With the curtains closing on Senator Mitch McConnell's tenure as the GOP's helmsman, we're left to ponder the gargantuan void and the emerging silhouette of Trumpism within the party's ranks. The seismic shifts in Republican politics have upended the once-steadfast allegiance to old-guard conservatism, ushering in a fresh but contentious wave of Trump-endorsed mavericks like JD Vance. Our latest episode wades through McConnell's intricate legacy, from his Reagan-era roots to the tectonic fractures wrought by Trump's larger-than-life shadow, culminating in an emotional adieu that leaves more questions than answers about the GOP's future course.
As we dissect the tenuous waltz between McConnell and Trump, particularly in the wake of January 6th, it becomes evident that the former president's grip on the party base remains unshaken. McConnell's strategic gambits, once thought to forecast Trump's political demise, now seem like a misjudgment as we scrutinize the Supreme Court's readiness to hear out Trump's plea for criminal immunity. This pivotal move by the judiciary could not only shape Trump's political destiny but might also redefine the GOP's foreign policy posture and its internal power dynamics. Through these revelations, the episode unravels the complexities of a party at a crossroads, with its old vanguard and the MAGA faction locked in a silent struggle for the soul of American conservatism.
The thread of judicial impartiality weaves through our final discussion, as we scrutinize the Supreme Court's seemingly preferential treatment of cases involving Trump. Delays in cases potentially shielding Trump juxtaposed with hasty attention to those that could hinder him cast a disconcerting light on the Court's intentions. This chapter of our dialogue challenges the notion of a balanced scale of justice, confronting the disquieting possibility of a system that may inadvertently place certain individuals above the law, betraying the fundamental principle that underpins American democracy. Join us for a thought-provoking examination of these critical junctures that could very well define the trajectory of our nation's political and judicial future.
With the curtains closing on Senator Mitch McConnell's tenure as the GOP's helmsman, we're left to ponder the gargantuan void and the emerging silhouette of Trumpism within the party's ranks. The seismic shifts in Republican politics have upended the once-steadfast allegiance to old-guard conservatism, ushering in a fresh but contentious wave of Trump-endorsed mavericks like JD Vance. Our latest episode wades through McConnell's intricate legacy, from his Reagan-era roots to the tectonic fractures wrought by Trump's larger-than-life shadow, culminating in an emotional adieu that leaves more questions than answers about the GOP's future course.
As we dissect the tenuous waltz between McConnell and Trump, particularly in the wake of January 6th, it becomes evident that the former president's grip on the party base remains unshaken. McConnell's strategic gambits, once thought to forecast Trump's political demise, now seem like a misjudgment as we scrutinize the Supreme Court's readiness to hear out Trump's plea for criminal immunity. This pivotal move by the judiciary could not only shape Trump's political destiny but might also redefine the GOP's foreign policy posture and its internal power dynamics. Through these revelations, the episode unravels the complexities of a party at a crossroads, with its old vanguard and the MAGA faction locked in a silent struggle for the soul of American conservatism.
The thread of judicial impartiality weaves through our final discussion, as we scrutinize the Supreme Court's seemingly preferential treatment of cases involving Trump. Delays in cases potentially shielding Trump juxtaposed with hasty attention to those that could hinder him cast a disconcerting light on the Court's intentions. This chapter of our dialogue challenges the notion of a balanced scale of justice, confronting the disquieting possibility of a system that may inadvertently place certain individuals above the law, betraying the fundamental principle that underpins American democracy. Join us for a thought-provoking examination of these critical junctures that could very well define the trajectory of our nation's political and judicial future.
I stand before you today, mr President, and my colleagues, to say this will be my last term as Republican leader in his own life's journey. To prioritize the impact. I'd like to be for one simple reason they wanted me to come to Washington and cut out wasteful spending over the last hundred years or so. In some areas of my state, people are attempting to buy votes, sell votes, intimidate voters and, in general, distort the election process. I was shocked that there were only five Democrats who thought that lying under oath before a grand jury was a very important matter. We know that the world terror is different. We leave Iraq without finishing the job. They'll be back here in the streets of the United States.
