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Senate Democrats renewed an assault on Donald Trumps pick for attorney general, Republican Senator Jeff Sessions, questioning his independence after the president fired the acting attorney general for refusing to enforce his executive order on immigration.

Photographer: Pete Marovich/Bloomberg

Invoking procedural rules, Democrats succeeded in delaying Judiciary Committee action on the Sessions nomination until Wednesday after intense exchanges with Republicans at a hearing Tuesday. His loyalty to Trump was a top target during debate by the panel, which is expected to vote on party lines to recommend his confirmation by the full Senate.

It is very difficult to reconcile, for me, the independence and objectivity necessary to be attorney general with the partisanship Sessions has represented, Senator Dianne Feinstein, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, said. "Will he support and defend these broad and disruptive executive orders? Will he carry out and enforce the presidents actions that may very well violate the Constitution?"

"Its not difficult to assess that he will," Feinstein said.

Anger over the executive order emboldened Democrats to rebel on other Trump nominations Tuesday as well. They forced a delay of scheduled committee votes on the nominations of Steven Mnuchin to run the Treasury and Representative Tom Price to head Health and Human Services by staging a boycott.

Read about Trumps refugee ban and the legal landscape -- QuickTake Q&A

In opening the Judiciary Committee hearing, Chairman Chuck Grassley said Sessions understands the Justice Department better than any nominee in recent history and that hell fulfill the law fully, faithfully and independently, even when he disagrees with it.

The partisan anger fueled by Trumps decision to sign the executive orderbanning entry to the U.S. from seven Muslim-majority countries and then fire acting Attorney General Sally Yates Monday night for denouncing it all but guarantees a titanic struggle over an even bigger job, Supreme Court justice, when Trump announces his pick Tuesday evening.

Photographer: Samuel Corum/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

While Senate Republicans probably will clear Sessions, a fellow senator, Democrats said they wanted more time to question him -- particularly about whether hed have the independence to stand up to Trump if he disagreed with the president. Democrats say thats what Yates did, and it cost her her job.

"Many people have doubts about whether Jeff Sessions can be that person, and the full Senate and the American people should at the very least know exactly how independent he plans to be before voting on him," the Senates top Democrat, Chuck Schumer, said in a statement Monday night.

The anger over Trumps handling of Yates could intensify Democratic opposition to other Trump nominees.Onlyfour have been confirmed so far, with more than a dozen nominations still awaiting votes.

Trump took to Twitter on Tuesday morning to demand that Congress quickly approve his nominees. When will the Democrats give us our Attorney General and rest of Cabinet! They should be ashamed of themselves! No wonder D.C. doesnt work! Trump said.

Democrats have emphasized that the Trump aide who reportedly helped write the executive order banning some immigrant travel, Stephen Miller, was previously a longtime aide to Sessions.

Another complication is Trumps impending announcement of his choice to fill the vacant seat on the Supreme Court. Trumps order, which Democrats say has raised questions about whether the judicial branch can serve as an effective check on executive power, is certain to complicate that confirmation battle as well.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell hasnt said when he plans to bring the Sessions nomination to the floor. The Senate voted Tuesday to confirm Elaine Chao to be transportation secretary, and is expected to vote no later than Wednesday on the nomination of former Exxon Mobil chief Rex Tillerson to run the State Department.

If McConnell moves to bring up Sessions after Tillerson, Democrats could employ some delaying tactics. Sessions could still receive a vote this week, but that would probably require Senate Republicans to keep the chamber in session into the weekend.

Debate over Sessions on the Senate floor promises to be emotionally charged, with Democrats expressing outrage over Trumps immigration order and his decision to fire Yates, an Obama administration holdover, after she said Justice Department lawyers wouldnt defend in court the White House executive order banning travel from seven Muslim-majority countries.

Democratic leaders staged a protest in front of the Supreme Court Monday night, and held the Senate floor well into the night to criticize Trumps order.

We will not let this evil order make us less American, Schumer told protesters. We will fight it with everything we have and we will win this fight.

To actually block Sessions, Democrats need to win over the votes of at least three Republicans.

Republican senators to watch include John McCain and Jeff Flake of Arizona, who have been particularly critical of the travel ban. McCain expressed his anger Monday over the order, saying it could block Iraqi pilots from coming to Arizona for training on F-16s so they can fly missions back home that protect U.S. soldiers helping to fight the Islamic State. A third Republican whos been critical of Trump, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, is on the Judiciary panel and said he supports Sessions.

While the entry ban dominated the debate over Sessions, Democrats questioned how the conservative senator from Alabama would act on issues from abortion to voting rights.

