Trump sued by Democrats for seeking control over election commission
U.S. President Donald Trump was sued on Friday by the Democratic Party over a recent executive order it says violates federal election law by giving him too much power over the independent Federal Election Commission (FEC).The lawsuit filed in the Washington, D.C., federal court by three national Democratic committees is the party's first against Trump during the Republican's second White House term.Friday's lawsuit objects to a February 18 order giving the White House more control over the election commission, the National Labor Relations Board, the Securities and Exchange Commission and other traditionally independent agencies that normally operate day-to-day at arm's length from the president.
Democrats said enforcing it would essentially substitute Trump's views on election-related disputes for those of the bipartisan election commission, and let him dictate outcomes.
Congress created the election commission in 1974 in the wake of the Watergate scandal, to oversee elections and enforce campaign finance laws.The complaint quotes then-Republican President Gerald Ford saying both political parties had "expressed their pleasure with this bill, noting that it allows them to compete fairly."
The Dems are fighting to keep the FEC from being subverted. In my firm opinion, that is solid evidence that djt and MAGA elites are going to seriously try to subvert the 2026 mid-term elections and all federal elections thereafter. At least now, Dem elites are finally understanding the gravity of the MAGA threat to their own power. Fear for loss of power is what finally got the Dems to start to move.
A major problem is obvious and simple. The USSC has radicalized and become authoritarian and deeply corrupt. The Dems now have their fate in the hands of a hyper-partisan Republican Party USSC. This situation is sending off bad vibes.
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A paywalled SF Chronicle article discusses the possibility that djt is planning to invoke the Insurrection Act. The article points out that djt's first round of executive orders included a directive for the Secretaries of Defense and Homeland Security to submit a joint report within 90 days recommending whether to invoke the Insurrection Act, specifically in response to illegal migration at the southern border.
The article notes that invoking the Insurrection Act and declaring martial law leads to unchecked presidential power. Martial law allows djt to bypass legal restrictions on using the military for civilian law enforcement. The recent firings of top Pentagon officials, removed institutional barriers that could block djt's intention to declare martial law. In view of his history of spreading blatantly false, slanderous claims about immigration and immigrants, e.g., eating dogs and cats in Springfield, OH, djt can be expected to use lies like that to justify imposing marital law.
All the evidence points to an imminent declaration of martial law based on lies about a fake border emergency. Why do that? Obviously, to try to kill democracy once and for all.
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Axios discussed poll data showing some discontent with Musk, presumably because of what he is doing to the federal government and whatnot.
The New Republic comments that Musk's visibility is high, saying that "Trump has largely checked out, prompting Musk, on multiple occasions, to step in as the president’s emotional-support fascist during public appearances."
Hm, who would have thought that a US president would ever need an emotional-support fascist? We live in strange, scary times.
Meanwhile, TNR reports that Musk is starting to distance himself from what appears to be a growing public backlash against the mayhem he is causing in the federal government (and regarding his stealing of our personal data from federal databases). TNR writes, Elon Musk Suddenly Doesn’t Want Credit for Disastrous DOGE Cuts -- Musk is warning Republicans to stop blaming DOGE for the cuts.
A peanut commented from the cheap seats gallery: Elon did it to stay out of prison. He literally said he is going to prison if djt doesn't win. Now he is targeting every agency that was investigating him and his companies.
Not a plausible analysis? Consider this fun-filled short video of Musk laughing about his own illegal fuckery:
