Democrats Still Don’t Have a Plan to Avoid a Voting Rights Filibuster

Congressional Democrats on Tuesday resumed their quest to pass new voting rights legislation, reintroducing the Freedom to Vote Act. Senate Democrats attempted to eliminate the filibuster last year in order to pass the measure, an effort that was stymied by Democratic Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, who has since registered as an independent.

The Freedom to Vote Act includes provisions to implement automatic and same-day voter registration, ensure early voting, and establish Election Day as a national holiday. It would also require states to conduct postelection audits for federal elections, provide guidelines for redistricting to avert gerrymandering, and require additional disclosures for certain campaign-related fundraising and spending. Democrats first introduced the bill in late 2021.

Despite the unlikeliness of its passage, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he would designate the bill S. 1, identifying it as a priority for the Senate Democratic majority. “Make no mistake: Democrats are going to keep fighting,” Schumer said. “We have to be ready to pass this legislation right out of the gate, at the soonest possible opportunity.”

Schumer added that Democrats were aware of the “serious challenge” they’re facing regarding passing the measure, alluding to the difficulty of getting sufficient Republican support to pass it in either chamber of Congress. Representative John Sarbanes, a House co-sponsor of the bill, called the effort to pass it a “relay race.”

Manchin was a co-sponsor of the original Freedom to Vote Act and led the unsuccessful effort to convince enough Republicans to sign onto the bill to avoid a filibuster, and is co-sponsoring the bill again this Congress.*

The bill’s reintroduction comes as House Republicans consider their own election-related legislation, the American Confidence in Elections Act, which would encourage states to adopt voter ID laws, overhaul the elections system in Washington, D.C., and restrict federal funding for states that allow noncitizens to vote. That bill is as unlikely to pass in the Democratic-controlled Senate as the Freedom to Vote Act is to pass in the Republican-controlled House.

Democratic Representative Terri Sewell also said on Tuesday that she planned to reintroduce the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, named for the late congressman and civil rights icon, which would restore provisions of the 1965 Voting Rights Act gutted by the Supreme Court in 2013.

* This post originally misstated Manchin’s role in the bill.

It appears Democrats will have the votes to censure George Santos, after six Republicans confirmed Tuesday that they would move to formally rebuke the congressman known for his serial lies.

New York Democrat Ritchie Torres introduced a resolution on Monday to censure Santos. The resolution is privileged, meaning that when Torres calls for a vote, a vote has to be held within 48 hours. Santos is also under investigation by the House Ethics Committee.

New York Representatives Nick Lalota, Marc Molinaro, Anthony D’Esposito, Nick Langworthy, and Mike Lawler, as well as Ohio Representative Max Miller, told Politico they will support the resolution. All six of them are among a surprisingly lengthy list of Republicans who have already called on Santos to resign.

“I was the first to call for his resignation. I’ve said on the floor that he is a stain to our institution and I’d vote to censure,” D’Esposito told Politico.

If these six lawmakers and all the Democrats unite to back the resolution, they will have exactly enough votes needed to pass the measure.

This is the second time Democrats have introduced a privileged resolution on Santos over his many, many lies, moving in May to expel him from Congress. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy managed to convince Republicans to refer the resolution to the Ethics Committee as part of its investigation into Santos.

The new resolution lists more than a dozen of Santos’s many lies, such as his fabricating the bulk of his professional and educational résumé—including that he received a volleyball scholarship for college. The resolution also calls out Santos’s lies that his grandparents were Holocaust survivors, his mother died in the 9/11 attack, and four of his employees were killed in the Pulse nightclub shooting. He also lied about founding an animal rescue charity and producing the disastrous Broadway musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark.

Santos has been federally charged with 13 counts of various types of financial fraud, to which he has pleaded not guilty. He also agreed to a deal with Brazilian authorities investigating him for financial fraud, so that he could avoid prosecution.