Speaker 1:Our top political priority over the next two years should be to deny President Obama a second term. Am I really good with white people? And I'm proud of that. Our view is this Give the people a voice in filling this vacancy. The Senate will appropriately revisit the matter when it considers the qualifications of the nominee. The next president nominates. We fill it. Question Good. President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day. President Trump is still liable for everything he did while he was in office. Didn't get away with anything yet. Yeah well, I'm not a fan of government shutdowns. I've seen a few of them over the years. They never have produced a policy change and they've always been a loser for Republicans.
Speaker 2:Senator Thurmond came out and endorsed Trump. The other lieutenants have endorsed Trump. Why do you hold the out an endorsement that might be happening.
Speaker 1:I don't have any announcement about that today. But father time remains undefeated. I'm no longer the young man sitting in the back hoping colleagues would remember my name. It's time for the next generation of leadership.
Speaker 3:Welcome to the Darrell McClain show. I'm your host, darrell McClain. Today is 229, 2024. You have the pleasure of listening to the show in its very first leap day. So you heard that right February 29th. You will not get a February 29th again for several years. I'm very happy to be able to be spending this moment with you and let's talk about what we just heard. So you just heard the exit of Senator Mitch McConnell.
Speaker 3:Mitch McConnell, for just some context here, has been one of the longest serving, most powerful people in Washington period. Mitch McConnell actually rose to power in a landslide election when Ronald Reagan was running. That's how long Mitch McConnell has been serving this country as the senator, and so we're going to get into a lot of this in the beginning part of our show and what this means, because the GOP Senator Mitch McConnell saw and this is coming from the hill the writing on the wall choosing this term to be his final as the Senate Republican leader, is arguing and increasingly obvious that the party is drifting away from him and embracing people like the former president Trump as he's likely presidential nominee, mitch McConnell says. I think it's a reflection of Mitch's understanding of the room. I think it's a reflection of both his personal situation, as he described eloquently in his speech and reading of the political climate, and his respect of that Senator, kevin Kramer the Republican. Another Republican said after McConnell announced his decision not to run from another term as Senate leader in an emotional floor speech. Mcconnell has faced a relentless pressure from a long time critic such as Senator Ted Cruz, who actually used to be one of his lieutenants. He used to kind of always have Senators McConnell's back, but either way, he's faced a lot of criticism from Ted Cruz from Texas, mike Lee from Utah. They have steadily gained supporters in the recently elected conservatives, such as Cittus, jd Vance, eric Schmidt, rick Scott and Josh Hawley. All of those Republicans are aligned with Trump, who's just the last two months has re-asserting himself as the GOP's kingmaker and in and out of Washington DC. Some of those Republicans said a changing of the guard is appropriate, giving how much the party has changed since Trump's stunning election to the presidency back in 2016. I think it's a good thing, said JD Vance, who was elected to the Senate with Trump's endorsement in 2022, when asked about McConnell stepping down for leadership. Hopefully we get to a Republican leader a little more in tune with their preferences of our voters, but we shall see.
Speaker 3:A Republican Senator who requested anonymity to discuss the political pressure on McConnell said the announcement caught many colleagues by surprise. The Senator called the backlash from conservatives over bipartisan border security deal vicious, he said. I can read the political tea leaves are something to that effect. That the Senator said and after you have been a leader for 18 years, who wants to go out with their colleagues ripping on you? The Senate Republican aide said it's Trump's party. Now it's the end of the Reagan era and now it is the beginning of the Trump's version of the MAGA era.
Speaker 3:Speaking on the Senate floor on Wednesday, mcconnell reminisced about the good old days and his early Senate career with Ronald Reagan and Republican with a radically different vision of key issues was president. My career in the United States Senate began amidst the Reagan Revolution. The truth is, when I got here I was just happy if anybody remembered my name he recalled. Finally, reagan called me Mitch O'Donnell. Close enough, I thought. My wife Ellen and I got married on President Reagan's birthday. February 6 is probably not the most romantic thing, to admit, but Reagan meant a great deal to both of us. He recounted.
