Rep. Eric Swalwell Takes GOP To The Woodshed: They’re ‘Risking The Republic’ To Protect Trump

Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell took the Republican Party to the woodshed on Thursday, saying it’s a “damn shame” that so many GOP members of Congress are “risking the republic” to protect Donald Trump.

In an interview with Chris Matthews, Swalwell took particular aim at GOP Rep. Devin Nunes, who drafted the memo that seeks to undermine the FBI and provide cover for Trump’s potential crimes.

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The exchange between Rep. Swalwell and Matthews:

SWALWELL: They are risking the republic to protect the president. And, Chris, for what? For tax cuts? To deregulate their friends and industry? I just can’t imagine what reason they would do this and put all of us at risk.

 

MATTHEWS: Is the chairman of your committee working for the United States Congress in fulfilling his oath or he is working for the White House?

 

SWALWELL: He never left the transition team. Just by his actions. He continues to work hand in hand to try and protect the president. That’s such a damn shame, Chris, because we’ve always been a bipartisan committee. We travel to the hardest and roughest spots in the world to meet with our military. We’ve always just worked to you know, keep our nation safe and he has — I’m afraid — destroyed that. It’s almost irreparable now as long as he’s there.

Swalwell’s tough criticism comes as Trump and Republicans are undermining the U.S. intelligence community and risking national security in an effort to derail Robert Mueller’s special counsel investigation.

Despite the concerns expressed by the FBI and Trump’s own Justice Department, the president has said that he is likely to move forward with the memo’s release. The phony document is on track to be made public on Friday.

Of course, Republicans – particularly Rep. Devin Nunes, who crafted the memo – continue to pretend that their push to release the document is about “civil liberties.” However, new reporting exposes whats really motivating them.

According to CNN, Trump is “hopeful that a controversial Republican memo about the FBI might undermine the Russia investigation.”

Ultimately, Republicans know that their political fate is now tied to Donald Trump. There’s no going back now. If he goes down, which seems more likely by the day, they know they’ll go down with him. That’s why, in the 11th hour of Robert Mueller’s intensifying investigation, they are desperately grasping at straws.

Regardless of how many in their small base of supporters are cheering on their effort, this memo will not save them. In fact, Trump’s motivations to release it only make Rober Mueller’s obstruction of justice case stronger.

Sean Colarossi

Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.