Lev Parnas, a former associate of Rudy Giuliani, has warned Representative James Comer that his ceaseless investigation into the Biden family’s alleged corruption has “simply no merit.”

Parnas helped Giuliani get in touch with Ukrainian officials during the latter’s efforts to find incriminating evidence on President Joe Biden and his son Hunter. Parnas later testified in the congressional investigation into Trump’s involvement. And now, he’s offering to testify under oath that there’s no point to the Republican smears.

“There is no evidence of Joe or Hunter Biden interfering with Ukrainian politics, and there never has been,” Parnas said in a letter sent to Comer late Monday night. “Statements suggesting otherwise have been debunked again and again.”

Parnas explained that he was present for the entirety of Giuliani’s investigation, often acting as an interpreter or go-between for Giuliani, members of Ukraine’s government, and officials at Burisma Holdings, where Hunter Biden served on the board from 2014 to 2019.

“Throughout all these months of work, the extensive campaigns and networking done by Trump  allies and Giuliani associates, including the enormously thorough interviews and assignments that I undertook, there has never been any evidence that Hunter or Joe Biden committed any crimes related to Ukrainian politics,” Parnas said in the letter, which was obtained by The New Republic.

“Never, during any of my communications with Ukrainian officials or connections to Burisma, did any of them confirm or provide concrete facts linking the Bidens to illegal activities. In fact, they asked me multiple times why our team was so concerned with this idea. The truth is that everyone, from Giuliani and the BLT Team to Devin Nunes and his colleagues, to the people at FOX News, knew that these allegations against the Bidens were false.” 

“There has never been any factual evidence, only conspiracy theories spread by people who knew exactly what they were doing,” Parnas warned. “With all due respect, Chairman Comer, the narrative you are seeking for this investigation has been proven false many times over, by a wide array of respected sources. There is simply no merit to investigating this matter any further.”

According to Parnas, Giuliani was hell-bent on finding dirt on the Bidens, continuously demanding more information on what Parnas described as “conspiracy theories.” None of the people they interviewed from Ukraine could produce any evidence of wrongdoing on the part of the Biden family.

But Giuliani kept pressing and even tried to get Ukrainian officials to agree to business transactions—such as paying Giuliani a legal retainer—to cement their agreements, Parnas said in his letter.

“These are flagrant examples of Giuliani interfering in Ukrainian politics,” Parnas wrote. “Ironically, the very thing he was desperate to prove that the Bidens were doing in Ukraine—and for which he could find no evidence at all—was what he was guilty of.”

Comer, who chairs the powerful House Oversight Committee, has for months led the charge on investigating the Bidens for corruption. So far, his investigation has produced no concrete evidence, and one of his key informants was just charged by the Department of Justice for spying on behalf of China.

Despite initially saying they would “listen to anyone” with information on the Bidens, Comer said Tuesday, just after news of Parnas’s letter began to break, that the Oversight Committee would “probably not” call on the Ukrainian-born businessman to testify. He argued that if Democrats considered any information from Giuliani to be tainted, then Parnas would likewise be a “tainted witness.”

Ron DeSantis has been plagued by many issues since announcing his campaign for president: everything from the fact that no one seems to like him to the fact that he’s running as a junior varsity fascist, a bench player trying to compete against the real deal. And he can’t seem to free himself from that second issue.

Now—as twice-impeached, twice-indicted, and liable for sexual abuse and defamation former President Donald Trump faces a possible third indictment for his role in the January 6 riots and efforts to overturn the 2020 election—DeSantis is tying himself into pretzels.

On Tuesday, the Florida governor said Trump “should have come out more forcefully” amid the January 6 attack. He did not go further and say anything like Trump should be held criminally liable for inciting the terrorist attack or for attempting to overthrow democracy.

Afterward, a number of Trump surrogates descended upon the extremely bare moment, attacking DeSantis for even suggesting Trump could’ve done things a little differently.

