I have recently criticized Republican leaders including Senator Graham for working against the interests of the country by covering for and enabling President Trump\u2019s ongoing dishonesty, unprofessional behavior, etc.\u00a0 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\u2019s business and speaking honestly to President Trump.<\/p>\n
When President Trump held an initial bi-partisan meeting at the White House to discuss the budget and immigration, he laid out his priorities.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 During a phone call with the President, he appreciated and praised their work, voiced initial approval, and invited them to the White House.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 They had convinced the President to change course and now oppose the bill.\u00a0 During that session, President Trump used the phrase \u201cshithole countries.\u201d\u00a0 The Washington Post reported on the meeting, including the President\u2019s vulgarity.\u00a0 As has been all too common, the administration denied the President used those words, despite more than sufficient corroboration that he had.<\/p>\n
When asked about the report, Senator Durbin confirmed its accuracy.\u00a0 However, Senators Cotton and Perdue chose to outright lie, even in the face of competent evidence to the contrary.\u00a0 It became more important to them to cover up for the President\u2019s inappropriate statement than to tell the truth.\u00a0 In so doing, they engaged in an awful character attack on Durbin, all the while knowing they were the ones lying.\u00a0 Senator Graham told the truth.\u00a0 He did what leaders are expected to do.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Even still, Cotton and Perdue lie.\u00a0 Kudos Senator Graham for demonstrating this week what leadership is.\u00a0 Shame on Cotton and Perdue, who likely are now not competent to serve in the Senate.\u00a0 All politicians lie, but this goes to a new intolerable extreme.<\/p>\n
Today Senator Flake took to the floor of the Senate to speak about President Trump\u2019s ongoing, highly inappropriate attack on the free press.\u00a0 One of the preeminent rights in the Constitution and a hallmark of any free society is a free press.\u00a0 While Flake discussed examples of the President\u2019s practice of lying and deceiving the American people, his focus was the press.\u00a0 Any time the President sees a story he does not like, he calls it \u201cfake news.\u201d\u00a0 He refers to entire networks as \u201cfake news.\u201d\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Everyone can point to an example of media antagonism.\u00a0 There are times they get aggressive, won\u2019t drop a story, push a particular issue, etc.\u00a0 When such things occur, it is entirely correct to comment.\u00a0 That is much different than attacking the very existence and rights of the free press.<\/p>\n
Josef Stalin, the infamous Soviet dictator, was responsible for the death of millions of people.\u00a0 He directed the imprisonment and murder of political opponents and journalists whose work he did not like and referred to the press as \u201cthe enemy of the state.\u201d\u00a0 President Trump also used this wholly inappropriate phrase.\u00a0 A huge difference between a free society and totalitarianism or autocracy is whether there is a free press.\u00a0 As Flake quoted today, the \u201cfree press is the enemy of the dictator and the dictator is the enemy of the people.\u201d\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Thank you, Senator Flake, for reminding us all what is at stake and having the courage to speak out about your party\u2019s president.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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