North Carolina’s two African-American congressional representatives have joined the worldwide condemnation of President Donald Trump’s
By CASH MICHAELS
North Carolina’s two African-American congressional representatives have joined the worldwide condemnation of President Donald Trump’s lackluster performance alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin during a joint press conference in Helsinki, Finland Monday, July 16th.
Their reaction is key, because both Rep. Alma Adams (D-NC-12) and Rep. G. K. Butterfield (D-NC-1), have come close in the past, but have not joined other members of the Congressional Black Caucus in calling for Trump’s impeachment.
Now, in the aftermath of the president publicly doubting his own intelligence agencies’ view that Russia did indeed interfere with the 2016 presidential elections, despite indictments against twelve Russian agents for hacking into the Democratic National Committee computers in an effort to undermine candidate Hillary Clinton, there may be a change of mind.
“President Trump’s press conference was an international disgrace and a complete failure,” blasted Congresswoman Adams afterwards in a statement. “Trump blatantly turned his back on his own Director of National Intelligence, the CIA, and the FBI by siding with Putin. Failing to hold Putin accountable for his attack on our country’s electoral system is unacceptable and illogical. His actions are a betrayal to our nation. Trump’s unprecedented alliance with Russia is a major threat to our national security and we can no longer stand for it.”
Congressman Butterfield was just as outdone.
“President Trump chose to align himself with, and defend a violent autocrat who ordered a cyber attack on the US and our democracy, instead of standing with the American people, our own intelligence community, and our international partners,” tweeted Butterfield Tuesday.
But Rep. Butterfield shifted the target of his ire towards congressional Republicans, challenging them to take action against the titular leader of their party.
“Republicans must decide whether to protect and defend America, or embrace President Trump and Russia. It’s just that simple.”
No doubt that Congressman Butterfield, and his Democratic colleagues in the US House and Senate, hope to use Monday’s presidential debacle effectively against the GOP in the upcoming fall midterm elections. Political observers were predicting a Democratic “blue wave” of voters, frustrated with the daily controversies and investigations surrounding the president, to wash-in November 6th, and effectively “wash” the Republicans out of both the House and Senate, handing Congress back to the Democrats.
Butterfield made it clear in his last tweet that either the GOP deal with Trump, or ultimately pay for their inaction.
“Every day Congressional Republicans refuse to act, they become more complicit in Donald Trump’s unraveling of America’s values and institutions,” Rep. Butterfield concluded.
Some Republicans, led by Sen. John McCain, have rebuked Trump, but thus far, no action has been taken.