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Sessions provided written answers late Monday to questions from Judiciary Committee member Patrick Leahy, a Vermont Democrat. He said neither he nor any of his current staff had a role in formulating or drafting Trumps executive orders.

"During the campaign, President Trump sought my and my staffs input on a number of matters on which I have taken very public positions as a senator; however, it would be impossible for me to know the degree to which that input was relied upon in formulating or drafting the executive orders in question," Sessions said.

Sessionss answer isnt likely to satisfy to Democrats, who say the Yates firing only reinforces the need for an attorney general who is willing to stand up to potential abuses of power.

President Trump has commenced a course of conduct that is Nixonian in its design and execution and threatens the long-vaunted independence of the Justice Department," Representative John Conyers Jr., the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, said Monday night in a statement. "If dedicated government officials deem his directives to be unlawful and unconstitutional, he will simply fire them as if government is a reality show."

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Democrats' Assault Stalls Sessions Vote After Trump Fires Yates - Bloomberg

(WASHINGTON) Democrats are racing to respond to the wave of liberal outrage triggered by President Donald Trump, jumping into protests , organizing rallies and vowing to block more of the new president's nominees including, possibly, his pick for the Supreme Court .

Those steps may not be enough to satisfy their increasingly aggressive party base.

Following a second weekend of protests, a growing number of liberal leaders are demanding a filibuster of Trump's pick for the high court, setting the party on a path of fierce opposition to Trump and potential confrontation with their own elected officials.

"I hope Democrats will stand up and use every tool in their toolbox including a filibuster," said former Labor Secretary Tom Perez, one of the top candidates to be the chairman of the Democratic National Committee.

But Senate Democrats remain wary of a total blockade, arguing the party should hold off making a decision until it can assess the choice. Trump says he will announce his nominee Tuesday evening.

"I want to make sure we thoroughly review the record and then go forward," said Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., who faces re-election in 2018. "We'll need to do a lot of work on any of them."

In the weeks after Trump's election, Democrats debated whether the party should work with the new president on discrete policy initiatives, like infrastructure, or present a wall of opposition. As protests sprang forth across the country, their furious constituents have made it clear they're demanding nothing short of complete resistance.

Hundreds of demonstrators, chanting "Just Say No!" and "Obstruct!," shouted down Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse at a Sunday community event, protesting the Rhode Island Democrat's vote in favor of new CIA director Mike Pompeo.

Last week, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren faced an outpouring of anger after she cast a committee vote for Ben Carson, the former Republican presidential candidate nominated to be secretary of Housing and Urban Development. She was forced to explain her position in a Facebook post that began: "OK, let's talk about Dr. Ben Carson."

And more than 3,500 people have signed up on Facebook to march across Brooklyn to Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer's home Tuesday night to protest his support for three of Trump's Cabinet nominees.

"We need Senate Democrats to do everything in their power to shut down business as usual in the Senate," said Anna Galland, the executive director of Moveon.org, a liberal group that's been involved in organizing weekly anti-Trump protests.

The national party hopes to ride the energy of airport protests, women's marches and dozens of other actions across the country to electoral victories in governor races this year and next year's congressional midterms.

Democratic lawmakers and leaders joined protests at airports across the country this weekend, delivering impromptu speeches and working with lawyers to negotiate legal access for detained travelers impacted by Trump's temporary travel ban. Schumer said he'd vote against eight of Trump's Cabinet picks. And congressional leaders scrambled to put together a Monday night rally on the steps of the Supreme Court.

Trump slammed the event in a Tuesday morning tweet, calling it "(a mess) - just like Dem party!"

Schumer shot back: "President Trump should learn that name calling is not going to solve the many problems this administration has already brought upon itself," said spokesman Matt House.

The coming fight over the Supreme Court could mark the biggest showdown between Washington Democrats and their restive party base. Unlike Cabinet nominees, which can pass the Senate solely with GOP votes, any senator can demand the Supreme Court nomination meet a 60-vote threshold forcing Republicans to find support from at least eight Democrats.

So far, Schumer has refused to commit to a filibuster. But the decision may not be up to him, as any senator can move to try and block a Supreme Court nomination.

Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley, a Democrat, indicated Monday that he would make such a move, sending out a fundraising email that asked people to sign a petition saying "the Senate must oppose" Trump's nominee.

Many in the party remain furious that Senate Republicans refused to even consider Obama's nominee to the court during the final year of his second term.

