Democratic leaders were outspoken during the massive US military buildup in the Middle East,
⭐️decrying his unwillingness to engage with Congress and lack of long-term strategy for Iran.
🔸They noted that it was Trump, during his first term, who shredded Barack Obama’s nuclear agreement with Iran.

Once the US and Israeli military struck on Saturday, the sharpest voices accused the president of riding roughshod over the constitution.
Senator Bernie #Sanders denounced the assault as “an illegal, premeditated and unconstitutional war”,
while Senator Chris #Van #Hollen warned it amounted to a “regime-change war” that would leave the US less secure.

Senator Tim #Kaine, long a thorn in the side of presidents of both parties on war powers, called the strikes “a colossal mistake”
and demanded a swift vote requiring Trump to seek authorisation.

Others, however, were more qualified. Tom #Suozzi, a New York Democrat who co-chairs the Problem Solvers caucus, wrote on X: “I agree with the President’s objectives that Iran can never be allowed to obtain nuclear capabilities.”
Henry #Cuellar of Texas said the threat posed by Iran was “real and longstanding”.
And not all Democrats are lining up behind a war powers rebuke.

There may be enough defections to block a war powers resolution,
-- although a few libertarian Republicans could join those in favor.
The split also exposes a deeper unease within Democratic ranks over how robustly to confront Iran and how far to go in backing Israeli military action.
There are also political traps as Republicans accuse them of lacking patriotism and ignoring the Iranian diaspora who have taken to the streets to celebrate Khamenei’s downfall.
The discomfort is embodied by Senator Mark #Kelly, a former combat pilot and potential 2028 presidential contender. Appearing on NBC’s Meet the Press, Kelly was asked if he agrees with Lindsey Graham, a hawkish Republican senator, that the world is now safer because the supreme leader of Iran is dead.
Kelly replied: “Well, I agree with that part. I mean, it’s a good thing that the supreme leader is gone and some of the folks around him.”
👍But he also delivered a withering assessment of the White House’s preparation.
♦️ “Hope is not a strategy,” Kelly warned,
questioning whether the administration had any serious plan for the aftermath.
Air power can destroy targets, he added,
⚡️but fully eliminating capabilities without boots on the ground is “incredibly challenging”.

The congressional debate over war powers would mostly be symbolic.
🆘Even if a resolution were to pass the narrowly split Congress, Trump likely would veto it and Congress would not have the two-thirds majority needed to overturn that rejection.
Congress has often failed to block other US military actions, including in a Senate vote on Venezuela,
👉but the roll calls stand as a public record.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/02/democrats-divided-iran-trump?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

#TFG #Politics #Pardons #Cuellar

Cuellar had zero intention of becoming a Republican, noting that he did not know why Trump may have assumed that. When Cuellar made clear he was not switching parties, Trump aired his frustrations on X and endorsed the top GOP candidate running against him, Tano Tijerina. The president also made clear that he had no regrets about pardoning Cuellar.

https://www.notus.org/campaigns/it-clears-the-sky-after-trump-pardon-and-bucking-his-party-cuellar-looks-to-2026

Seven #Quisling #Democrats voted to fund #ICE, rather than shut it down.

Seven #House Democrats broke with much of their party to vote in favor of funding U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), helping advance a Department of Homeland Security (#DHS) spending measure in committee despite strong opposition from progressives.

The seven Democratic representatives who voted yes to approve ICE funding were:

Tom #Suozzi (New York)
Henry #Cuellar (Texas)
Don #Davis (North Carolina)
Laura #Gillen (New York)
Jared #Golden (Maine)
Vicente #Gonzalez (Texas)
Marie Glusenkamp #Perez (Washington)

Primary the fuck out of them. I don’t care if we run a goddamn giraffe or an inflated penis balloon, if they aren’t with us, they are against us, and if they are against us, fuck them. ( Disclaimer, I know two of these assholes, and boy howdy are they not gonna be pleased to hear from me in the morning, I can tell you.)

The Pardon That Represents the New Era of Corruption

Rather than be critical or perhaps stay silent, the House minority leader, Hakeem Jeffries, welcomed the pardon and engaged in shameful pandering, apparently to maintain Mr. Cuellar’s party loyalty. Most disturbingly, Mr. Jeffries did so by attacking the legitimacy of the criminal case against Mr. Cuellar, publicly dismissing the indictment against him as “very thin.”

https://thriv.social/c/usa/p/115897/the-pardon-that-represents-the-new-era-of-corruption

Trump slams pardoned Democratic congressman as 'disloyal' for not switching parties

President Donald Trump is angry that Rep. Henry Cuellar plans to run for reelection as a Democrat rather than switch parties after the president pardoned the Texas congressman and his wife in a federal bribery and conspiracy case.

Trump begnadigte #Cuellar und dessen Ehefrau, nachdem ihnen Bestechung vorgeworfen worden war.

Kurz nach der Begnadigung reichte Cuellar seine Kandidatur für die Wiederwahl als #Demokrat ein und erklärte, er habe nicht die Absicht, seine Partei zu wechseln. 😜 #usa #trump