Republicans block bid to force Trump to release tax returns

Anti-Trump activists are holding counter-programming to President Donald Trump’s Tuesday address to a joint session of Congress, and apparently unable to get anyone truly famous on short notice, they’ve settled for longtime Trump nemisis, Rosie O’Donnell. She said the move is “in support of women’s rights, in spite of a president who doesn’t”.

Though the effort failed, it gave Democrats the chance to force Republicans to be on record voting against a call for more oversight into Trump’s dealings, Politico noted.

Trump replied by threatening a lawsuit against O’Donnell in a People Magazine interview later that month.

That’s how White House press secretary Sean Spicer described what Trump will discuss on Tuesday night.

“Only Rosie O’Donnell”, Trump interjected.

Republican Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, the chair of the House Republican Conference, responded to her Democratic colleagues’ statement by calling for unity.

But the period of executive orders is over. The president read off his TelePrompter, avoided going on tangents about how big his skyscrapers are, and managed not to accidentally start a war with New Zealand, all of which ranks this as a win by Trump standards.

“To Donald Trump and his pathetic band of white, privileged, criminal businessman…” With that, Mr. Jones and others said, “Donald Trump became president of the United States in that moment, period”.

On replacing Obamacare, Republicans have put themselves in a box. They are so blinded by hate that they cannot bring themselves to work with Trump even on the areas where they could forge agreement.

Republicans have tried to reassure themselves that they are encountering paid protesters and agitators from outside their districts who are being organized by left-wing groups.

And so, we will remember the Democrats who would not stand with and for the president when he called for war against radical Islam or, worse still, who would not stand with and for the widow of a slain Navy Seal. On Monday night, Pascrell told The Post and Courier that Sanford was the only Republican so far who has agreed to sign a House Democratic letter requesting Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orin Hatch, R-Utah, use his jurisdictional authority to push Trump to release his taxes. And the Democrats are planning a lot of symbolism.

Plus, one of the two official Democratic responses to the speech will be delivered in Spanish by DREAMer and immigration activist Astrid Silva.

Lois Frankel (D-Fla.), chairwoman of the House Democratic Women’s Working Group, explained her decision on Facebook.