With Donald Trump? Bwahaha!
In my first post below, I mentioned The Washington Post “exclusive” about Marco Rubio. David Waldman above succinctly summarizes the metamessage.
Betrayal is the Trump administration’s one-word mission statement. First and foremost, his betrayal of the U.S. Constitution. Ask the people of D.C., Chicago, and Portland about their betrayal. Ask the Afghan translator snatched by ICE. Or the Iraqi Christian killed after being deported. Or the hundreds of stiffed Trump Organization subcontractors. Because you still can.
In the days before the Trump administration deported hundreds of Venezuelan immigrants to a notorious prison in El Salvador, the president of that countrydemanded somethingfor himself: the return of nine MS-13 gang leaders in U.S. custody.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in a March 13phone call with Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, promised the request would be fulfilled, according to officials familiar with the conversation. But there was one obstacle: Some of the MS-13 members Bukele wanted were “informants” under the protection of the U.S. government, Rubio told him.
To deport them to El Salvador, Attorney General Pam Bondi would need to terminate the Justice Department’s arrangements with those men, Rubio said. He assured Bukele that Bondi would complete that process and Washington would hand over the MS-13 leaders.
The Post offers, “While the outlines of the quid pro quo have been public for months, the Trump administration’s willingness to renege on secret arrangements made with informants who had aided U.S. investigations has not been previously reported.”
“Who would ever trust the word of U.S. law enforcement or prosecutors again?” said Douglas Farah, a U.S. contractor who worked with the DOJ to take down MS-13.
I’ve been focused on how the Republican Party’s nationwide attacks on voting and gerrymandering systematically undermine the Article IV, Section 4 guarantee to each state “a Republican Form of Government“:
The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened) against domestic Violence.
Perhaps we should be as focused on Section 1:
Full Faith and Credit shall be given in each State to the public Acts, Records, and judicial Proceedings of every other State. And the Congress may by general Laws prescribe the Manner in which such Acts, Records and Proceedings shall be proved, and the Effect thereof.
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Is this a private fight, or can anyone join?
No King’s One Million Rising movement
50501
May Day Strong
Freedom Over Fascism Toolkit
The Resistance Lab
Choose Democracy
Indivisible: A Guide to Democracy on the Brink
You Have Power
Chop Wood, Carry Water
Thirty lonely but beautiful actions
Attending a Protest Surveillance Self-Defense