The chair of the Federal Election Commission took a transparent swipe at President Trump on Thursday evening when she posted a statement outlining the illegality of accepting anything of value from a foreign national in connection with a U.S. election.
“I would not have thought that I needed to say this,” FEC Chair Ellen Weintraub said in a tweet of her statement, which did not name Trump, but was a clear reference to Trump’s recent admission that he’d probably at least listen to a foreign entity that tried to offer him dirt on a political opponent. He also wouldn’t say for sure whether he’d call the FBI if he received information from a foreign national.
“Let me make something 100 percent clear to the American public and anyone running for public office: It is illegal for any person to solicit, accept or receive anything of value from a foreign national in connection with a U.S. election,” she said. “This is not a novel concept. Electoral intervention from foreign governments has been considered unacceptable since the beginning of our nation.”
I would not have thought that I needed to say this. pic.twitter.com/T743CsXq79
— Ellen L Weintraub (@EllenLWeintraub) June 13, 2019
Trump’s remarks sparked outrage from Democrats and pushed some Republicans to speak out on the issue. Some of Trump’s most ardent defenders, like Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), were clear that accepting any foreign assistance during a federal election was a “mistake.”
That’s what a patriot says and does.
I heard Donald Rex say otherwise. Who you going to believe him or the long established law?
Of course it did not name tRump… how else will the GOP be able to justify not doing anything. If the FEC Chair really wanted to do something why not levy a fine
“That all depends on what ‘is’ means.”
IS illegal for Democrats? Yup - we’ll go along with that.
IS illegal as in ‘was’ illegal sometime in an unstated past?.. maybe.
IS illegal for the PRESIDENT? - No, clearly not. “If the president does it - It IS not illegal.”
I’m surprised I had to clarify this.
Has she heard of the well established legal principle of IOKIYAR?