“Ron DeSantis just said that Trump should’ve come out more ‘forcefully’ against ‘what was going on’ on Jan 6!” tweeted Trump-aligned political strategist Alex Bruesewitz. “DeSantis is morphing into Adam Kinzinger! Showing his true colors!”

The tweet came amid scores of other similar tweets from Trump allies and influencers.

And the DeSantis campaign, as per usual, panicked in a frenzy. The infamous DeSantis War Room (which posted that insane and viciously homophobic manosphere ad) tweeted a 638-character tweet clarifying that DeSantis wasn’t actually going after Trump that hard. It tweeted a 1,071-character follow-up tweet showing that DeSantis threw out all the hits: the weaponization of government, Hunter Biden, the FBI and Justice Department … and so, really, DeSantis is on Trump’s side!! We pwomise!

To distill it for you: DeSantis is criticizing Trump. But also criticizing people criticizing Trump. And criticizing Trump’s campaign for not giving him enough credit for not criticizing Trump. Got it?

Donald Trump might be charged with crimes again, and Republicans, again, are coming out to defend him before even seeing the details of what he might be charged with.

On Sunday, the twice-impeached, twice-indicted, and liable for sexual abuse and defamation former president received a letter from the Justice Department, notifying him he was a subject of their investigation into the January 6 riots and efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Naturally he would be a subject, given that these were all events Trump was central to.

And Republicans are melting down, furious at the idea of holding someone accountable for inciting a riot on the nation’s Capitol and attempting to subvert the Constitution and overthrow democracy.

“Well, I guess under a Biden administration, Biden America, you’d expect this. If you noticed recently, President Trump went up in the polls and was actually surpassing President Biden for reelection,” Kevin McCarthy said, arguing that the government is only going after Trump because he is polling well. (Trump has a net negative 16 point unfavorability, according to 538’s latest averages.)

In January 2021, McCarthy said the attack on the Capitol “was undemocratic, un-American, and criminal,” and that “the president bears responsibility.”

Marjorie Taylor Greene outright called Justice Department investigator Jack Smith “a weak little bitch.” Remember: class, “civility.”

“Every time they indict him, his numbers go up,” famously do-nothing Representative Tim Burchett said, echoing McCarthy’s sentiments.

“Donald Trump’s the leader of our party,” Representative Troy Nehls started. “And Donald Trump is going to beat Joe Biden, in 2024, for a second time,” he continued, implying that Trump also won in 2020 (and thus perpetuating the lies that helped lead to the riot Trump is now potentially facing criminal charges for).

Former “moderate” Elise Stefanik—who grew to become a leader in defending Trump, from impeachment to election denialism—tweeted, in usual Trump-lackey fashion, “WITCH HUNT!” with the hashtag #StandWithTrump.

How sad, to center your whole life around being the loudest pawn for a player who would throw you to the side in an instant.

Somehow, Republicans—some of whom indeed condemned Trump for his role in the chaos—can’t fathom this basic logic: that Trump might face consequences for his actions.

So much for personal responsibility.

According to Kevin McCarthy, the only reason Donald Trump faces criminal consequences is because he polls so well.

McCarthy’s suggestion comes while the twice-impeached, twice-indicted, and liable-for-sexual-abuse former president is now facing a possible third indictment for helping incite a riot on the nation’s Capitol.

Trump announced on Tuesday that he has been notified that he is a target in the Justice Department’s investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election, a sign that he may be charged soon.

This could prove to be a moment of conservatives turning more forcefully against the man who led the party to defeat in 2020, helped it fizzle away high expectations in 2022 and lose special election after special election. But not for McCarthy.

The House speaker wasted no time falling on the sword for the loser and serial criminal.

“Well, I guess under a Biden administration, Biden America, you’d expect this. If you noticed recently, President Trump went up in the polls and was actually surpassing President Biden for reelection,” McCarthy said. “So what do they do now? Weaponize government to go after their number one opponent. It’s time and time again. I think the American public is tired of this. They want to have, see equal justice and the idea that they utilize this to go after those who politically disagree with him is wrong.”

