night when, with no warning, he fired 17 inspectors general across government agencies. Those are the people tasked with identifying fraud and abuse… so you can see why he’d want THEM gone. Their removal paves the way for MAGAworld to install loyalists to do the president’s bidding. Trump’s defense: “I don’t know them.” Fact check: He appointed some of them during his first term.
- The move was so radical that even Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), aka Trump’s Secretary of Bootlicking, said the president broke the law by not giving the IGs a mandatory 30-day notice: “No, he didn’t. No, well, technically, yeah. But he has the authority to do it,” Graham told Meet The Press on Sunday. “I’m not, you know, losing a whole lot of sleep that he wants to change the personnel out.” Slam-dunk answer, senator! That’ll show them.
- It’s one major flashpoint in a string of decisions that have put Trump’s allies on Capitol Hill in a tricky spot. Over the weekend, Trump said he’d like to see Egypt and Jordan accept more than 1 million Palestinian refugees and “clean out” all of Gaza. Graham was asked about that one too, and said he doesn’t think it’s “overly practical.” (Keep scrolling for more on this topic).
- Other controversial moves, like pardoning all 1,500 January 6 rioters — even those who assaulted cops — have divided House Republicans… and yes, Graham also called that decision a “mistake” today. Conservative firebreathers have remained vocal proponents of banning Chinese-owned social media platform TikTok despite Trump’s love for it. Some GOP lawmakers were surprised that Trump paused President Joe Biden’s landmark climate initiative, because it gives so much money to their states. Others aren’t excited about Trump’s infatuation with tariffs and desire to lower the corporate tax rate. And many don’t think Trump should’ve revoked the security clearance for former national security adviser John Bolton, who Iran literally wanted to assassinate, according to the Department of Justice.
- Republicans will have to live with Trump’s decisions long after he exits the political arena (yes, that will happen one glorious day). That reality could cause GOP lawmakers to think twice about supporting “flaming turd” ideas, like shooting American protestors or declaring that the Constitution doesn’t actually apply to presidents. It feels like Graham, with his recent media frenzy questioning Trump’s leadership, may be getting ahead of the curve.
- Over the past week, Republicans have been forced “into a corner where they either have to hide from questions or say they disagree with him,” MSNBC host Rachel Maddow told Pod Save America. “That's probably good in terms of slowing down the worst things he wants to do. And I think it's a good sign that so many Republicans had a terrible, terrible first full day of Trump's second term.”
Many of Trump’s executive orders have been symbolic, aka bullshit. Listen to Strict Scrutiny’s latest episode, in which Leah Littman and Melissa Murray break them down.
Call out: Do you work in politics or the federal government? Got any tips, emails from the Trump admin to forward, or just wanna vent about what’s been going on?
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Donald Trump’s proposal to remove Palestinians from Gaza has been widely criticized as unrealistic and inhumane. “It’s batshit crazy, for a whole long list of reasons,” Yousef Munayyer, a senior fellow at Arab Center Washington D.C. told What A Day. Here’s a few:
Egypt and Jordan don’t want the refugees: Egypt shot down the Biden administration’s proposal to take in Gazans, and pushing Cairo again would strain its extremely tense relationship with Israel. Meanwhile, Jordan is a small country that has already accepted loads of refugees from other conflicts in the region, including 2 million Palestinians. “They do not want to be seen as participating in the ethnic cleansing of Palestine,” Munayyer said.
It could ruin Trump’s biggest foreign policy achievement: The crown jewel of Trump’s first administration was the Abraham Accords, an agreement between Israel and Arab countries to normalize relations (notably excluding Palestinians). Trying to force Egypt and Jordan to take refugees could make it difficult to expand the agreement or even jeopardize it.
He might not be serious: Right now, Israel and Hamas are in the first phase of their cease-fire agreement in Gaza. It’s possible that Trump is trying to put pressure on negotiators (such as Egypt) to move on to the second phase, which could result in the end of the war.
The clock is ticking on Trump’s political career, Munayyer said, so Egypt and Jordan might just wait things out to avoid longer-term problems.
The question facing the two countries: “Do I want to invite another five decades of conflict and strife and struggle inside my borders so that I can make this madman happy? Or do I just put up with whatever crap he's going to give me for a few more years before I never have to deal with him again?” he added.
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Buckle up for this week: Brainworm survivor Robert F. Kennedy Jr., dictator-sympathizer Tulsi Gabbard, and MAGA madman Kash Patel all have confirmation hearings this week for top jobs. God help us.
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The next four years are going to be a challenging and disorienting time, to say the least. Crooked will be here to help you distill what truly matters, understand what’s at stake, and figure out what we can do to make a difference. The best way to support what we do? Subscribe to Friends of the Pod. You’ll gain access to ad-free episodes, our engaged Discord community, and exclusive shows, all while supporting Crooked Media and our mission. Plus, now you can listen to episodes of Pod Save America — and Pod Save the World! — ad-free when you subscribe to Friends of the Pod on Apple Podcasts! Simply open the Apple Podcasts app and tap the subscribe button directly from the Pod Save America or Pod Save the World feed, and you’ll start your 7-day free trial.
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The Trump administration’s email tipline for government employees to snitch on DEI-supporting colleagues is being overrun by a spamming campaign that appears designed to overwhelm it, The xxxxxx reports. “People are sending it Scientology emails, porn, the script of ‘The Bee Movie,’ and warnings that unqualified, mediocre white people are being hired,” xxxxxx editor Sam Stein wrote. Keep it up, everyone!
Legendary actor Christopher Walken admitted that he’s an unapologetic luddite. “I don’t have technology. I only have a satellite dish on my house. So I’ve seen ‘Severance’ on DVDs that they’re good enough to send me,” he told the Wall Street Journal, referencing the show he currently stars in. “I don’t have a cellphone. I’ve never emailed or, what do you call it, Twittered.” Inspirational King!!!
Ilian Malinin, a 20-year-old figure skater from Virginia, is poised to lead the United States in the world championships in March after winning nationals this weekend. Malinin’s performance, complete with his signature quadruple axel and a newly legalized backflip, does a great job at taking your mind off the politics for six minutes.
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