Speaker 3:Mcconnell talked about how the devastating loss of his sister-in-law, who died in the car accident this month, had prompted a you know introspection about his own life's journey. One of life's most Unappreciated talents is to know when it's time to move on to life's next chapter, he said, adding that he would formally hand over the reins of leadership in January and serve by the remainder of his senate term through 2026. He bluntly informed colleagues that he's not planning to recede into the shadows before he retires. I still have enough gas in the tank to thoroughly disappoint my critics and intend to do so with all the enthusiasm with which they have become accustomed. Mcconnell gave a few of his closest allies advanced warnings before the speech ahead of his plan, but the bombshell news caught many of his colleagues by surprise. After he spoke on the senate floor, he walked across the Ohio clock corridor into the weekly senate steering committee lunch hosted by one of his most outspoken critics, lee, where colleagues gave him what they described as a warm corridor reception.
Speaker 3:Mcconnell ignored the theories that he was stepping down from power because of the bruising battle he fought with the Senate conservatives over a Ukraine funding bill and border security package that helped Senator James Lackford negotiate with Democrats, and he didn't address the elephant in the room named the Trump, with whom he had a bitter falling out three years ago and just won South Carolina and Michigan primaries, and, in a crushing to the Republican president and you know, in his cruising to the presidential nomination, he told his colleagues that he had made decisions weeks ago, at the start of the year, not to run for another term as a Republican leader, implying that the messy fight with the GOP colleagues and border security deal and Trump's growing political power were not pushing him to announce a hasty retirement. The only thing he said that was different in the caucus from what he said on the floor was that he really had decided previously that it was last his last term as leader, said a GOP senator who attended that meeting. A second senator confirmed that McConnell told colleagues he made his decision long ago. A third person familiar with McConnell's comments said he informed colleagues that he decided to start of this year to step down from his leadership after the November election. Even though Republicans have an excellent chance of regaining the Senate majority which McConnell, which is his top political majority priority. Mcconnell still hasn't endorsed Trump, even though most of his leadership team already has, including Senate Republican whip John Thune, senate Republican conference chair John Barrison, conference vice chair Sellingmore, capito National Republican Senator committee chair Stephen Dennis and Senator Johnny Cornyn. The New York Times reported Monday that McConnell's longtime confidant and strategist, john Holmes, had been in talks with senior Trump campaign advisor Chris Levita, accord about making amends between the two leaders and setting a stage for McConnell to endorse Trump later this year. A person familiar with the negotiations told the Hill on Wednesday that McConnell's personal relationship with Trump are the talks about eventually dorsing. The GOP frontrunner had no impact on McConnell's decision to retire from the leadership. I see it as a parallel track. The source said that's the stuff he would be doing anyway, because it's part of his job to make sure we got a united front on the Republican side going to to the election as we can. We did something similar in 2016. Now Senate minority leaders Mitch McConnell.
Speaker 3:The decision to step down from his leadership role was both shocking and, at the same time, unsurprising. Now the shock is actually rooted in the fact that McConnell has come to seem as a permanent feature in Washington's political landscape. He was first elected to the Senate in 1984 and became the Republican leader in 2007. He's the longest serving Senate leader of all time from either political party. Mcconnell's decision to step aside was also foreseeable, for simply a stark reason beyond McConnell's age, which he is blessed to be 82 years old, his party, for all intents and purposes, has moved sharply away from him and to ward his I'll just say his nemesis when it comes to the figure of the former president, donald Trump, even as he has remained its titular head in the upper chamber. The venom in which Trump attacked him was, you know, unignorable. You know unignorable More broadly, the traditional republicanism in which McConnell was an emblem has been increasingly supplanted by angrier and even a more, I'll just say, performative style of republicanism.
Speaker 3:Now, the schism between the remnants of the pre-chup GOP and the MAGA wing is evident in the reaction to McConnell's decision to step aside. And this is after the you know, of course, the November's election. So somebody who also is in that Mitch McConnell, you know, vane pre-Trump Republican would be someone like Senator Mitt Romney, the Republican from Utah, the former Republican nominee for president, who has stepped in, and the GOP establishment as McConnell himself. You know he's as steeped in that tradition. He paid his tribute to the Kentucky's extraordinary record of being a steadfast in his defense of conservative values.
Speaker 3:President Biden told reporters he was sorry to hear McConnell was stepping down. Let me say that again. President Biden told reporters he was sorry to hear Mitch McConnell was stepping down. In a later statement, biden and Washington institutionalists, like the outgoing leader, called McConnell my friend and noted they had been able to work together in good faith even though they had many political disagreements. So a more hostile wind blew into the Republican Party from other directions. People like rep Matt Gates, one of the brassest Trump loyalists in Congress, expressed glee on social media how McConnell had now been aged and you know how been it's 60 along side former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, republican out California Outgoing Republican Speaker. He actually said that they had been 86.
