Talk about doubling down.
Republican Representative Mo Brooks of Alabama thinks they can send President Obama to prison for 5 years for doing what every other modern president has done by taking executive action on immigration reform.
Brooks is pretty sure there’s a federal statute, but he doesn’t have the citation for it “at the tip of my tongue.” No worries! When making public statements suggesting that the President is committing a criminal violation that could send him to prison, it’s totally understandable that an elected lawmaker wouldn’t first look up the citation.
Betsy Woodruff reported for Slate :
Brooks said there is a federal statute (“I don’t have the citation for it at the tip of my tongue”) making it a felony to aid, abet, or entice a foreigner to illegally enter the U.S.
“At some point, you have to evaluate whether the president’s conduct aids or abets, encourages, or entices foreigners to unlawfully cross into the United States of America,” he continued. “That has a five-year in-jail penalty associated with it.”
Brooks isn’t sure on what grounds impeachment proceedings might be justified because he hasn’t seen the outlines of the president’s actions yet.
…
“I don’t know what he’s going to do yet,” he continued. “Until we see what he’s going to do, it is difficult to say whether he is violating a civil statute or violating a criminal statute.”
Oh. So he’s for sure violating one of them, but Republicans haven’t bothered to look up anything specific before speaking to the press. Just sort of randomly tossing out criminal and impeachment dog whistles. That’s a no on specific actions and a no on specific statutes.
In general, though, you get the idea. The Democrat in the White House is a criminal for doing what other presidents have done. He will either be impeached or go to prison, according to this Southern Republican. For what, we don’t know yet. Republicans will think about that tomorrow.
Today, all they need to do is whip up a frenzy of accusations that the media can repeat, thereby creating a vague sense in the average American’s mind that Obama is guilty of something. But as Woodruff pointed out, “The president isn’t going to be impeached, or be sent to jail for five years.”
But reality didn’t stop Brooks from introducing a bill that gives the House authority to “initiate litigation for actions by the President or other executive branch officials inconsistent with their duties under the Constitution of the United States with respect to the implementation of the immigration laws.”
Brooks is serious, y’all. No one is going to do the Republicans’ job for them. It simply will not be done or else they will sue!
Cue House GOP’s second frivolous lawsuit against the President on the taxpayer’s dime. What you are seeing here is just the tip of the crazy-berg heading your way. Now that Republicans have discovered that they can’t defund Obama’s executive orders (thereby nullifying an election and his rights as president), they are stuck going into full on freak out mode. And this from the fellow who claimed that Republicans aren’t racists, it’s that Democrats use race to get out of discussing issues.
There is absolutely nothing to see here in terms of being so afraid to pass reasonable, bipartisan immigration reform that was already passed by both parties in the Senate and threatening to put the first black president in prison if he acts like other presidents. Oh, gosh, no. Nothing to see.
Somewhere right now President Obama is displaying that puzzled by the insanity look he always wears right before the knock out punch. You know the one. Lipstick on a pig and please proceed, Governor. That one.
Sarah has been credentialed to cover President Barack Obama, then VP Joe Biden, 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, and exclusively interviewed Speaker Nancy Pelosi multiple times and exclusively covered her first home appearance after the first impeachment of then President Donald Trump.
Sarah is two-time Telly award winning video producer and a member of the Society of Professional Journalists.
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