Was there a coverup?

In case you missed it, RAM completely shook up the political world last week by joining forces with the Serve America Movement (SAM Party) and the Forward Party to build a new nationwide political party operating under the name Forward. Forward’s goal isn't just to be a new party, but a new kind of party entirely. We’re building from the ground up, not the top down, by listening to what Americans need and want from a party that they aren't getting from our limited political choices. If you're skeptical, that's good. We get it. The last thing we want is blind fealty to any party—that's largely what got us into our current mess. All we ask is that you give us a follow and a chance. We’re already working to get ballot access around the country, recruiting current and future leaders to join the party, and organizing for a national listening tour and convention in the coming year. We hope you'll join us as, together, we build the party Americans have been asking for. —Miles Taylor, Co-CEO, Forward Party

• Biden: Killing of al-Qaida leader is long-sought 'justice' —Associated Press

• Nancy Pelosi arrives in Taiwan as China warns of disastrous consequences —The Wall Street Journal

• Kentucky flooding followed by high temperatures, power outages —NPR

• California, Illinois join New York with states of emergency due to monkeypox —NPR

• Three Republicans who backed impeachment face the voters today —Roll Call

• GOP eyes 2024 payback for Manchin's Dems-only deal —Politico

• Veterans, advocates refuse to leave Capitol until toxic burn pits bill passes —The Hill

• Bipartisan senators introduce bill to codify abortion rights —The Hill

• Matt Gaetz assured Roger Stone of pardon on hot mic, discussed Mueller redactions —The Washington Post

• Texas man who brought gun to Capitol on Jan. 6, sentenced to 87 months in prison —CBS News

‘A scandalous dereliction of duty’

The case of the missing text messages keeps getting bigger, and now, House Democrats are calling for officials at the Department of Homeland Security’s independent watchdog to testify to Congress about it. At issue is the agency’s handling of missing Secret Service text messages from the day of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol—and whether or not a coverup was involved.

• “A lack of transparency and independence.” In a letter from Rep. Carolyn Maloney, chair of the Oversight Committee, and Rep. Bennie Thompson, chair of the Homeland Security Committee and the House select committee investigating Jan. 6, the pair express “grave new concerns” regarding Joseph Cuffari, the agency’s inspector general. They accuse him of “jeopardizing the integrity of a crucial investigation.”

• He knew, but did nothing. They claim Cuffari’s office had “secretly abandoned efforts to collect text messages from the Secret Service more than a year ago” and “may have taken steps to cover up the extent of missing records...” The letter further states that Cuffari’s office was notified in February that text messages from former acting Homeland Security Sec. Chad Wolf and his deputy, Ken Cuccinelli, also could not be accessed. —The New York Times

• Breaking news… Meanwhile, over at the Pentagon, court filings from a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit have revealed that the Defense Department wiped the phones of top departing DOD and U.S. Army officials at the end of the Trump Administration, deleting any texts from key witnesses to events surrounding the Jan. 6 attack. Among the officials are former acting Secretary of Defense Chris Miller, former Chief of Staff Kash Patel, and former Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy. Stay tuned. —CNN

MORE: House panels: DHS officials interfered in effort to get lost Secret Service texts —The Guardian

Lyons: The gods of democracy are uneasy

“If we don’t get our act together, we'll turn the keys to the political kingdom over to authoritarians and then tyrants. As Arthur Brooks points out, it's hard to negotiate with those you think are evil. So let’s start respecting each other, understanding others’ points of view, and compromising our way away from the ledge.” —William Lyons in The Tennessean

William Lyons is the director of policy partnerships for the Howard Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy and a professor emeritus of political science at the University of Tennessee. He also served as chief policy officer for Knoxville mayors Bill Haslam, Daniel Brown, and Madeline Rogero. 

MORE: Evan McMullin's Utah senate race could change national politics —PEOPLE.com

Why are Democrats funding the far-right?

Renewer Rep. Peter Meijer, who faces a tough primary in Michigan today, published an op-ed in Common Sense yesterday entitled, “Why the Democrats Are Funding My Far-Right Opponent,” in which he details some alarming spending in his 3rd District. Specifically, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is funding his Trump-endorsed extremist opponent, John Gibbs. “Conventional wisdom dictates that these extreme candidates are less electable than the normal Republicans Democrats targeted to defeat. But with a historically unpopular president in Joe Biden and inflation at 40-year highs, less-electable doesn’t mean un-electable,” Meijer writes. “As the Jan. 6 select committee continues to warn about the ongoing threat to democracy, [Democrats’] own party dues are paying to help elect the same villains they rail against.” Smart politics or dangerous game? —National Review

MORE: Democrats bareknuckle Green Party off North Carolina ballot —Yahoo! News

Donald Trump thinks I’m a RINO

By Roger Bolton

Okay, actually, Donald Trump has no idea who I am. But if he did, he would call me a RINO. Why?