The American public is tired of something, but it might have more to do with Trump’s crimes—and Republicans’ mealy-mouthed defenses of them—and less about Trump actually being held accountable.

It’s not as if McCarthy has no idea what stance he could take instead. In January 2021, for instance, McCarthy sang a different tune, saying the attack on the Capitol “was undemocratic, un-American, and criminal” and that “the president bears responsibility.”

Someone held up a Pride flag at a DeSantis campaign event—and promptly triggered the Republican presidential candidate into an unhinged rant about indoctrination.

One of the main planks in Ron DeSantis’s presidential campaign platform is his battle against “wokeness,” particularly anything that has to do with the LGBTQ community. DeSantis regularly spouts the popular right-wing smear that LGBTQ people are pedophiles, and he often points to the extreme laws he signed in Florida curbing human rights.

During an event in Tega Cay, South Carolina, on Monday night, DeSantis drilled down on this point. He accused President Joe Biden of ignoring his seventh grandchild but taking too much interest in Republicans’ children.

While DeSantis was speaking, a protester stood up and held up a rainbow Pride flag. Event security quickly descended on the protester and began escorting them out.

“They shouldn’t be worrying about our children, either,” DeSantis shouted after the protester. “We don’t want you indoctrinating our children! Leave our kids alone!”

DeSantis has been struggling since he launched his campaign. Current support for him sits at about 20 percent, far behind front-runner Donald Trump. The Florida governor seems to think that doubling down on anti-wokeness is the key to winning.

But instead of helping his case, it just serves to make him look even more glitchy and out of touch.

Trump’s Mar-a-Lago bathrooms and ballrooms were not just filled with top secret government documents. He apparently has also been hoarding temporarily loaned Israeli antiquities there for four years.

Haaretz reports that Israel lent the Trump White House antiquities, including ancient ceramic lamps from its national treasures collection, for a Hanukkah candle-lighting event in 2019. Israel Hasson, the then-director of the Israeli Antiquities Authority, approved the loan of the antiquities so long as they were returned within weeks.

Hasson told Haaretz that “we wanted our man to go and bring it back, but then Covid broke out, and everything got stuck.” So Hasson’s agency had asked Saul Fox, a major Jewish-American donor to the Antiquities Authority, to keep the items in tow until they could be brought back to Israel. But, Haaretz reports, Israeli authorities discovered several months ago that the antiquites instead ended up at Mar-a-Lago, “where they still remain.”

Eli Eskozido, the new Antiquities Authority head, has asked the Israeli government and Trump’s former U.S. ambassador to Israel to coordinate a return of the antiquities, but to no avail. One source told Haaretz that he wouldn’t be surprised if “the items Israel seeks are also eventually found in some bathroom.”

Republicans have bent over backward to show their inextinguishable support for Israel, but it’s unclear whether they will question why Trump has been harboring Israeli antiquities. After all, they had barely any criticism for his stealing of U.S. national security documents.

Fox News host Jesse Watters made his 8 p.m. debut, and his first show featured a very special guest: his mom.

Mrs. Watters is a Democrat, and she called in to the show Monday night to give her son some advice on how to avoid a lawsuit. She had some pretty good advice, but it’s unlikely Watters—who has a long history of racism, sexism, conspiracy theory peddling, and general grossness—will listen.

“Do not tumble into any conspiracy rabbit holes. We do not want to lose you, and we want no lawsuits,” Watters’s mom said. “In keeping with the Hippocratic oath, do no harm.”

“Use your voice responsibly to promote conversation that maintains a narrative thread. There really has been enough Biden-bashing, and the laptop is old,” she added, referring to Republicans’ fruitless investigation into the Biden family.

“Perhaps you could suggest that your people take less interest, for example, in other people’s bodies, and talk about that,” she continued.

