In a surprise twist that even Cockburn never saw coming, Andrew Yang and Andrew Cuomo, Democrats both, have denounced the recent raid on former president Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home.
The Thousand-Dollar-Yang tweeted out a long piece that declared that, while Yang didn’t want Trump as president, he did have serious concerns about what happened at Mar-a-Lago:
A fundamental part of his [Trump’s] appeal has been that it’s him against a corrupt government establishment. This raid strengthens that case for millions of Americans who will see this as unjust persecution. It seems like this was authorized by a local judge and a particular FBI office without buy-in or notification of higher levels of government. But literally no one will believe that or make a distinction. It’s probably bureaucratic but it seems political.
Cuomo had a more streamlined message: “DOJ must immediately explain the reason for its raid & it must be more than a search for inconsequential archives or it will be viewed as a political tactic and undermine any future credible investigation & legitimacy of January 6 investigations.”
This event naturally did not escape the sight of many Republicans either. Congressman Kevin McCarthy, the GOP minority leader in the House of Representatives, wrote:
I’ve seen enough. The Department of Justice has reached an intolerable state of weaponized politicization. When Republicans take back the house, we will conduct immediate oversight of this department, follow the facts, and leave no stone unturned. Attorney General Garland, preserve your documents and clear your calendar.
Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, meanwhile, issued a predictably more radical cry to “DEFUND THE FBI!”
In contrast, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell stayed completely silent about the whole ordeal. During a press conference on August 9, when reporters asked him about the raid, McConnell sidestepped it, saying, “I’m here to talk about the flood and recovery from the flood.” He made no mention of the raid online, unlike many other Senate Republicans.
Color Cockburn surprised at the two Democrats’ remarks (especially Cuomo’s), though the Republican statements are much more in-character: outrage from MTG, caution from MM. Now the real question is: what will Merrick Garland say?