"If the Democrats do anything other than filibuster any pick, then what we're saying is that Republicans can literally steal a Democratic appointment and there's not going to be any repercussions for it," said Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., another top candidate to chair the party.

Some Senate Democrats argue they have a responsibility to act in what they view as a more responsible manner.

"I do think we owe President Trump's Supreme Court nominee the hearing and the vote that Merrick Garland never received," said Sen. Chris Coons D-Del.

Republicans, meanwhile, see an opportunity to score political points in next year's midterms. Conservative groups are planning to spend millions pressuring Senate Democrats to confirm Trump's nominee, with a heavy focus on Democrats up for re-election in Missouri, North Dakota, Montana and Indiana states won overwhelmingly by Trump.

Read more from the original source:
The Democratic Grassroots Is Pushing for a Filibuster of President Trump's Supreme Court Pick - TIME

If you are trying to understand what all the hoopla regarding President Trumps so-called refugee ban is aboutand what the Democrats overall strategy is in dealing with Trump--youd better go watch "The Sting."

That 1973 classic directed by George Roy Hill is about two grifters or con men played by Robert Redford and Paul Newman who assemble a mob of accomplices and fellow cons to convince a rich sucker or mark to bet half a million dollars in a horse race he thinks is fixed. In fact the racing parlor (in con man lingo the store, which looks like a legitimate business but is in fact a complete sham) where he places the bet is a phony set-up, and Redford and Newman get away with his money scot free.

This is exactly what the Democratic Party has done for decades. The grifters in this case are Democrat leaders like Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer. The store is the mainstream media from NY Times to NBC and CNN and the mob are the rent-a-crowd demonstrators who turn up to make a fuss in front the stores cameras, whether its in the Womens March last weekend or at the San Francisco Airport this weekend.

Who are the marks? Theyre gullible Republicans whom the Democrat grifters and the media con into believing the American public wants them to stand behind a Democratic initiative in a show of bipartisanship, or to oppose a Republican one on the grounds thats its too extreme. The promised score is popularity among moderates and independents, as well as mention in the New York Times as a principled conservative or maverick for breaking with their partywhen in fact its the Democrats who actually win and the Republican mark who loses with his own base thanks to the sting.

Thats what happening with the media hysteria over Trumps Muslim ban(in fact its a temporary ban that effects exactly seven countries, ones on which the Obama administration already placed travel limits as countries of concern) and its what going to erupt when Trump announces his Supreme Court pick on Tuesday night.

Its a well-worn con by this time. Democrats used it to convince GOP moderates we were losing the Vietnam War and that Americans wanted us to pull out (in fact poll after poll showed the public supported the war until the very end). Theyve used it to claim the public wants stricter gun control laws, and opposes any federal spending cuts or government shutdown. More recently theyve used it to convince GOP marks that if they were going to win over Hispanics they have to support amnesty for illegal immigrants; and that waterboarding is tantamount to torture.

But their biggest score was in 1974 when the Democrat/media con game was able to peel off enough Republicans to impeach Richard Nixon and force him to resigna score they later tried and failed with Ronald Reagan over Iran-Contra, but now hope to see repeated with President Trump.

In addition, they know some GOP marks keep coming back for more, even when theyve been taken. Theres John McCain, for example, whom they stung in the 2008 presidential race, but is still willing to act as maverick on issues like waterboarding and Trumps relations with Vladimir Putin. There was Marco Rubio on comprehensive immigration reform, until he wised up and saw that Chuck Schumer and others were just playing him as a sucker.

Because Republicans slowly are wising up, just as the public has. They are realizing what CNN and the New York Times present as the burning issues of our timepolice violence against blacks or the hacked election a couple weeks ago or this weekends Muslim ban--are really all part of the sting. Thats going to make the Democrat grifters job harder this time. It will also make it easier to blow the whistle on the scammers, as Trump advisor Steve Bannon did when he branded the mainstream media the opposition partyalthough the oppositions phony store would be more accurate.

In the movie "The Sting" one of the grifters says about the mark, Hes not as tough as he looks. The other replies sheepishly, Neither are we. Neither are the Democrats, once you catch on to their big con.

Historian Arthur Herman is a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute in Washington, D.C. He is author of several books. His latest "Douglas MacArthur: American Warrior", was published by Random House on June 14, 2016. Follow him on Twitter @ArthurLHerman.

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Trump's travel ban and the Democrats' big con - Fox News

You go to a great sushi place and you want the whole world to know how fantastic its spicy tuna roll is? You post it onYelp.

If a constituent of one California Democrat has a delightful time touring the Capitol through his office, they can post that on Yelp, too.