Speaker 3:Yeah, senator Rick Scott, the Republican from Florida, noted in a statement that he had challenged McConnell for leadership in 2022. Scott greeted McConnell's departure as an opportunity to refocus our efforts on solving the significant challenges facing our country and reflecting on aspirations of the voters. Even the former United Nations ambassador, nikki Haley's last surviving rival to Trump's for the GOP nomination and the kind of Republican who would have once expressed To, you know, to fall lock step with Mitch McConnell, offered Only a very lukewarm tribute. Haley said McConnell did many good things, but he is right that we need a new generation.
Speaker 3:Mcconnell and Trump, temperamental opposites, had tolerated a political marriage of convenience during most of their latter White House tenure, but McConnell's decision to recognize Biden as victorious in a presidential election in December 2020 is when the split became untenable. It infuriated Trump. Then the defeated president's role in Uh ginny gup of mob that riding on july 6, 2021 provoked the final break. And that's where you heard the clip that I played, where Mitch McConnell said, quote there is no question, none, that president trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of this day. No question about it.
Speaker 3:Mcconnell said following the month, the month, and said the following month the people who stormed this building Believe they were acting on the wishes and on the instructions of their president, donald trump. In quote so trump's critics would note that even that, even then, mcconnell was hardly throwing caution to the wind. His words came as he voted to equip trump in the impeachment proceedings that had followed the riot. Still, the tenor of his speech Itself showed that mcconnell had calculated there was no way back for trump After january 6. For all the tactical shrewdness with which mcconnell is credited, he was, at least According to what it looks like trump is proving in the polls Wrong with that score, it became clear soon enough that the party had no intention Of disavowing donald trump.
Speaker 3:The maga fever that that had stoked Did not break. In fact, the glsp's grassroot supporter Held the twice impeach, four times indicted former president for a greater affection. Then they do the longest serving senator leader, etc miss mcconnell and they still do and economists at u gump poll released wednesday before mcconnell's this just became public found that 85 percent of republicans viewed trumps favorably and 14 percent unfavorably. Just 30 percent of republicans viewed mcconnell favorably, while 54 percent viewed him Unfavorably. If his departure as a senate glp leader will not be mourned by most of republicans, it will be positively celebrated by democratic voters. His liberal critics view him as a ruthless and cynical obstructionist, citing instances like his decision to block then president obama's nominees the supreme court. The now turnage in omer garner from even getting hearings before the senate.
Speaker 3:Mcconnell Justified that 2016 decision on the basis that obama was nearing the end of his term, and the same rationale was cast aside roughly four years later when trump nominated a cb Uh, you know, a me coney barrett less than two months before the 2020 election. As for trump. He is, of course, virtually assured Winning this year's glp nomination, having racked up double digit victories in every primary contest so far. Now trups resurgent has left mcconnell on a uncontrollable and Uncomfortable limb. If trump were to win in november Then mcconnell would almost certainly have to deal with trump engineering mcconnell's ouster and a glorious end to such a long career.
Speaker 3:Like I said, that started under the reagan revolution. So talks have been taking place between mcconnell and trump about you know the endorsement, etc. Etc. And and one source briefed on those said that they that the its basic outline would have mcconnell endorsing trump as a party's effective leader and returned to um, basically trump having to stop his constant attacks on you know, senator mcconnell. But the underlying reality Is that mcconnell Knew that donald trump is likely to be the next president of the united states and has so decided to go out at the time of his own Choosing. And I find this very interesting because just this week, if you go look at what happened in republican politics just this week three of the most powerful Republicans have all said they are not going to seek, uh, reelections and they will be stepping down from power. And to me that is is saying something, even if people don't want to hear it, and that is the debate between institutionalist and I would say, institutionalist and obstructionist.
