Let’s recap the past tumultuous week or so of the Trump presidency.
On May 9, Trump fired FBI Director James Comey with little notice to anyone. The White House released a memo written by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, a Trump appointee, saying that Comey had mishandled the investigation of Hillary Clinton’s emails by releasing information that harmed Clinton. White House officials vigorously defended the firing, denying it had anything to do with the investigation into ties between the Trump campaign and Russia. The next day, in an interview with Lester Holt, Trump made his staff out to be liars by saying that the memo had nothing to do with his firing Comey. In fact, he fired him because of the Russia investigation.
The day after the Comey firing, Trump invited the Russian Foreign Minister and Ambassador to the Oval Office. He also invited Russian press to the meeting but denied access to the US press. During that meeting, Trump revealed “highly classified” information about our fight with ISIS. Again, White House officials tried to downplay the blunder but made themselves look foolish instead.
Before that scandal could get a proper airing, information surfaced that Comey kept memos detailing his meeting with Trump and that the President asked Comey to back off his investigation of former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn’s ties to Russia. If the memo is accurate, Trump may be guilty of obstruction of justice.
In light of all the information, Deputy AG Rosenstein announced that he’s appointing former FBI Director Robert Mueller as a special counsel to look into all the accusations. The investigation will dominate news out of Washington for weeks, if not months. Republicans worry their agenda is in danger.
As revelation after revelation unfolded, Republicans and conservatives became increasingly wary of Trump. At first most were denying the need for an independent investigation but seemed relieved when Mueller was finally appointed. Some prominent conservatives, though, started ruminated about how to end the debacle. Blogger Erick Erickson basically called on Trump to resign. New York Times columnist Ross Douthat said that Pence and cabinet could use the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office. Few were rising to his defense.
However, North Carolina Congressman David Rouzer (NC-07) is doubling down on his support. Undeterred by the accusations that have other members of his party anxious, Rouzer released a statement saying, “I fully support President Donald Trump and firmly believe that he is the right person at the right time to save America. No president has done more so early in their administration to protect the moral and spiritual principles upon which this country was founded, nor has any president done more by this point of time in office for the working men and women who make America great.”
That’s sticking his neck out. Maybe Rouzer knows something the rest of us don’t or maybe he just knows his constituents. So far, Trump’s base seems to be sticking with him, even if the GOP establishment is not. But the bold statement of support seems to be risky. If the investigation reveals serious wrong-doing by the president, he will certainly see this statement again. If Trump’s base turns on him, Rouzer’s judgment will be called into question. That could be enough to add his Congressional district the list of ones in play.
Thomas Mills is the founder and publisher of PoliticsNC.com. Before beginning PoliticsNC, Thomas spent twenty years as a political and public affairs consultant. Learn more >
Unfortunately, Rouzer is in a severely gerrymandered district and will probably hold that seat until they carry him out of Washington DC in a body bag.
This is the same oaf who got his start working for Jesse Effing Helms and is proud of it.
I’d like to know what Donald Trump has done, ” …to protect the moral and spiritual principles upon which this country was founded, nor…done…for the working men and women who make America great.”
Maybe Rouzer lives in some parallel universe where Donald Trump is some sort of omnipotent being. Based on his actions in office however, never has an American President done more to rip up the fabric with which this Republic is woven. Imbecile politicians like Rouzer want to keep plowing the same ground with morals and principles. If he had any concept of what those two things are, he would beg for forgiveness using them and Donald Trump in the same sentence.
As far as helping American workers, tell us Dave, what’s he done to help them? What are the thing(s) that Donald Trump himself has done that has positively impacted and drastically improved the lives of those men and women on the bottom rung of the ladder. Yeah, I can’t think of any either.
So you keep right on with your support sir. Keep writing those letters of blind dedication. The limelight is shining bright on the White House and this Administration. The people are starting to see what Donald Trump and the Republican party are all about and whom.
The worm has started to turn.
Rep. Mark Walker, District 6, basically said if allegations are true it wouldn’t be right for him not to be concerned. How’s that for fence sitting? This was after he labeled two little duckling ramps at D.C.’s Reflecting Pool “government waste.”
Are NC Republicans trying to win the “Dunce Elected Federal Officials Who Make Stupid Statements” as a group award?
