Tag: Jeff Flake

Former GOP senator warns Republicans they must ‘put country over party’ — ‘before it’s too late’

AlterNet logoWhen Arizona Republican Jeff Flake was serving in the U.S. Senate, he could be critical of President Donald Trump at times yet wasn’t a full-fledged Never Trump conservative like Washington Post columnist Max Boot, MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough or GOP strategists Rick Wilson and Ana Navarro. And in an op-ed for the Washington Post, he addresses his former colleagues and urges them to “put country over party” when the time comes to serve as jurors in President Donald Trump’s Senate trial.

With Trump having been indicted on two articles of impeachment by the Democratic majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi can send them to the Senate for a trial —although she is holding onto them for now over concerns that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has no intention of honestly evaluating the articles.

Flake tells Republicans he used to serve with in the Senate, “I don’t envy you…. President Trump is on trial. But in a very real sense, so are you. And so is the political party to which we belong.” Continue reading

Former GOP Senator Says Trump Incited Death Threats Against Him

Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) is no longer in the Senate.

But Flake said the attacks Trump made against him when Flake served in Congress are still causing rabid Trump fans to send him and his family violent death threats that he says have had a “heavy cost” on his family.

In an interview with the Guardian, Flake said he’s received “several” threats that are being tracked down.

The threats have included the names of Flake’s children, as well as links to beheading videos.

View the complete April 7 article by Emily Singer on the National Memo website here.

Senate panel cancels votes on Trump court picks amid Flake standoff

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) announced Wednesday that he is canceling votes on nearly two dozen of President Trump’s judicial nominees that were expected to come up in the Judiciary Committee this week.

The cancellation of the committee’s Thursday business meeting comes as Senate Republicans are in a standoff with outgoing Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), who has vowed to oppose all court picks until he gets a vote on legislation protecting special counsel Robert Mueller.

The notification from the Judiciary Committee didn’t specify when, or if, the committee votes on the nominations would be rescheduled. Six circuit court nominees had been expected to get a vote, as well as 15 district court nominees.

View the complete November 28 article by Jordain Carney on The Hill website here.

Mueller protection bill blocked in Senate

Legislation protecting special counsel Robert Mueller was blocked on Wednesday for a second time in the past month.

Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), joined by Sens. Christopher Coons (D-Del.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.), tried to get consent to schedule the long-stalled legislation for a vote.

Flake questioned why his colleagues weren’t “up in arms” after a string of tweets from President Trump bashing Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

View the complete November 28 article by Jordain Carney on The Hill website here.

Lawmakers rally to defend Mueller after McCabe exit

The following article by Mallory Shelbourne was posted on the Hillwebsite March 18, 2018:

Lawmakers on Sunday rallied to the defense of special counsel Robert Mueller after concerns were raised over his job security following the abrupt firing of FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced on Friday that he fired the FBI’s No. 2 official in a move that roiled Washington, D.C., and spurred a series of tweets from President Trump denouncing Mueller, McCabe and former FBI Director James Comey.

McCabe said his firing was an attempt to undermine the Mueller investigation into Russia’s election interference and possible collusion between members of Trump’s campaign and Moscow. The president targeted Mueller’s investigation in a series of tweets over the weekend, further alarming many lawmakers.

Democrats on Sunday were calling for proactive measures to protect Mueller and his investigation. Republicans insisted Trump has no intention of firing the special counsel, although the White House also acknowledged Trump is “frustrated.” Continue reading “Lawmakers rally to defend Mueller after McCabe exit”

Flake: White House saying it could have handled Porter allegations better an understatement B

The following article by Julia Manchester was posted on the Hill website February 11, 2018:

Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) said on Sunday it is an “understatement” to say the White House could have handled the abuse allegations against former staff secretary Rob Porter better.

“I think when the White House said they could have handled the situation better, that’s a bit of an understatement, yes. They could have done a lot better particularly with the Rob Porter situation,” Flake told NBC’s Chuck Todd on “Meet the Press.” Continue reading “Flake: White House saying it could have handled Porter allegations better an understatement B”

Arizona’s Double-Barrel Rejection of President Trump’s ‘Fake News’

The following article by Niels Lesniewski was posted on the Roll Call website January 17, 2018:

Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake gave a speech on the Senate floor Wednesday in defense of the free press. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call file photo)

Arizona’s two Republican senators asserted themselves Wednesday as defenders of the free press.

Jeff Flake took to the Senate floor for a well-publicized defense of the truth, as President Donald Trump was potentially preparing for an Orwellian “fake news” award ceremony.

“The free press is the despot’s enemy, which makes the free press the guardian of democracy. When a figure in power reflexively calls any press that doesn’t suit him ‘fake news,’ it is that person who should be the figure of suspicion, not the press,” Flake said. Continue reading “Arizona’s Double-Barrel Rejection of President Trump’s ‘Fake News’”

Jeff Flake isn’t just comparing Trump to Stalin. He’s comparing Republicans to Stalin’s enablers.

The following article by Amber Phillips was posted on the Washington Post website January 15, 2018:

Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) said on Oct. 24 that he will not seek reelection in 2018. Here are the highlights from his speech. (Bastien Inzaurralde/The Washington Post)

A sitting U.S. senator plans to give a speech this week comparing the president of his own party to Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin. That in itself is remarkable.

“It is a testament to the condition of our democracy that our own president uses words infamously spoken by Joseph Stalin to describe his enemies,” Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) plans to say in a speech about President Trump classifying the news media as “the enemy of the people.” Continue reading “Jeff Flake isn’t just comparing Trump to Stalin. He’s comparing Republicans to Stalin’s enablers.”

Jeff Flake expected to deliver floor speech comparing Trump’s attacks on media to Stalin’s

The following article by Aileen Graef and Liz Turrell was posted on the CNN website January 15, 2018:

(CNN) — Republican Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona is expected to deliver a floor speech on Wednesday in which he will compare President Donald Trump’s attacks on the news media to the rhetoric of late Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin.

According to an excerpt of the speech, Flake will criticize the President for calling the news media the “enemy of the people,” calling it “an assault as unprecedented as it is unwarranted.” Continue reading “Jeff Flake expected to deliver floor speech comparing Trump’s attacks on media to Stalin’s”

Flake: Trump rallies reflect ‘spasms of a dying party’

The following article by Brett Samuels was posted on the Hill website December 24, 2017:

Retiring Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) on Sunday said the crowds at rallies for President Trump and other Republicans reflect “spasms of a dying party,” adding that the GOP will have to formulate a governing agenda to reach more voters.

“When you look at some of the audiences cheering for Republicans, sometimes, you look out there and you say, ‘those are the spasms of a dying party,’ ” Flake said on ABC’s “This Week.” Continue reading “Flake: Trump rallies reflect ‘spasms of a dying party’”