Speaker 3:And and it's crazy, because mcconnell, when it comes to the, the left, was seen primarily as an obstructionist, but he used the institutions to do His obstruction, if you, if you get what I'm saying, and I think that means that, as the trajectory keeps pushing in a certain trajectory, as overton window swings further to the right, a lot of the people who have been sitting in the city Uh have become increasingly, increasingly less comfortable, even though when it comes to policy prescriptions they may agree. Because even if you look at somebody like the daughter of Dick Cheney, the senator who got ousted, liz Cheney, yes, her rhetoric was different than Donald Trump, but even to on this conservative outlets, the voting record was about 94%, and so it's more about stuff like optics, the screaming, the tweets or whatever. And one thing that is vastly different between the institutionalist and the MAGA way, or you know what we call the obstructionist, is a big deal, and that deal is foreign policy. Trump, for all intents purposes, sees no reward at all in things like Ukraine, in a defense, in us being a constant opposition of Russia and our entanglement in foreign wars. And when you have the old guard, who we would label people under the umbrella of neoconservatives, they believe in a constant military presence because in a constant American involvement in foreign entanglements.
Speaker 3:Uh, pejoratively, it used to be called America being the police of the world, and that is because they still view America as being the shining city on the hill and therefore believe that we have certain responsibilities that other countries cannot and will not take up, and the new guard of the Republican Party that is trying to come in asks his questions of those things.
Speaker 3:They question institutions like the United Nations, they question institutions like the United International Court, they question institutions like NATO, and and that makes some of the old guard who came to prominence during the Reagan era and also you had to deal with the Red Scare, makes him very uncomfortable, and so much that they are out of line with their party and so they are starting to leave leadership. And Mitch McConnell, uh, one of the most powerful people, uh, since I have been alive is is, uh, fell at the hands of the shifting of the guard of the Republican Party. So let me talk about a story, um, that is very interesting and I think that this is going to end up being a pro-Trump event and that is that the Supreme Court has now agreed to weigh in on the fact that, if Trump has criminal immunity in the historic case, so the Supreme Court on Wednesday actually agreed to take up the case of whether the former president Trump can be criminally prosecuted for his efforts to overturn the 2020 reelection loss.
Speaker 3:Now this is setting up a historic case that tests the limits of presidential immunity. Now the Justice Order keeps Trump's January 6th criminal trial proceedings on hold for now, handing an initial blow to the special counsel, jack Smith, but keeping alive a pathway for the prosecution to reach a jury before 2024 presidential election. Trump has urged the justices to slam the brakes on the trial but hold off on taking immunity claims on the merits until the former president exhaust his appeal options in the lower court. The process would have lasted weeks, if not months, which the aide, which would have aided Trump in the further, basically running out the clock terribly, giving him a chance to return to the White House and ending the prosecution before the jury could even hear the case. Now, as Smith's suggestion, the Supreme Court instead opted to hear the former president's immunity claim. Now the justices refused Smith's primary ask to simply stay out of the case and allow the trial to immediately move forward. The High Court's order is establishing an expedited schedule, setting up the oral arguments during the week of April 22nd, which is the day after my birthday, and likely enabling the landmark decision to be handed down by the end of June or sooner If the conservative majority court ultimately sides against Trump, as many legal observers expect. It would then allow Smith's prosecution to move forward, providing Trump's judge with a window to still schedule the trial before November's election. It would only add to Trump's first criminal trial that is set to begin March 25th and on the Hush Money Chargers in New York.
Speaker 3:The Supreme Court battled over Trump's immunity to is set to take place in the midst of that trial, and the outcome could impact the former president's remaining three criminal cases in Washington DC. Trump's asserts immunity from the four federal felony charges that accused him of conspiring to subvert the 2020 presidential election results, but he also made similar arguments to defend against his Georgia election interference and classified documents indictments. Trump pled not guilty. Now, the justices decision to hear his immunity claims make it the first time that the Supreme Court, which includes a three people who were Trump appointees, will take up any of the former president's criminal cases since he was charged. I'm going to go to just a little bit quick of an legal analysis of why this is a win for Donald Trump, and then we're going to wrap it up on up there.
Speaker 4:A different aspect of this. I want to bring in Michael Steele, a very experienced Washington Han and R&C chair. Host of MSNBC's the Weeknd and the Justice Correspondent for the Nation magazine, ellie Mistall Welcome to both of you, ellie. You know the saying it's time to put away childish things. 25 minutes into the hour, it might be time to put away the legalistic things, which is part of our job, and we've reported it out and I explained what the cert is and I read it and we talked about the calendar. But we invited you on tonight as someone who knows the law but is not necessarily limited by some of the, shall we say, bs. And so I was curious what you think the Supreme Court is actually doing, not what it's saying it's doing, not what might feature elegant pros at the end of the day in the ruling, but what do you think it's actually doing they're trying to make Trump win.
