"This is NOT A DISTRACTION FROM EPSTEIN"

[orangecrush]

To say that is MINIMALIZING WHAT HE IS REALLY DOING.

?si=u8fyH4Crsqh761aS

[LetMyPeopleVote]

1. Federal law allows Trump to control D.C. police only for 48 hours

trump cannot control D.C. police for more thabn 48 hours with congressional approval and congress is in recess

Link to tweet

https://www.notus.org/trump-white-house/trump-congress-dc-police-home-rule

President Donald Trump announced the federal government is taking control of Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department. A White House official told NOTUS that the takeover “is expected to last 30 days,” but added that “is subject to change.”

Per federal law, the president can federalize the metropolitan police for 48 hours on his own. To extend that to a maximum of 30 days, the president needs to notify the congressional committees with jurisdiction over Washington, D.C. Anything longer than 30 days has to be authorized by Congress......

The White House has 48 hours from the moment it officially declares control of the D.C. police to notify the four members’ offices. If it fails to do so within that time frame, federal law prohibits the president from keeping control of the department for more than two days.

The politics get more complicated the longer Trump wants to control Washington police. A joint resolution to authorize the federalization of the D.C. police force beyond 30 days would require two-thirds of both chambers to pass, and it’s highly unlikely that Democrats would support it.

[Paladin]

3. Democratic leadership better DO SOMETHING with this 48-hour time limit!

Taking the fight to trump is way the fuck overdue!

[orangecrush]

4. I'm waiting.

[Magoo48]

7. Perhaps, a strongly worded denunciation in the form of a memo.

[still-prayin4rain]

13. Oooohhhh, good idea. Maybe Schumer could, like, read a letter at a press conference.

[Jersey Devil]

8. Other than speaking out, what do you suggest they do?

Congress is in recess until September. They can't even propose a resolution or hold a hearing of any kind until next month. So do what? Perhaps magic tricks?

[still-prayin4rain]

14. Committee chairs (or ranking members if in the minority) can send formal letters demanding records, legal justifications

and communications related to the takeover, even while Congress is in recess.

Also, there is no law that they cannot stay in DC and continue to organize themselves for when Congress is back in session. They can pre-draft bills to repeal or amend Section 740 of the Home Rule Act, so they’re ready to introduce the instant Congress reconvenes and identify bipartisan sponsors in both chambers for faster movement. They could announce plans to include defunding provisions in the next must-pass bill and signal to agencies that Congress will claw back funds spent on the takeover.

They should also, in an organized chorus, request an emergency recall of Congress. Congressional leadership can reconvene both chambers in a special session to address the D.C. police takeover. Publicly and with a unified voice demand reconvening. Even if leaders refuse, public calls from a critical mass of members can increase pressure to reopen Congress.

They can coordinate with former military and law enforcement leaders to issue statements condemning the move and warning of precedent-setting dangers. They can encourage state legislatures and governors to pass symbolic resolutions condemning the takeover and urging Congress to overturn it. They can work with mayors of major cities to publicly declare solidarity with D.C.’s home rule.

Obviously, they need to publicize all of the above work that they are doing so that people understand we can and they are fighting. Instead of formal hearings, they could hold field hearings or “shadow hearings” with legal experts, D.C. officials, and impacted residents. Stream them online and brand them as “Congressional Democracy Watch” events.

Within their states, and speaking more broadly, they can coordinate with their state attorneys general, advocacy groups, and private plaintiffs to file lawsuits. Similarly, they can partner with governors and state legislatures to pass state guardrails that block cooperation with unconstitutional federal directives. They can fund state-level legal defense funds for public employees pressured to follow unlawful orders. They can help to create secure, protected reporting pipelines for federal employees to disclose illegal directives without retaliation and fund large-scale civic education programs that reinforce democratic values and constitutional literacy within their states. They can work with their state legislatures to pass state laws requiring transparency for political advertising algorithms on social media.

[muriel_volestrangler]

5. Notifying the congressional committees seems a pretty easy step

that even the dolts under Trump can manage.

So he has up to 32 days to fuck around with the capital. And then the pigs may move on to another Democratic city.

[11 Bravo]

10. And exactly how many fucks does Trump give about the law?

[orangecrush]

12. ZERO

Exactly.

[Scrivener7]

11. I wish this was getting more eyes. You should make it an OP.

[yourout]

2. It could be both.

[markpkessinger]

6. Yes, indeed .. .

. . . I mean, in a certain sense, virtually EVERYTHING Trump does serves as a distraction from something else. But that doesn't mean, of course, that we can ignore the seriousness of any of it.

[GoCubsGo]

9. It's all to create chaos.

In chaos, it's easier to steal and commit other crimes.

[Maru Kitteh]

15. Have you EVER seen three people in a color photograph

that looked that miserable? I can’t think of any at the moment.

[yourout]

16. I'm sure the stench is almost unbearable.