“We’re trying to keep other people’s interest away from children’s bodies!” Watters protested, bringing up a favorite right-wing smear that all LGBTQ people are pedophiles.

His mom didn’t push back, but went on with her list of advice. “I want you to seek solutions, versus fanning the flames,” she said. “You could encourage that Bedminster friend of yours to return to his earlier career on television. Everyone in his audience could wear a red hat. And I’m sure the ratings would soar.”

Let’s hope that not just Watters, but all of Fox News, starts listening to his mom.

A Democrat criticizes Israel for its human rights abuses against Palestinians, and the political establishment in both parties jumps on them like sharks.

Sound familiar?

Representative Pramila Jayapal was the latest victim of the pattern after she called Israel—a state that has committed decades of human rights abuses, engaged in land dispossession and home demolition, upheld separate systems of law, and maintained a militarized police state against Palestinians—a “racist state.”

Jayapal made the comments over the weekend, at the progressive Netroots Nation conference in Chicago, ahead of Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s expected address to Congress on Wednesday. Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, and Cori Bush had already said they would boycott Herzog’s address, while Jamaal Bowman had said he would “probably not” attend, either.

“The Palestinian people deserve self-determination and autonomy,” Jayapal said to a group of activists at the conference, which set off the outrage machine in Washington.

Republicans have gone on an unsurprising full-throated offensive against Jayapal and her progressive colleagues (while ignoring vile antisemitism among their ranks). But Democrats too have cynically jumped in on attacking one of their own for echoing what an array of human rights organizations have already said.

Jayapal felt forced to walk back her statement on Sunday, while still calling out Israel’s “extreme right-wing government,” which “has engaged in discriminatory and outright racist policies.” Even then, top Democrats were hungry to show how sensitive they are to bad-faith right-wing attacks and how completely insensitive they are to Palestinian rights.

“Israel is not a racist state,” House Democratic leaders Hakeem Jeffries, Katherine Clark, Pete Aguilar, and Ted Lieu insisted in a joint statement Sunday. “Certainly, there are individual members of the current Israeli governing coalition with whom we strongly disagree. That is also the case with respect to some on the other side of the aisle who we serve with in the United States Congress.”

Jeffries has called twice-impeached and twice-indicted former President Donald Trump a “racial arsonist” and the “grand wizard of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.” With statements like these, Democrats have posed far-right conservatism as a fundamental threat to America’s status as a democracy. But when it comes to the same issues in Israel, tone-policing seems to be their main concern.

And it was not just leadership. Representative Ritchie Torres—who like Jeffries has collected troves of donations from pro-Israel groups like AIPAC, which has deliberately worked to tank Democratic candidates and support election denialists—insisted that Israel is a “multiracial democracy” that affords people “equal protection under the laws.”

Torres made the insistence in an 865-character tweet, which can only be tweeted by paying $8 to billionaire Elon Musk, who has helped contribute to the rise of antisemitism online.

The Israeli government itself has said its main guiding policy is that “the Jewish people have an exclusive and indisputable right to all areas of the Land of Israel”—something one may call state-sponsored discrimination or, indeed, racism.

Organizations from Human Rights Watch to Amnesty International have condemned Israel for its racism, human rights abuses, and systems of apartheid. The kinds of organizations the mainstream press and political establishment routinely extol. And yet, when it comes to Israel, any politician who frankly echoes such concerns is immediately attacked.

The saga mirrors Representative Rashia Tlaib being viciously attacked earlier this year for supporting an event raising awareness about the Nakba, the series of events beginning in 1948 that led to the mass displacement of Palestinians, and the occupation of Palestine that continues today. Or the party’s constant attacks on Ilhan Omar for her criticism of Israel, which paved the way for Republicans to boot her from the Foreign Affairs Committee when they retook the House.

With Jayapal, Democrats are once again attacking one of their own for calling out human rights abuses and racism, something the party typically prides itself on.

“We look forward to welcoming Israeli President Isaac Herzog,” the Democratic leadership assured.