Greene County Democrat

Tag: House Speaker Kevin McCarthy

  • Newswire : Former GOP rep, Liz Cheney, calls Trump ‘the most dangerous’ President ever

    Cover of Liz Cheney’s book


    By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

    Donald Trump is “the most dangerous man ever to inhabit the Oval Office,” and a large swath of Republicans have proven that they’re nothing more than enablers and collaborators willing to “violate their oath to the Constitution out of political expediency and loyalty” to the twice-impeached former president.
    That scathing assessment, first reported by CNN, came from former GOP Rep. Liz Cheney, who has penned “Oath and Honor,” a detailed exposé about Trump’s four years in the White House and how many of her colleagues cowered to the whims of an out-of-control wannabe dictator.
    Cheney appeared to have left no stone unturned in the memoir that hits shelves on Dec. 5, including her takedown of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and his successor, Mike Johnson. Of McCarthy, Cheney said he knew Trump lost the 2020 election to President Biden but went along with Trump’s lies. She referred to Johnson as a fanboy who “appeared especially susceptible to flattery from Trump and aspired to being anywhere in Trump’s orbit.”
    Trump currently faces 91 felony counts in four jurisdictions; much of the charges stem from his alleged attempt to steal the 2020 election. Earlier this year, a civil jury found him responsible for sexually assaulting the writer, E. Jean Carroll. Trump was ordered to pay Carroll $5 million in damages.
    Despite four indictments, his loss in the sexual assault civil trial, and his promise of retribution against his political enemies, Trump is the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. Several polls also show him leading Biden in the general election.
    “As a nation, we can endure damaging policies for a four-year term,” Cheney declared. “But we cannot survive a president willing to terminate our Constitution.”
Cheney’s 384-page “Oath and Honor: A Memoir and a Warning” is already the top-selling book on Amazon.com. In one passage, Trump is referred to as “Orange Jesus,” a term regularly used by Black Press journalist Barrington Salmon to deride the former president. Using text messages, emails, calls, and meetings, as well as personal conversations, Cheney rails against her GOP colleagues and reams them for being complicit in threats against democracy.
    “So strong is the lure of power that men and women who had once seemed reasonable and responsible were suddenly willing to violate their oath to the Constitution out of political expediency and loyalty to Donald Trump,” Cheney writes in the book, which hits shelves on Dec. 5.
Cheney unveils a hitherto undisclosed conversation with McCarthy, happening a mere 48 hours after the ballots were cast, where McCarthy spilled the beans that he had a tête-à-tête with Trump. According to the book, McCarthy spilled, “He knows it’s over… He needs to go through all the stages of grief.” Cheney dryly muses that, in Trump’s world, those stages appear to involve “tweeting in all caps.”
    When McCarthy declared on Fox News that “President Trump won this election,” Cheney notes, “McCarthy knew that what he was saying was not true.” The book further uncovers how other Republicans, like House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, brushed aside legal processes in a GOP conference call, with Jordan underscoring, “The only thing that matters is winning.”
    Cheney also took shots at Johnson, narrating how he pressed Republicans to back an amicus brief challenging the election result. Despite highlighting flaws in the legal arguments, Johnson reportedly insisted, “We just need to do this one last thing for Trump.”
    Before Trump’s followers stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, Cheney described a scene in the GOP cloakroom where members signed electoral vote objection sheets, acknowledging that most were aware it was a “farce” and merely a symbolic gesture of allegiance to Trump. Republican Congressman Mark Green reportedly quipped, “The things we do for the Orange Jesus.”
    Cheney accuses McCarthy of repeated falsehoods and a “craven” embrace of Trump, detailing his post-Jan. 6 visit to Mar-a-Lago. McCarthy claimed Trump’s staff summoned him, citing concerns about Trump’s well-being. Cheney incredulously responded, “You went to Mar-a-Lago because Trump’s not eating?”
    Cheney revealed her unintentional inclusion in a White House surrogate call on Jan. 4, where Trump allies mapped out plans to overturn the election through Pence. She left with a “terrible feeling,” unsure if Pence would withstand the pressure, disclosing that Paul Ryan also harbored doubts.
    
Despite warnings from her father, former Vice President Dick Cheney, about her safety on Jan. 6, Cheney remained unwavering. She voted for impeachment on Jan. 13, receiving private support from former President George W. Bush, who hailed her courage.

  • Newswire : Stamp honoring late Rep. John Lewis unveiled in official ceremony at Capital Hill

     Forever stamp honoring Congressman John Lewis


    By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

    House leaders joined forces with the U.S. Postal Service to reveal a commemorative stamp paying tribute to the late Rep. John Lewis on Wednesday. The unveiling occurred during a special event held at Capitol Hill.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and Linda Earley Chastang, Lewis’ former chief of staff, were the prominent figures present.
According to a press release from the Postal Service, the stamp showcases a photograph of Lewis captured by Marco Grob for Time magazine in 2013.
The design also incorporates a 1963 image taken by Steve Schapiro outside a nonviolent protest workshop, featured in the selvage or margin of the stamp pane.
Officials called the combination of photographs a poignant reminder of Lewis’ tireless commitment to civil rights and his instrumental role in the nonviolent protest movement.
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, addressing the gathering, announced that the official dedication ceremony for the John Lewis Forever stamp is scheduled for July 21 at Morehouse College in Atlanta.
DeJoy shared plans to rename Atlanta’s main post office in honor of the late congressman, acknowledging Lewis’ immeasurable contributions to the nation.
“Our nation certainly benefited from his fearlessness and his unfailing willingness to get into good trouble,” DeJoy stated.
McCarthy emphasized the significance of Lewis’ actions during the introduction of President Barack Obama at the 50th anniversary of “Bloody Sunday” in Selma, Alabama, back in 2015.
McCarthy, a Republican from California, acknowledged the power of Lewis’ words and how they transcended party lines. “I may be in a different party; I may have different views, but I’m an American,” McCarthy asserted.
“I got goosebumps and tears thinking how far we had come and thinking that John Lewis led the march on that bridge and led the introduction that day.”
Jeffries, the Democratic Representative from New York, expressed his belief that the stamp would forever symbolize Lewis’ significant contributions and serve as a tribute to his unwavering dedication as the conscience of Congress. He called Lewis one of the country’s greatest sons and deemed it fitting for such an influential figure to be recognized with a Forever stamp.
Lewis, a Democrat representing Georgia, served in the House of Representatives from 1987 until his passing on July 17, 2020, at 80, after battling stage 4 pancreatic cancer.
Known as the “conscience of Congress,” Lewis dedicated his life to advocating for peaceful protests and equality.
An original member of the Freedom Riders, Lewis played a pivotal role in the civil rights movement, enduring brutal violence when Alabama state troopers fractured his skull during the infamous “Bloody Sunday” incident in Selma in 1965.
In July 2020, Lewis became the first Black lawmaker to lie in state at the Capitol, a testament to his indelible mark on American history.
Even after his passing, his words have continued to inspire and motivate, as evidenced by his 2020 New York Times op-ed, where he urged others to carry the torch and fight for their beliefs.
His famous phrase, “good trouble,” remains a rallying cry for those seeking equality and justice.
Postal officials said the John Lewis Forever stamp is a lasting tribute to a remarkable individual who dedicated his life to making the United States a better place for all its citizens.