Mitch McConnell ignoring cabinet confirmation procedure he demanded in 2009

[mitty14u2]

Source: thinkprogress



Letter shows he demanded full financial disclosures before hearings.


The Republican-controlled U.S. Senate plans to rush forward this week with confirmation hearings for many of Donald Trumps nominees for cabinet and other key executive positions. Though many of the picks have not yet completed the customarily required ethics clearances and background checks, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has shown no willingness to delay.

Theyve made pretty clear they intend to slow down and resist and that doesnt provide a lot of incentive or demonstrate good faith to negotiate changes. So I think were going to just be plowing ahead, his deputy, Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-TX) told Politico.

But back in 2009, McConnell took the exact opposite view. A letter to then-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), posted on Twitter by Citizens for Responsible Ethics in Washington co-founder and former Obama administration ethics adviser Norm Eisen on Sunday, shows he demanded that financial disclosures must be complete before any confirmation hearings be scheduled.


Read more: https://thinkprogress.org/mitch-mcconnell-confirmation-ethics-hypocrisy-2c75b671d694#.qqv62c1ii

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The Swamp People want to put up a wall of Smoke and Mirrors to protect the most unqualified regime to be installed!

[C_U_L8R]

1. When things go south with the Trump administration

as is bound to happen when you do stupid impetuous things
like cramming through a bunch of unvetted and unqualified
cronies, crooks, charlatans and kooks, Dems better make
damn sure McConnell is held accountable for the chaos.

[OrwellwasRight]

2. No surprise.

Republicans have no sense of hypocrisy.

[iluvtennis]

4. Hypocritical indeed. GOP always talking values...but they have no moral compass. nt

[Hortensis]

11. I've read the only biographies available about McConnell,

and it seems he really has no ideals or ideology that he has ever pushed to achieve. He was moderate conservative before Reagan when that was the safe place to be, Reagan Republican when he saw the way the winds were blowing, Chinese business's man in DC after Tian An Men Square, and increasingly expensive stool of plutocrat as they took control of most of the right.

For McConnell it's always been about gathering personal power. When the last biography was written, the museum he erected in his honor rather amazingly displayed such things as dirty campaign ads he used to get reelected (instead of hiding them), and no record of the kind of important, worthwhile achievements most politicians want to live on after them. Because there are none.

Fact is, for 30 years he's wanted to become Senate Majority Leader--and nothing else. When he achieved that position, there was speculation about whether he would finally focus on a legacy. The answer so far is no. What he is trying to achieve now is for others who give him power in return.

So, really, no hypocrisy here. McConnell's a two-diminsional little fraction of a man as happy as boss hog in a giant hog wallow. He also does have a great deal of talent for self aggrandizement through accumulation of power and knowledge of the use of power, though. A redoubtable foe for whom winning is the only goal.

[OrwellwasRight]

13. Well reasoned post.

Thanks.

[Hortensis]

16. And your observation that today's conservatives,

a majority anyway, have no sense of hypocrisy. The post-truth era is also post insight and post honor.

[ProudLib72]

3. Delay, delay, delay

That's all we need to do.

Can someone better informed in these matters tell me what is likely to happen to these cabinet picks when tRump is impeached? Not being sarcastic here. I just keep wondering if it's better to focus on impeachment rather than cabinet picks.

[caraher]

10. I don't understand focusing on impeachment as a strategy

It will be up to the Republicans to impeach Trump, because the process is political and they control both the House and Senate. This has nothing to do with the merits of a case for impeachment (as the Clinton impeachment shows) and everything to do with the exercise of power.

He will be impeached when Republicans decide they're better off without him, and not a moment sooner.

[mwooldri]

15. IMO impeachment isn't a good strategy.

No, I don't want President Pence either.

Give Trump lots of rope. He'll be able to hang his political career by it eventually... limp and dead. And small.

[mtngirl47]

12. After impeachment and Trump is removed,

then Pence will be sworn in as "acting" President and he can keep the cabinet or replace them.

And he will be able to appoint a Vice President.

[ProudLib72]

18. Ok

that's what I assumed: cabinet positions can be changed quickly.

And for you guys who don't want to impeach, think about this. If tRump is impeached, the scandal it will create will delegitimize the rest of the GOP. I agree that the concern is not tRump. It's Comrade Mitch. Impeachment will knock him off his high horse. We want as many people as possible distrusting the GOP.

[democratisphere]

5. Mitch, Drumpf's bitch, bowing to his master's needs.

Do as I say, not as I do.

[turbinetree]

6. Hey Turtle prior to this process and during the process

I think we should request a piss and blood test, your ilk likes to demand that human beings on food stamps and such take a piss test---------------------so turtle up with your millionaire and billionaire crowd, start with the orange fascist first---------------it's kinda critical when you have a narcissistic megalomaniac authoritarian-------------that had "sniffles" during a debate----------- twice.

And besides we want to see how much your wife has made screwing people out of there hard earned money, some of have not forgotten what she did to unions


He (he fascist sexual predator) is not My President.....................

[NCjack]

7. McConnell: He's a classical purveyor of rotten fish. nt

[TeamPooka]

8. Crooked Mitch. nt

[tenorly]

20. And how!

https://www.thenation.com/article/mitch-mcconnells-freighted-ties-shadowy-shipping-company/

[Solly Mack]

9. Expected. Typical.

Hypocrisy comes to republicans as easily as breathing does.

[mtngirl47]

14. Take action!

Call your Senators tomorrow morning--regardless of their party and tell them that you expect Trump's nominees to be fully vetted.

Everyone needs to call. Light up the phones.

[bucolic_frolic]

17. ETHICS do not matter to them: hacked election, House Ethics Office, now this

Clearly the GOP is at war with everything in America except their own greed and power

We are in deep trouble

[Dustlawyer]

19. They plan on violating whatever they want and dare us to try and stop them!

That is how they will lord, uh, rule over us.

Wish we had a real media who went nuts over this raw hypocrisy and violation of the rules.