Senator Chris Murphy

Yeah, I mean, part of what you're telling Republicans is that this is a jumping off point. If the FBI becomes captured by the White House, if it just becomes an arm, a political arm of the White House, there may be no putting that genie back in the bottle, right? There may be a Democrat who comes along and uses it for their own purposes as well.

Yeah, I mean, part of what you're telling Republicans is that this is a jumping off point. If the FBI becomes captured by the White House, if it just becomes an arm, a political arm of the White House, there may be no putting that genie back in the bottle, right? There may be a Democrat who comes along and uses it for their own purposes as well.

But I think the trouble here is that you have to assume if you beat one of these nominees that somebody better will come along. And what Republicans have been pretty good at over the years is once in a while opposing a nominee, patting themselves on the back, and then somebody even worse gets nominated and they wave them through. I think Trump's made the decision.

But I think the trouble here is that you have to assume if you beat one of these nominees that somebody better will come along. And what Republicans have been pretty good at over the years is once in a while opposing a nominee, patting themselves on the back, and then somebody even worse gets nominated and they wave them through. I think Trump's made the decision.

that he wants the DOJ and the FBI to be his political persecution agency. And I don't know that Republicans actually have the strength to oppose multiple rounds of nominees.

that he wants the DOJ and the FBI to be his political persecution agency. And I don't know that Republicans actually have the strength to oppose multiple rounds of nominees.

So I'm going to try to convince my Republican colleagues, but I am much more focused on making the case to the American public because I have little confidence that the requisite number of Republicans are going to actually stand up multiple times, which is what they would have to do, even if they beat Patel or Bondi on the first vote.

So I'm going to try to convince my Republican colleagues, but I am much more focused on making the case to the American public because I have little confidence that the requisite number of Republicans are going to actually stand up multiple times, which is what they would have to do, even if they beat Patel or Bondi on the first vote.

Right. And listen, this is how democracies fall. There are very few instances where a healthy democracy collapses where there is a before and after moment, right? That the parliament building doesn't burn down in every dissent.

Right. And listen, this is how democracies fall. There are very few instances where a healthy democracy collapses where there is a before and after moment, right? That the parliament building doesn't burn down in every dissent.

What's going to happen here is that just enough of the political opposition either goes to jail or gets threatened with imprisonment that a lot of regular ordinary Americans just decide to not show up to the protests, to just stay home, to put their energies somewhere else.

What's going to happen here is that just enough of the political opposition either goes to jail or gets threatened with imprisonment that a lot of regular ordinary Americans just decide to not show up to the protests, to just stay home, to put their energies somewhere else.

that the press feels sort of just fragile enough, feels the threat of having their license pulled just serious enough that they shave the edges off the way that they cover the president. And if that's the case, then you won't really notice the moment in which the opposition has become so weak that they can't win another election. That's what happened in Hungary. That's what's happened in Turkey.

that the press feels sort of just fragile enough, feels the threat of having their license pulled just serious enough that they shave the edges off the way that they cover the president. And if that's the case, then you won't really notice the moment in which the opposition has become so weak that they can't win another election. That's what happened in Hungary. That's what's happened in Turkey.

That's what's happened in Serbia. They still have elections. There's still an opposition that sort of has the trappings of being real. But the regime always keeps them weak enough that they can never win. And so Republicans will be able to say, well, no, I still see a Democratic Party. I still see op-eds criticizing Donald Trump. This is a healthy democracy, but it's just unhealthy enough.

That's what's happened in Serbia. They still have elections. There's still an opposition that sort of has the trappings of being real. But the regime always keeps them weak enough that they can never win. And so Republicans will be able to say, well, no, I still see a Democratic Party. I still see op-eds criticizing Donald Trump. This is a healthy democracy, but it's just unhealthy enough.

that the Trump family never, ever loses power. And I think that's really hard for Americans to believe because we've gone 240 years with two healthy parties. But the playbook is out there for Trump to follow. It's been used a dozen times in other countries and other democracies that are no longer healthy democracies.

that the Trump family never, ever loses power. And I think that's really hard for Americans to believe because we've gone 240 years with two healthy parties. But the playbook is out there for Trump to follow. It's been used a dozen times in other countries and other democracies that are no longer healthy democracies.

And that's what I worry about, that Republicans will just be able to look themselves in the mirror and say, you know, the Democratic Party's still there, everything's okay, but that the thing is permanently rigged in their favor.

And that's what I worry about, that Republicans will just be able to look themselves in the mirror and say, you know, the Democratic Party's still there, everything's okay, but that the thing is permanently rigged in their favor.