John,
The cat’s out of the bag when it comes to the Republican Party’s behind-the-scenes reaction to Donald Trump’s January 6 coup attempt, and it proves what we all already knew …
… namely, that the GOP is a bunch of spineless cowards who allowed themselves – and the country – to be held hostage by a man they knew was mentally unfit for office, all because they were afraid standing up to him would cost them political points with the crazies in their base.
The New York Times reported yesterday on phone calls recorded between Mitch McConnell, Kevin McCarthy and other top Republicans in the days after Jan. 6 in which:
- They blamed Trump for the attack on the Capitol
- McConnell expressed hope that the Democrats would impeach Trump (“The Democrats are going to take care of the son-of-a-bitch for us!” McConnell said. “If this isn’t impeachable, I don’t know what is.”)
- McCarthy suggested invoking the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office
- McCarthy promised to advise Trump to resign.
During a Jan. 8 phone conversation, McCarthy called Trump’s behavior on Jan. 6 “atrocious and totally wrong” and “not right by any shape or form,” and blamed Trump for “inciting people” to violently storm the Capitol.
By Jan. 10, McCarthy promised to recommend that Trump resign as president and expressed growing frustration with Trump loyalists like Lauren Boebert who were still flogging The Big Lie on social media and stirring up further anger within the GOP’s hard-right base after Twitter suspended Trump for spreading misinformation and inciting violence.
“We can’t put up with that,” McCarthy said of their constant lies. “Can’t they take their Twitter accounts away, too?”
The conversations released by the Times paint a picture of Republican leaders who knew Trump was at fault for the Jan. 6 attacks, knew he was unfit for office, and ultimately did nothing about it.
That’s because they were scared that – as Rep. Bill Johnson of Ohio warned the group during one call – their fringe, QAnon-fueled base would “go ballistic” if they failed to support the outgoing president and his false claims of an election fraud conspiracy by Democrats.
So, even though they privately acknowledged that he was a liar who had incited a deadly insurrection and was mentally unfit for office, they ultimately decided to stick by Trump … which they continue to do to this day.
That’s why it’s so important we defeat the GOP in the upcoming midterms: Because we now know beyond a shadow of a doubt where their loyalties lie, and it’s not with the American people, it’s with Donald J. Trump.
Only ten House Republicans voted with Democrats to impeach Trump, and Kevin McCarthy wasn’t one of them. And despite Mitch McConnell’s tough talk (“If that isn’t impeachable, I don’t know what is!”), he voted not to convict Trump.
According to the Washington Post, last night after the Times story broke, Kevin McCarthy jumped on the phone with Trump to grovel and try to get back in his good graces.
Trump “was not upset” with McCarthy for considering asking him to resign, according to the Post. Instead, he “was glad [he] didn’t follow through, which Trump saw as a sign of his continued grip on the Republican Party.”
Folks, this is what we’re up against – a party in absolute THRALL to a man they KNOW is mentally unhinged, a liar, and a danger to democracy … and they don’t care, as long as he lets them keep their grip on power.
If the Republicans take back control of Congress and the Senate in 2022, we can say goodbye to our chances of keeping the White House in 2024 … or ever again, for that matter.
In fact, we can say goodbye to democracy as we know it.
Trump is already flooding Secretary of State races nationwide with campaign cash for his handpicked, loyal cronies so they can control the way ballots are counted and certified, and the Supreme Court is already stacked with his appointees.
If the Republicans take control of Congress and the Senate this year, then Trump will have a rubber stamp for whatever electoral shenanigans he pulls in 2024 – and he’ll be absolutely unstoppable.
We cannot let that happen.
John, can you spare any amount today to help No Dem Left Behind protect and expand our House and Senate majorities to prevent this nightmare scenario from becoming our reality?
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Make no mistake, 2022 is about much more than whether we’ll be able to pass President Biden’s agenda in the next two years.
At this point, it’s nothing less than a fight for our survival.
We know Trump and the Republicans play the long game, and they’re using this election to build a foundation for Trump’s ultimate comeback in 2024.
And thanks to these recorded phone calls, we now know for certain that there is no bridge too far for the Republican Party to cross when it comes to supporting Trump’s destructive ambitions.
So please, donate what you can to help us fight this all-important battle – now, today, before it’s too late!
Thank you so much for helping us defend democracy.
--The No Dem Left Behind team
P.S. If you want to have even more of an impact on this year’s midterms, consider making a monthly commitment to No Dem Left Behind.
Even just a $5 or $10 a monthly commitment from a fraction of our supporters makes a huge difference to our work, when we know we can count on those funds in advance.
Thanks again for everything.