Rep. Mark Takanoset up his Yelp page in April 2014 to connect with the people he represents.

I wanted feedback from my constituents on the work that Im doing, hesaid.

Yelpershave posted photographs and reviews on the three-term congressmans page, often about how they were able to tour the Capitol.

[3 California Congressmen are Jan. 24s Birthday Boys]

And Takano reads the comments.

The feedback helps us improve the experience, he said. Yelp is a great platform for constituent feedback, which is made richer with photos and personal experiences.

The Riverside, California, nativeadded that its also nice to hear good news.

I also like reading the positive feedback on my staff, who are the first people my constituents see when they come in the office, he said.

Users are able to call the congressmans office or get directions to it throughYelp. When they use these features, its recorded in the Yelp activity feed.

Takanos efforts have receivedgood reviews from Yelp.

We think that Congressman Takanos office has done a great job of incorporating a lot of different elements to make a great Yelp page, said Laurent Crenshaw, director of public policy at Yelp. They maintain accurate information on the page in regards to the constituent services available, have numerous pictures posted by constituents, and a great message from the representative himself.

The California Democrat is the only member of Congress with a Yelp page. Asearch of the siteshows several others likely created by constituents, but neverclaimed or updated by the member.

Takano said he is encouraging his colleagues to create a page.

Its important to reach your constituents where they are, and the ones that are looking for help with tours are on Yelp, he said.

Crenshaw said he has had numerous conversations with other congressional offices about doing the same.

Yelp is a great tool for lawmakers to receive honest feedback regarding the quality of the constituent services provided by their offices, he said. This feedback generally avoids the political criticisms and noise of other social media platforms because Yelp reviews must be about your actual experience with a place or office.

Takano said his staff informs constituents about the page through email and a card they pass outin their office.

Some reviews get buried because they either arent relevant or are from someone posting for the first time or who isnt very active, which Yelp thinks is a feature that will encouragelawmakers to join.

Generally, once offices learn that Yelps terms of service and recommendation software dont allow for reviews that dont pertain to an honest, firsthand experience, they become much more comfortable with the idea of using the platform, Crenshaw said.

Takano seems to be the best advocate to get his colleagues on board.

You never know who is going to post, and we are thrilled when a constituent interacts with the office on this platform, hesaid. It really lets me know they felt like we went the extra mile on their behalf.

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California Democrat Gives Yelp Good Reviews - Roll Call

White House press secretary Sean Spicer addressed the media on Jan. 30, three days after President Trump signed an executive order halting the flow of refugees to the United States. (Peter Stevenson/The Washington Post)

White House press secretary Sean Spicer has an incredibly difficult job: Explaining and defending a president in Donald Trump who views himself as the best spokesman for his own cause and isn't afraid of a little controversy or a lot of it. From defending the president's exaggerated claims about the crowd size at his inauguration to explaining the travel ban Trump imposed via executive order last Friday, it has not been an easy 10 days behind the podium for Spicer.

But, on Monday, while making the case that congressional Democrats should be wary of outright opposition to Trump's Cabinet nominees or his soon-to-be-announced Supreme Court pick, Spicer made a very important point: that Democrats when analyzing the overall electoral strength of the party are not in a very good place at the moment and may want to be wary of assuming they know what the country really wants.

By the numbers, Spicer is 100 percent correct. Here's a chart built by the indomitable Philip Bump that makes plain just how dire the down-ballot situation is for Democrats:

Republicans now have total control of the state legislature and governorship in half yes, HALF of the 50 states.

By contrast, there are only six states where Democrats have total control of the governorship and the state legislature.

In the House, Republicans are now in the midst of a sustained period in which they control more seats than they have since the late 1940s. In the Senate, Republicans not only control 52 seats but have an election cycle in 2018 in which they could, plausibly, approach the coveted 60-vote plateau.

Given those numbers, it's not possible to argue that the Democratic Party is the healthier of the two national parties at the moment.

Now, the history of politics is littered with parties that overestimated their mandates and within a few years found themselves on the outside looking in when it comes to control of the levers of political power. And there is already some of that rhetoric seeping out of this White House.

"The message came through loud and clear that people want forceful leadership," Spicer said Monday of the 2016 election results. That's true sort of. Trump did win the electoral college. But he lost the popular vote to Hillary Clinton by nearly 3 million votes. And, while Republicans held onto their congressional majorities, they did lose ground in both chambers.

At the moment, it's Republicans who have every right to brag about their dominant status as a national party. But always remember that pride comes before the fall.

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If you're a Democrat, these 3 charts should really worry you - Washington Post