Shithole Senators

People in politics and the media are taking note of some collateral damage from Republicans dishonestly framing the infamous "shithole" meeting at the White (Supremacist) House to discuss a bipartisan deal on DACA, especially lying weasel Republican Sens. Tom Cotton of Arkansas and David Perdue of Georgia. Both Senators, in conjunction with biohazard Stephen Miller and diminished Adult Day Care supervisor John Kelly, were instrumental in blowing up the bipartisan deal last week.

James Hohmann summarizes and assesses the damage to Cotton and Perdue:

After Dick Durbin said Friday that President Trump had complained about the United States taking immigrants from “shithole countries,” two Republican senators who attended the meeting took issue with their Democratic colleague. 

“[W]e do not recall the president saying these comments specifically,” David Perdue (Ga.) and Tom Cotton (Ark.) said in a joint statement that read like it was drafted by a lawyer. 

By Sunday morning, their memories had cleared up. “I am telling you that he did not use that word. And I’m telling you it’s a gross misrepresentation,” Perdue said indignantly on ABC’s “This Week.” 

“I didn’t hear it, and I was sitting no further away from Donald Trump than Dick Durbin was,” Cotton said on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” 

They didn’t stop there. Both men then impugned the Illinois senator’s integrity by alleging he has a history of making stuff up. 

Now we know the real story: “Three White House officials said Perdue and Cotton told the White House that they heard ‘shithouse’ rather than ‘shithole,’ allowing them to deny the president’s comments on television over the weekend,” according to Josh Dawsey, Robert Costa and Ashley Parker.  [snip] 

Cotton and Perdue will be defined by this moment, in part, because other senators will remember their attacks on Durbin. This will make them less trustworthy as potential partners and thus less effective as members of Congress.  (our emphasis)

Cotton deserves a holy hell comeuppance since this is far from his first offense to his country or decency (remember his attempting to scuttle the Iran nuclear deal?  How about his blind hatred of President Obama leading to blocking a highly qualified Ambassadorial nominee? Just for starters.) Perdue is just your garden variety plutocrat Republican who goes along with whatever he's told to do, and who also seems to have an irrational hatred for Obama.  We wonder what these white gentlemen have against the former black President.

Right- wing pundit Jennifer Rubin excoriates Rump, Cotton and Perdue:

So to recap: The president described a preference for Norwegian (i.e. white) immigrants over those from “shithole” countries (African nations). He gave the Congressional Black Caucus the back of the hand. (“At one point, Durbin told the president that members of that caucus — an influential House group — would be more likely to agree to a deal if certain countries were included in the proposed protections, according to people familiar with the meeting. Trump was curt and dismissive, saying he was not making immigration policy to cater to the CBC and did not particularly care about that bloc’s demands, according to people briefed on the meeting. ‘You’ve got to be joking,’ one adviser said, describing Trump’s reaction.”) He blew up a possible deal on the Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals program, bragged about his actions to friends and then lied to the public about what he said. Two U.S. senators lied as well and then were double-crossed by White House aides.

This raises several questions: Why should these Republicans hold elected office? Why should anyone believe them in the future? And lastly, what is the appropriate response to them? 

Amy Davidson Sorkin on the latest proof of the old adage that there's no honor among thieves:

What is notable is that, at first, Cotton and Perdue had tried, in a joint statement, to hedge by saying that they did “not recall the President saying these comments specifically.” But, as his lies escalated, so did theirs, to the point where they were backing up the idea that the media was involved in a fake-news conspiracy. They didn’t need to do so—after their Sunday appearances, Lindsey Graham said, according to the Post and Courier, “My memory hasn’t evolved. I know what was said and I know what I said”—yet they chose that route. But it is, apparently, hard to lie halfway for Trump; he won’t let you. Maybe it’s time for the Republicans to stop lying to themselves about that, too.  (our emphasis)

These two shithole Senators simply shine a light on the general state of the Republican Party -- it's now completely Trump's party -- and on the lack of truth, honor and decency in their ranks (it extends to their political appointees, too, of course: see Nielsen, Kirstjen).  But as these writers point out, ultimately lying for Rump won't save you.

(Photo:  Cotton, Very Stable Genius, Perdue)