Rep. Steve King (R-IA), who once wondered why the notion of white supremacy was offensive, was defeated by GOP challenger state Sen. Randy Feenstra (R) in Iowa’s primary race on Tuesday night.
Continue reading “Unrepentant Racist Rep. Steve King Defeated In Iowa Primary”
Secretary of Defense Mark Esper on Tuesday night distanced himself from President Donald Trump’s infamous photo-op in front of St. John’s Episcopal Church on Monday.
All at once this evening it seemed every major publication with solid Pentagon reporters had a story with unnamed Pentagon officials saying in so many words, “It Wasn’t Me!” Non-involvement in politics has been part of US military indoctrination, especially for high ranking officers, for generations – or at least until recently. But these denials had less the sound of something that was wrong than something that was proving unpopular or indefensible. In most cases the officials calling up reporters seem to have been civilian appointees. But the precise identities are not clear. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper sat for an interview with NBC News in which he claimed he was out of the loop about yesterday’s tear gas and photo op stunt. “I didn’t know where I was going … I thought I was going to do two things: to see some damage and to talk to the troops.”
This has the feeling of a turning point.
In the last few days, Washington D.C. has erupted.
Mike Mullen, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, decried President Trump for his surprise photo-op at St. John’s Episcopal Church amid mounting protests in the wake of George Floyd’s death. Continue reading “Ex-Top Military Leader Was ‘Sickened’ To See Forces ‘Violently Clear Path’ For Trump Photo-Op”
Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), an Iraq War veteran who lost both her legs in combat, expressed alarm on Tuesday over the federal government’s use of military helicopters to disperse protests in Washington, D.C. the night before.
Duckworth said on Twitter that she has witnessed similar scenes during her deployment in the Middle East.
“When I was in Iraq, we flew Black Hawks in the fight against Al-Qaeda to protect our troops,” said Duckworth, a former lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army. “In Donald Trump’s America, those same helicopters are being used to intimidate peaceful protesters in our own nation’s capital instead.”
The teenage son of a former Republican congressman was arrested late Monday for allegedly tagging a sign at the Trump National Golf Club in Jupiter, Florida, with “BLM.”
Continue reading “Former GOP Rep’s Son Arrested For Spray-Painting ‘BLM’ On Trump Golf Club Sign”
Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway backed up Trump’s decision to use tear gas to disperse protesters for a photo op in front of St. John’s Episcopal Church Monday night, and lashed out at the congregation’s bishop, who sharply criticized the move.
Kellyanne Conway blasts D.C. Bishop Mariann Budde: "That is not 'her church,' that is not 'her Bible.' We don't look into other people's hearts and souls and discern and judge what their faith is." pic.twitter.com/Z7m9boEjEA
— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) June 2, 2020
When asked for a response to D.C. Episcopal Bishop Rev. Mariann Budde, who expressed outrage that the President had used her church as a “prop,” Conway criticized the presiding bishop for exercising what she saw as a kind of religious righteousness.
“That is not ‘her church,’ that is not ‘her Bible,’” Conway said. “We don’t look into other people’s hearts and souls and discern and judge what their faith is.”
Harping on the same issue in separate remarks to the press Tuesday, Conway suggested that despite creating a scene with the intention of taking a photo, the tear-gassing event at the church Monday night that involved a photo being taken of Trump with a Bible in hand was not actually a “photo op.”
Kellyanne Conway denies that Trump's photo op in front of the church was in fact a photo op: "Is it a photo op because a photo was taken?"
That is, in fact, the definition of a photo op. pic.twitter.com/UAUMX5mK6Q
— The American Independent (@AmerIndependent) June 2, 2020
Borrowing rhetoric that has been used repeatedly by conservatives with regard to the anti-racism protests of the past week, Conway said she would not allow “arsonists and anarchists” to dissuade her or others from “practicing our religion” — despite the fact that among those tear-gassed on Monday were members of the church.
After calling on governors to “dominate” protesters in their cities Monday, President Trump put on a show.
Continue reading “Right-Wing Commentariat Cheers Trump’s ‘Domination’ Strategy Against Protesters”
Attorney General Bill Barr reportedly asked law enforcement officials to push protesters out of Lafayette Square shortly before President Trump delivered an address at the White House amid protests nationwide in the wake of George Floyd’s death. Continue reading “Barr Ordered Lafayette Square Clear-Out Right Before Trump’s Remarks”