• I never voted for him and never will.

• I believe he’s a traitor to his country.

• I’m supporting Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger and other loyal Republicans who oppose Trump.

• I’ve made a donation to the new Forward Party, a centrist effort to provide a home for thoughtful Americans disenfranchised by the extreme positions and actions of both the Republicans and the Democrats.

Trump calls Republicans who don’t support him RINOs—Republicans In Name Only. It’s actually an old acronym that’s been used many times over the years. But there are three things wrong with this.

First, in Trump’s case, it has nothing to do with loyalty to tried and true Republican principles and everything to do with blind loyalty to him. Trump is a latecomer to the GOP who doesn’t even understand its historical strengths and positions.

• I reject his message of polarization and hatred of “the other.”

• I oppose the outrageous steps he took to undermine the American-built international order, which has advanced U.S. interests, lifted billions of people out of poverty, and prevented the outbreak of World War III.

• I support the policies and accomplishments of former presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, two true Republicans whom I was privileged to serve in their administrations.

• I’m an original signatory of the Renew America Movement Principles, which lay out all of the basic American beliefs and rights that Trump has tried to undermine.

Second, Donald Trump has no right to determine who is a Republican and who is not. Why not?

• There is only one person who can determine what party I belong to, and that’s me. I may choose to join the Forward Party, but for now, I’m still a Republican.

• Trump is not the leader of the Republican Party. There’s no legal or official role for him in the GOP.

• The beliefs of the Republican Party and what it stands for are not determined by one person, and not even by the Republican National Committee. The party’s positions are voted on every four years by the delegates to the Republican National Convention, who are elected by Republican voters in each state, when they adopt the party platform. 

• Unfortunately, because Trump reserves the right to be for (and more important to him, against) whatever he chooses on any given day, he convinced the RNC not to adopt a platform in 2020. So, it’s hard to accuse Republicans of not supporting Republican positions when its positions are nonexistent.

Third, it’s in the interest of both the Republican Party and, more important, of the nation, that the party adheres to the Reagan “big tent” principle. Reagan said, “There is room in our tent for many views; indeed, the divergence of views is one of our strengths. … It is not your duty, responsibility, or privilege to tear down, or attempt to destroy, others in the tent.”

Clearly, Donald Trump doesn’t understand the Reagan philosophy. However, the founders of the Forward Party embrace exactly that, and for that they may earn my loyalty.

The Forward Party is not yet legally recognized in my home state of Connecticut, and as the Forward founders stated in their Washington Post op-ed announcing the new party, “Americans of all stripes—Democrats, Republicans, and independents—are invited to be a part of the process, without abandoning their existing political affiliations, by joining us to discuss building an optimistic and inclusive home for the politically homeless majority." 

I’m ready to do just that. In the meantime, I’m still a Republican. One might argue that I’m a lonely voice crying in the wilderness of today’s Republican Party, and that’s certainly true. Many longstanding Republicans who, like me, detest what Trump and his allies have done to our party, have chosen to leave. 

They are standing on principle, and I respect their choice. However, the result is that the party is shrinking and becoming a much smaller tent party, creating an opening for the Forward Party to build a centrist coalition.

My hope—one that it’s hard to hang onto on many days—is that there is still a chance to return the Republican Party to the big tent party that President Reagan endorsed, whose center-right orientation and willingness to work productively across the aisle with responsible, center-left Democrats, can again be a force for good in American governance.

If not, the Forward Party will earn my allegiance.

Roger Bolton headed content and speechwriting for Reagan-Bush ’84 and served in senior roles in the Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush Administrations. He is currently president of the Arthur W. Page Society, the global professional association for corporate chief communication officers CCOs.

MORE: Jolly, Whitman & Yang: Most third parties have failed. Here's why our Forward Party won't —The Washington Post

I agree with the article about the error of Democrats in promoting what they consider to be unelectable candidates. As a citizen, I sometimes vote Republican, but only to vote for someone who would be "tolerable" should the Democratic candidate not be the best and/or electable. Why even give a terrible candidate a "chance" to win! That's playing unwise games with our republic. —Ruth Ann H., Illinois

The views expressed in "What's Your Take?" are submitted by readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff, the Renew America Movement, or the Renew America Foundation.