Speaker 2:The whole point of this ruling is for Trump to win. Ari, remember how let's say, all of 2022, I came on your program and I screamed and I tore my hair out over how Merrick Garland was moving too slowly to hold Trump accountable before the next election. This is why because you have to understand what the Supreme Court is really about. I know you like to give your viewers context, so had this on for some context about what the Supreme Court is really up to.
Speaker 2:The Trump was kicked off of the Colorado ballot right and around December 20th last year the Supreme Court spooled up that case and heard that hearing within 45 days, on February 8th. All right, trump was appealed as immunity Judge Chuckin's immunity ruling. Also in the middle of December, andrew Weissman just pointed out Jackson asked the Supreme Court to hear the case on December 14th. By the time we get to April 22nd, it will be 130 days since they were asked to hear the appeal. So it's 45 days when a ruling could hurt Trump, but 130 days when a ruling, when the delay, can help Trump. That is the essence of this Supreme Court and every single Democrat who is not on board for expanding the Supreme Court and reducing the power of these Republican fear cracks in robes is in some way complicit in today's failure. Excellent.
Speaker 4:Numerical factual context. Michael, your thoughts.
Speaker 5:I want to pick up on something that both Neil and Andrew pointed out, and it really goes to the heart of what my friend Ellie just laid out, and that is Donald Trump has basically said as president you can't come after me Now that I'm done with my presidency, you can't come after me.
Speaker 5:And the court is now in a position to say, yeah, let's sort of stretch this out a little bit longer. And the reason why the timeline is very problematic is the court knows that election voting begins immediately after Labor Day, in some states as early as the last two weeks of August. So the idea that you're going to delay even addressing this issue, possibly to the end of the term, june, tells you there is no way in hell you're going to get this case before the process of being adjudicated, before then, before this election is over. And so the idea then becomes falls back on the lower court judge all right, in this case Judge Chudkin to basically chuck it until after the election, because there's no way she's going to be in a position to have Donald Trump hold in the court to sit during trial in the middle of a president campaign in September, october.
Speaker 4:And so let me take that, let me take that alley logically to Ellie, which is these are smart lawyers who become judges, who understand all this. And we are not talking about some random, debatable offense that occurred while someone was in office that does happen, right. We are talking about whether there will be any adjudication of an effort to overthrow the election results before that person comes back into power, ellie, yeah and they don't want that adjudication to happen.
Speaker 2:Remember we haven't talked about this. But remember, even while granting the case, even while granting cert, the Supreme Court didn't have to grant the set. They could have allowed Judge Chudkin to continue with her trial preparation and her trial calendar while they were deliberating the issue right. They didn't have to grant the stay. That was a choice, just like it was a choice to wait 130 days. Just like it's a choice when they finally hear the case, for how long it's going to take them to release their opinion.
Speaker 2:All of these choices, as you say, are to help Trump explicitly because, as Cicero would say, who benefits? Who benefits from this delight? Americans, american democracy, right, the knowing who is allowed to run and who we can vote for. No, no, no. The only person who benefits from Supreme Court's slow walking of this case is Donald Trump himself personally, because it gives him a chance to win reelection before accountability comes reckoning upon his head, and that is what the Supreme Court is complicit in doing. I think they might as well call themselves on his defense team. It's not like they're going to get paid anyway. They might as well just put themselves on his defense team's roster.
Speaker 4:Well, I appreciate the rhetoric. It's also important to understand how bad things might look. This Supreme Court doesn't hold press conferences. They say they're different than other Washington actors. They say they don't care about optics. I think you have made a strong case, seideli, that not only are they doing these things, but they care so much about optics that they're doing things to reward the delay tactic issue this day, interfere with the case and, for their reasons and calculus, they know that looks so bad that they have to simultaneously deny it, hide it, obfuscate it and we may get a ruling that talks a lot about how no person is above the law while, as you and others have pointed out, prevents someone from being subject to the law. That's what we are in America tonight. I just call it as it happens, I, ellie and Michael. Thank you.