Senator Corker: “It’s unfortunate that our nation finds itself in this place.”


Developments on Day 280 of the Trump Administration:

Trump Renews Attack on Leading Senator Corker

Threatening his own tax plan, Donald Trump resumes his assault on prominent GOP Senator Bob Corker in a series of insulting tweets.

Angered that Corker has raised questions over his proposed $1.5 trillion tax cut, Trump railed:

Trump said that Corker, who is not standing for re-election in 2018, “dropped out of the race in Tennesse [sic] when I refused to endorse him, and now is only negative on anything Trump. Look at his record!”

Over the next two years, Trump returned to the topic:

Isn’t it sad that lightweight Senator Bob Corker, who couldn’t get re-elected in the Great State of Tennessee, will now fight Tax Cuts plus!

Sen. Corker is the incompetent head of the Foreign Relations Committee, & look how poorly the U.S. has done. He doesn’t have a clue as the entire World WAS laughing and taking advantage of us. People like liddle’ Bob Corker have set the U.S. way back. Now we move forward!

More than two weeks ago, after Trump went on a similar tirade, Corker blunted the attack with the viral reply: “It’s a shame the White House has become an adult day care center. Someone obviously missed their shift this morning.”

Yesterday, he responded:

In an interview on CNN, Corker said, “I don’t know why [Trump] lowers himself to such a low, low standard and debases our country.” He said that, while he would never use the “L-word”, Trump repeatedly uttered “untruths”: “The President has great difficulty with the truth on many issues.”

He indicated that, as chair of the Foreign Relations Committee, he will hold hearings on how Trump “purposely has been breaking down relationships around the world”: “It’s unfortunate that our nation finds itself in this place.”

Senator Flake: “I Will No Longer Be Complicit”

In a 17-minute speech on the Senate floor, Jeff Flake of Arizona said that he “will no longer be complicit or silent” in the face of Trump’s “reckless, outrageous and undignified” behavior.

Announcing that he will not stand for re-election in 2018, Flake criticized the “casual undermining of our democratic ideals” and “the personal attacks, the threats against principles, freedoms and institutions, the flagrant disregard for truth and decency” in the Trump era.

With their latest declarations, Flake and Corker join fellow Senator John McCain and former Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush, all of whom spoke in the past week of “half-baked, spurious nationalism”, division, bigotry, hatred, and a degrading of US values under Trump.

See Podcast: The Bush-Obama Statements on Trump and US Society

Flake said:

It is often said that children are watching. Well, they are. And what are we going to do about that? When the next generation asks us, “Why didn’t you do something? Why didn’t you speak up?”, What are we going to say?…

We must stop pretending that the degradation of our politics and the conduct of some in our executive branch are normal. They are not normal. Reckless, outrageous and undignified behavior has become excused and countenanced as telling it like it is when it is actually just reckless, outrageous and undignified. And when such behavior emanates from the top of our government, it is something else. It is dangerous to a democracy.

Trump’s Threat to His Tax Proposal

With his latest clash with Corker and Flake’s announcement, Trump — who has yet to pass a single major piece of legislation through Congress — is threatening the tax proposal that he hopes will demonstrate his success.

The plan has cleared its first hurdle in the Senate, but the Republicans hold only a 52-48 majority and defections could block final adoption.

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan tried to claim all was well on Monday:

I know Bob [Corker], who supported the budget, wants to get tax reform. I know the President want to get tax reform.

Representative Chris Collins — apparently ignoring Flake, McCain, and other possible GOP defectors such as Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska — insisted that the GOP did not need Corker, as Vice President Mike Pence can break a 50-50 tie.

Trump tried to rally support at a luncheon with GOP senators, after Corker’s CNN interview but before Flake’s statement.

Senators said Trump largely appeared interested in touting his accomplishments. He praised the 70 “bills” — almost all of them executive orders — that he signed since taking office, assured the senators that he would deliver tax relief for middle-income families and not just the wealthy, and repeated the corporate tax rate must be lowered to 20%.

Some attendees said Trump was “very well received”, but others were not impressed, citing a lack of substance and focus.

“He said the tax cuts are ‘going to be great’,” without going into any detail, said one senator. “He just went on and on, talking about his accomplishments and going off on tangents. It was inane.”

Still, at the end of his Twitter day, Trump proclaimed victory:

He did not clarify if the “multiple standing ovations” were for the senators or for himself.

Breitbart and Bannon Celebrate

However, while Trump may have increased his difficulties, the hard-right attack site Breitbart and its chief executive Steve Bannon, the former White House chief strategist, are celebrating.

Bannon has declared a war on the Republican “establishment”, including many Senators, and Breitbart marked Flake’s announcement of his retirement as another victory: “Establishment Republicans Fall Like Dominoes“.

Bannon has been recruiting challengers to GOP incumbents in 2018, with his site hailing the reception of its chosen candidates at the “Breitbart Embassy”.

As it ran a series of stories denouncing Flake, Breitbart took aim on Monday night at another target, Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi, labelling him as a “Yes Man” for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.