I have recently criticized Republican leaders including Senator Graham for working against the interests of the country by covering for and enabling President Trump’s ongoing dishonesty, unprofessional behavior, etc. Thus, I believe it is important today to sincerely praise Senator Graham and Senator Flake for their efforts this week to restore some decorum and legality to the nation’s business and speaking honestly to President Trump.
When President Trump held an initial bi-partisan meeting at the White House to discuss the budget and immigration, he laid out his priorities. Senators Durbin and Graham negotiated a bi-partisan bill to provide proper protections for DACA as well as the border security priorities laid out by the President. During a phone call with the President, he appreciated and praised their work, voiced initial approval, and invited them to the White House. In the two hours before they arrived, Chief of Staff Kelly and others who oppose DACA and immigration reform, invited Senators Cotton and Perdue along with some other hard liners to ambush Senators Graham and Durbin and scuttle the bi-partisan bill. They had convinced the President to change course and now oppose the bill. During that session, President Trump used the phrase “shithole countries.” The Washington Post reported on the meeting, including the President’s vulgarity. As has been all too common, the administration denied the President used those words, despite more than sufficient corroboration that he had.
When asked about the report, Senator Durbin confirmed its accuracy. However, Senators Cotton and Perdue chose to outright lie, even in the face of competent evidence to the contrary. It became more important to them to cover up for the President’s inappropriate statement than to tell the truth. In so doing, they engaged in an awful character attack on Durbin, all the while knowing they were the ones lying. Senator Graham told the truth. He did what leaders are expected to do. He immediately confronted the President when he made the comment, and as much as he would most likely have preferred for it not to be an issue, he told the truth when asked. Even still, Cotton and Perdue lie. Kudos Senator Graham for demonstrating this week what leadership is. Shame on Cotton and Perdue, who likely are now not competent to serve in the Senate. All politicians lie, but this goes to a new intolerable extreme.
Today Senator Flake took to the floor of the Senate to speak about President Trump’s ongoing, highly inappropriate attack on the free press. One of the preeminent rights in the Constitution and a hallmark of any free society is a free press. While Flake discussed examples of the President’s practice of lying and deceiving the American people, his focus was the press. Any time the President sees a story he does not like, he calls it “fake news.” He refers to entire networks as “fake news.” Ironically, and as Flake referenced, as an industry, when the media gets something wrong, they own up to it, correct it, and move forward after appropriate action. Everyone can point to an example of media antagonism. There are times they get aggressive, won’t drop a story, push a particular issue, etc. When such things occur, it is entirely correct to comment. That is much different than attacking the very existence and rights of the free press.
Josef Stalin, the infamous Soviet dictator, was responsible for the death of millions of people. He directed the imprisonment and murder of political opponents and journalists whose work he did not like and referred to the press as “the enemy of the state.” President Trump also used this wholly inappropriate phrase. A huge difference between a free society and totalitarianism or autocracy is whether there is a free press. As Flake quoted today, the “free press is the enemy of the dictator and the dictator is the enemy of the people.” We may not always like what we read in the press, but we truly need a free press to maintain our freedom, speak truth to power, and ensure our free society. Thank you, Senator Flake, for reminding us all what is at stake and having the courage to speak out about your party’s president.