Sasse Posts Interoffice-Like Memo To Defend His Criticism Of Trump’s Executive Actions

WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 21: Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE) heads into a Republican caucus lunch meeting at the U.S. Capitol December 21, 2018 in Washington, DC. The U.S. Senate will meet Friday to consider a budget bill pas... WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 21: Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE) heads into a Republican caucus lunch meeting at the U.S. Capitol December 21, 2018 in Washington, DC. The U.S. Senate will meet Friday to consider a budget bill passed Thursday by the House of Representatives that would fund the federal government and includes more than $500 million for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. The Senate is unlikely to pass the bill with the wall funding, moving the government closer to a partial shut down just days before the Christmas holiday. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) MORE LESS

August 10, 2020 5:20 p.m.

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Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE) on Monday afternoon issued an interoffice memo-like response to President Trump accusing him of having “gone rogue, again” earlier in the day.

On Monday morning, the President scorned Sasse in a tweet days after the Nebraska senator characterized the flurry of his executive actions over the weekend as “unconstitutional slop.” Sasse’s reaction to Trump’s move — which came after Democrats and the White House failed to reach a deal on a new COVID-19 relief package last week — joined the chorus of criticism from both Democrats and some Republicans who argue that the President exercised executive overreach with his actions.

RINO Ben Sasse, who needed my support and endorsement in order to get the Republican nomination for Senate from the GREAT State of Nebraska, has, now that he’s got it (Thank you President T), gone rogue, again. This foolishness plays right into the hands of the Radical Left Dems!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 10, 2020

Sasse addressed Trump’s scorn against him in a tweet posted by his re-election campaign later Monday, which includes a screenshot of an interoffice-like memo listing five points on why he continues to stand by his sharp rebuke of the President’s executive actions.

In defending his stance against Trump’s executive actions, amid a stalemate between Democrats and the White House on a new COVID-19 relief package, Sasse denied that his disagreements are personal and said he decided to tweet his response to the President’s grievances against him due to their conversation being moved from “private to public.”

Mr. President-
I understand that you’re mad. A few thoughts….
⁰⁰(1) As we’ve discussed before, I don’t think Twitter is the best place to do this. But, since you moved our conversation from private to public, here we are.
(2)…https://t.co/AYF2ApdRR2 pic.twitter.com/2rtiPuhJJB

— Team Sasse (@TeamSasse) August 10, 2020

Last year, Trump threw a “total endorsement” behind the Nebraska senator in his bid for re-election. Sasse has since become known as one of the few Republicans on Capitol Hill willing to criticize the President.

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Summer Concepcion is a newswriter for TPM based in New York. She previously covered the 2016 election for Fusion, conducted investigative research for The Nation Institute, and has written for NBC Chicago and the Chicago Reader.

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