-Rouzer (““No president has done more so early in their administration to protect the moral and spiritual principles upon which this country was founded’).
-Pittenger (“Charlotte protesters hate white people’),
-Walker (re: duck ramps at the Reflecting Basin): “If it looks like a duck and walks like a duck, it must be government waste”).
-Hudson (“President Obama is hiding something about his birth certificate”).
-Foxx (“We have more to fear from the potential of the Affordable Care Act passing than we do from any terrorist right now in any country”).
-Tillis (“I don’t have any problem with Starbucks if they choose to opt out of this (handwashing) policy as long as they post a sign that says ‘We don’t require our employees to wash their hands after leaving the restroom.”
I’ll admit none of these remarks come close to TX Rep. Louis Gohmert’s high standard, but, with practice, these folks might get there some day.
“Maybe Rouzer knows something the rest of us don’t or maybe he just knows his constituents.”
It’s the latter, for sure.
First, Trump took Rouzer’s district by a 60-40 margin.
But secondly and more importantly, Rouzer represents an area in which the KKK sponsored a Trump victory celebration after his presidential win; where, until 1978, the United Klans of America, Inc. ran a billboard along I-95 near Smithfield that spewed “Welcome to North Carolina! You are in the Heart of Klan Country! Help Us Fight Integration!”; where the national leaders of the Klan resided well into the 1990s; and where, just a year ago, homeowners (including me) found KKK membership applications placed in their driveways overnight.
Rouzer is just playing to his base. Given that his base is loaded with deplorables, what does that make Rouzer?
“No president has done more so early in their administration to protect the moral and spiritual principles upon which this country was founded”, says Rouzer,
Every moment of his life since he took the oath of office, Trump has been violating the Constitution by profiting from foreign money.
As for his support of working people, his tax plan transfers money from programs that benefit workers to the 1% are already enormously wealthy.
Instead of draining that swamp, Trump is draining the remaining wealth of workers into the pockets of the swamp crawlers he has put in his cabinet.
Mr. Rouzer is my congressman–No! No! No! –he is not mine, I just happen to live and vote in the congressional district that he “represents.” Mr.Rouzer is one of those “professional legislators” who can only make a living by having taxpayers like me paying him an enormous taxpayer-funded salary and benefits. He is what I call a “legiscrat.” North Carolina has quite a few of these who some how got themselves elected to the General Assembly and U.S. Congress. Mr. Rouzer is one of those in the current U.S. Congress who seem to be an permanent “recess” (i.e., vacation). He returns to Washington on occasion to fight with his colleagues and then pass and strongly defend bills like Trumpcare. That should tell you enough right there about Mr. Rouzer and his philosophy and behavior.
But, no, now he has become a political consultant (that’s what I did for 50 years) and pundit who can divine the future of Trump. May I suggest, Mr. Rouzer, that you resign your seat in this congress at the same time that Trump is forced to resign for incompetence and selling this country short. Let’s ask Rouzer to commit to that. Deal?
Or, let the voters of your district take you out in 2018. Whatever comes first.
I suspect Rep. Rouzer will takes his chances with the voters of the 7th Congressional district in 2018 rather than adhering to the advice of a retired liberal political consultant. But his potential opponents could probably use some sage campaign advice on how to try to defeat him next year. Any successful advice toward that end should be worth some really big bucks.
Off year elections typically are determined by who shows up. It doesn’t matter if Trump’s base say they stick with him or not, if they are not energized they will not show up and the Democrats will win. The Democrats are energized, oh my, are the Democrats energized.
I don’t know, Jim. Never underestimate the ability of Democrats to find some way to lose an election. I’ve seen it happen too often throughout my lifetime. Even when they’re not enthusiastic about some candidate their party puts up, old, conservative Republicans show up at the polls and are just unable to make themselves vote for even a great Democratic candidate. Meanwhile, “purists” within the big tent of the Democratic Party almost always find some picky reason to stay home just because a candidate is realistic enough to realize that some compromise must be made into order to win an election, even if the “purists” disagree with the candidate only about a single issue.
They told me that if I voted for Hillary, that Goldman-Sacs would have too much influence in the executive branch of government. I did, and now the cabinet is filled with Goldman-Sacs executives.
Will the Democratic voters keep their enthusiasm long enough to actually vote and even help to organize around candidates? I really hope so, but I remain somewhat skeptical.