The Bulwark's Tim Miller unleashed on his former party.
Miller spoke to Alicia Menendez on Monday's episode of "Deadline White House," and he couldn't help but note the low standards she had for Republicans willing to speak out on the Greenland debacle. Menendez was encouraged to see seven Republicans agreeing that it was foolish to have a war with Europe and bring an end to NATO to take over an Arctic island that Americans already have access to.
Miller said he doesn't want to dismiss the small march toward progress in light of the new Trump plan.
"I just get this rage in my head when they rationalize it," Miller said.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) for example, "is just gonna be Rand Paul," Miller said. The lawmaker is consistent across the board with his libertarian tendencies, which, at times, match up with liberal ideas, but most times do not. Still, he sees the situation and is willing to say it's "crazy."
"That's refreshing to me," said Miller.
"What I can't take is these kind of, establishment norms, moderate-type, whatever Republicans who rationalize it, who make excuses for it and say, 'It's wrong, but yada yada, there's this, there's that,'" Miller described.
"So, I get kinda hot having to listen to all these clips," he added.
The one that he said set his blood pressure to spike the most was Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska). She joined with Democrats on a congressional delegation to Copenhagen, Denmark, to try and smooth things over amid escalating tensions.
Murkowski tried to spin the absence of Republicans as a scheduling conflict.
Miller disputed the idea that a congressional delegation (CoDel) was scheduled too quickly for many members to attend. "What? Did Josh Hawley have to wash his hair?" Miller asked, referring to the Republican senator from Missouri. He questioned whether Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) had a barbecue to attend that was more important.
"Like, what else are they doing? We're threatening our biggest allies. They could do something right now," Miller said.
He mocked Murkowski's implication that if Trump ever actually invaded Greenland, Republicans would step up. "I don't know. Maybe. Maybe. They didn't really step up on Jan. 6 when people attacked our Capitol. Maybe they would."
"Make him veto you," Miller suggested. "They could take back the power of the purse from the president, that, right now, should be in Congress' hands anyway. He shouldn't be able to unilaterally make up a fake emergency and tariff the Netherlands."
The Senate rebuked Trump by passing a war powers resolution over his Venezuelan invasion and Miller suggested that they do the same with the tariffs and Greenland.
"But they're not going to do that because they don't actually care," Miller said.
Tim Miller: Sorry Sen. Murkowski, This Is Your Party Now by The Bulwark
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