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Could “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” Vote Get Held Up Until After Midterms?

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Despite all the momentum over the past few weeks (not to mention the huge focus this year!) is it possible that the vote to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” may not take place tomorrow as scheduled, and may be held up until after the November midterms?

The vote on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) — which includes the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” — is currently scheduled for 2:15 PM Tuesday, and according to reliable sources, such as The Advocate’s Kerry Eleveld, is still happening tomorrow.

Yet, TPM writes today that debate on the “Bush tax cuts” may get in the way. A “Democratic aide” “confirmed to TPM what’s been rumored, that Reid is highly likely to set aside the defense bill and postpone a final vote until after the election.”

But Servicemembers United — a leading DADT repeal organization — is suggesting the tax cuts are not so much getting in the way, as providing cover for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, given the so-called “unusual and controversial” “stunts” Reid is creating, according to S.U.’s Executive Director Alexander Nicholson. In The Hill, Nicholson writes,

“Service members and veterans are quite accustomed to being used as political footballs, and the practice needs to stop. It likely will not, so it at least needs to be called out when it occurs.”

“Just over 60 votes had been lined up to break a filibuster on NDAA and allow the legislation to move forward for debate, amendments, and a final vote before the Senate adjourns for yet another month-and-a-half-long recess. That was until Senator Reid announced that he was going to use his status as Senate Majority Leader to block the minority’s customary ability to also offer their amendments to the massive annual defense spending bill.”

And Nicholson makes this promise:

“If NDAA fails this week because of cheap political stunts, we will ensure that it is the Senate leadership that is held accountable, not the unreasonably slighted minority.”

Senator John McCain has vowed to fight repeal, but, as The Blade details today,

“GOP moderates in the U.S. Senate are seeking concessions from Democratic leadership in exchange for breaking with the Republican caucus and voting for cloture on Tuesday on major defense legislation containing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal, according to Capitol Hill sources.

“One Republican source said among those seeking concessions from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) are Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Olympia Snowe (R-Maine, Scott Brown (R-Mass.), George Voinovoich (R-Ohio) and Richard Lugar (R-Ind.).”

“Another Republican source said Democratic leadership intends to attach the DREAM Act to the defense authorization bill as part of a manager’s amendment that also has language related to other defense items.”

It’s unclear if the GOP is pulling strings to get “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal stalled in an effort to make Reid look bad during a neck-and-neck election, or if Reid is trying to use repeal to make himself look more appealing to his state’s right-wing voters. Or if this is all, um, muckraking…

What is clear is this:

“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” has been ruled unconstitutional by a federal judge.

The President of the United States has called for the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”

80% of Americans want “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repealed.

It seems the only ones who don’t want repeal to move forward are old Republican males.

And their day has come and gone.

Hasn’t it?

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BREAKING NEWS

Trump Indictment Is a Massive 34 Counts: CNN

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March 30, 2023

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When he appears in New York next week, Donald Trump will face a 34-count indictment.

CNN’s John Miller on-air Thursday evening announced, “I am told by my sources that this is 34 counts of falsification of business records, which is probably a lot of charges involving each document, each thing that was submitted, as a separate count.”

Attorney Tristan Snell, who assisted in the successful prosecution of the Trump University case for the New York Attorney General’s Office, responded via Twitter:

“This is WAY more than expected. If this is correct, it could mean that the indictment covers FAR more than the Stormy Daniels hush money — like Karen McDougal hush money or other hush money/catch-and-kill cases.”

READ MORE: Manhattan District Attorney’s Office Says It Is Coordinating With Trump to ‘Surrender’

“My hunch for a while,” Snell adds, “given [David] Pecker’s involvement and the drawn-out timetable of the indictment, plus the TWENTY interviews of Michael Cohen with the DA, showed that something far larger than Stormy might be in the works.”

“May still be wrong, of course. But 34 counts is a LOT!”

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News

Manhattan District Attorney’s Office Says It Is Coordinating With Trump to ‘Surrender’

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4 hours ago

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March 30, 2023

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Donald Trump’s attorneys were notified Thursday afternoon a Manhattan grand jury had voted to indict him on felony charges related to his alleged hush money payoff of a porn star he reported slept with.

The ex-president’ attorney recently said if indicted Trump would travel to New York to turn himself in.

The Office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has just issued a strongly-worded statement saying it is “coordinating” with Trump’s attorneys for his “surrender.”

“This evening we contacted Mr. Trump’s attorney to coordinate his surrender to the Manhattan D.A.’s Office for arraignment on a Supreme Court indictment, which remains under seal. Guidance will be provided when the arraignment date is selected,” the statement reads.

READ MORE: ‘You Can’t Stand on Fifth Avenue and Just Shoot Somebody’: Donald Trump Indicted – Legal Experts Respond

The Daily Beast’s Jose Pagliery posted the statement to Twitter.

NBC News explains the process, noting he is expected to be arraigned next week.

“After the indictment, Trump will be arrested and taken into custody. He will likely have a mug shot and fingerprints taken,” NBC reports. “Trump will then appear in court to be arraigned, where he will hear charges and enter a plea. Two sources familiar with the situation told NBC News that the former president is likely to be arraigned next week. Trump will either be jailed or released while pre-trial hearings take place.”

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'INDICTED FOR HIS BEHAVIOR'

‘You Can’t Stand on Fifth Avenue and Just Shoot Somebody’: Donald Trump Indicted – Legal Experts Respond

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March 30, 2023

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Just past 5:00 PM ET The New York Times broke the news that Donald Trump, the ex-president, had been indicted by a Manhattan grand jury on felony charges.

It is a historic moment.

Legal experts are weighing in to help guide Americans through an event that has never before happened in this country.

Former Watergate prosecutor Nick Ackerman says the fact that this is the first time in U.S. history a president is facing criminal charges is itself a problem.

“I think it would have not been a novel event,” Ackerman said on MSNBC, “if we had done this 49 years ago with Richard Nixon, and he had not been pardoned, this will not be a big event [that] it is today.”

READ MORE: New Poll Sends Trump Damning Message About 2024 if He’s Criminally Indicted

“Everybody should be held accountable,” Ackerman added, citing former Trump attorney Michael Cohen’s earlier remarks. Cohen testified repeatedly before the Manhattan grand jury that indicted Trump late Thursday afternoon after a three-hour session.

Ackerman lamented that despite over 30 people being indicted during Watergate, “Richard Nixon was pardoned, he wasn’t held accountable.”

“I think this is very important,” Ackerman continued, “establishing a principle, a line in the sand, that even if you’re the President of the United States, and you commit a crime, you can’t stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and just shoot somebody.”

Ackerman was referring to Trump’s infamous comments during the 2016 election, when he bragged he could “stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn’t lose voters.”

Attorney and civil rights activist Maya Wiley, also on MSNBC, said, “It’s important and sobering that we had somebody who had the highest office of this country who has now ben indicted for his behavior, his acts, in order to win that office, but also faces what are more shoes that will drop, I believe.”

“It is a sobering moment for this country, that we are witnessing this happened to somebody who was entrusted with such power who has now had a jury of his peers, because that is what a grand jury also is, say we believe he had to face the music.”

READ MORE: Here’s How Five Republicans in Congress Are Responding to the Mass Shooting of 3 Children and 3 Adults in Nashville (Video)

Former U.S. Attorney Joyce Vance, now a professor of law, called this a “moment where we would do well to seriously assess who we are as Americans and who we are not as Americans, because we re all so familiar with Donald Trump’s tactics.”

Watch the video above or at this link.

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