Today in Politics, Bulletin 254. 11/20/25

… Trump called for the execution by hanging of 2 Democratic senators and 4 representatives after they posted a video reminding members of the military and intelligence community that their oath is to the Constitution and the country, and it is their legal obligation to refuse to follow any unlawful orders they may receive. Each lawmaker in the video is either a military vet or former member of a US intelligence agency.

… Sens. Mark Kelly and Elissa Slotkin, Reps. Chris Deluzio, Maggie Goodlander, Chrissy Houlahan, Jason Crow said the in the video: “We know you are under enormous stress and pressure right now. This admin is pitting our uniformed military and intelligence community professionals against American citizens. Like us, you all swore and oath to protect and defend the Constitution. Our laws are clear, you can refuse illegal orders. We know this is hard. It’s a difficult time to be a public servant. The American people need you. We need you to stand up for our laws and our Constitution. Don’t give up the ship.”

… Trump responded with a series of unhinged and psychotic posts on Truth Social: “This is really bad, and Dangerous to our Country. Their words cannot be allowed to stand. SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR FROM TRAITORS!!! LOCK THEM UP???”

… He then reposted this from one his cultists: “HANG THEM GEORGE WASHINGTON WOULD!!”

… Then Trump: “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!”

… Mark Kelly: “I’ve had a missile blow up next to my airplane, been shot at dozens of time by anti-aircraft fire, and launched into orbit - all for my country. I never thought I’d see a president call for my execution.”

… Fox legal analyst and National Review editor Andy McCarthy: “There is no insurrection or sedition without the use of force. Disobeying a lawful order is insubordination, not insurrection or sedition. Disobeying an unlawful order is required. That is all.”

… Gavin Newsom: “The President of the United States of America just called for the death of Democratic lawmakers. This man is sick in the head.”

… Sen. Chuck Schumer: “When Trump uses the language of execution and treason, some of his supporters may very well listen. He is lighting a match in a country soaked with political gasoline.”

… Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA): “The President of the United States calling for Democratic members of Congress to be hanged helps explain why members of the military may need to disobey unlawful orders at some point.”

… Rep. Becca Balint (D-VT): “It is especially important for members of Trump’s own party to denounce this kind of violent rhetoric. Rep. Greene, I appreciated your interview with Dana Bash where you spoke about turning down the temperature. This is a great opportunity for you to call on the president to do so.”

… Democratic congressional candidate and veteran Fred Wellman: “It is the duty of our service members to disobey illegal orders. The leadership that fired all of the Judge Advocates General the first day Hegseth took charge knows that. The only reason you fire the lawyers is to cover your illegal acts.”

… The lawmakers who made the video responded to Trump with this joint statement: “We are veterans and national security professionals who love this country and swore an oath to protect and defend the Constitution. That oath lasts a lifetime, and we intend to keep it. No threat, intimidation, or call for violence will deter us from that sacred obligation.”

… “What’s most telling is that the President considers it punishable by death for us to restate the law. Our service members should know that we have their backs as they fulfill their oath to the Constitution and obligation to follow only lawful orders. It is not only the right thing to do, but also our duty.”

… “But this isn’t about any one of us. This isn’t about politics. This is about who we are as Americans. Every American must unite and condemn the President’s calls for our murder and political violence. This is a time for moral clarity. In these moments, fear is contagious, but so is courage. We will continue to lead and will not be intimidated. Don’t Give Up the Ship!”

… Stephen Miller was also losing his mind about it on Fox: “It is insurrection, plainly, directly without question! These lawmakers should honestly resign in disgrace, and never return to public office again, for even daring to think, let alone to say these words and to say them proudly.”

… Jason Crow responded to Miller: “Oh no, we triggered Snowflake Stephen! The President is trampling on the Constitution. Stop politicizing our troops. Stop illegal military strikes. Stop pitting our servicemembers against the American people.”

… Slotkin did also: “This is the law. Passed down from our Founding Fathers, to ensure our military upholds its oath to the Constitution - not a king. Given you’re directing much of a military policy, you should buff up on the Uniformed Code of Military Justice.”

… Kelly (D-AZ): “I got shot at serving our country in combat, and I was there when your boss sent a violent mob to attack the Capitol. I know the difference between defending our Constitution and an insurrection, even if you don’t.”

… NBC: “The senior military lawyer for the combatant command overseeing lethal strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats near Venezuela disagreed with the Trump admin’s position that the operations are lawful — and his views were sidelined, according to 6 sources. Marine Col. Paul Meagher, who serves as the senior JAG at US Southern Command, raised his legal concerns in Aug before the strikes began.”

… “The opinion of the top lawyer for the command overseeing a military operation is typically critical to whether or not the operation moves forward. While higher officials can overrule such lawyers, it is rare for operations to move forward without incorporating their advice.”

… Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) on Chris Cuomo’s podcast: “There is no resistance on the Republican side. They are afraid, they are frightened to cross him. He’s become more involved in primaries than any president has. They are just afraid. Even the ones who have a correct instinct are afraid to say anything.”

… Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) on CNN: “Congress doesn’t work the way it used to. It used to be that you could negotiate with Senate Republicans and they would stick to the agreement they made. Today all that matters is what Trump believes, so you really can’t negotiate with Senate or House Republicans because they are just waiting for Trump to tell them what to do.”

… Fox: “Trump’s job performance drew career-high disapproval among men, White voters and those without a college degree. 86% of Republicans approve, down from 92% in March. Among all voters, 41% approve of the job Trump is doing, while 58% disapprove. Only once have his ratings been lower and that was during his first term, 38-57% in Oct 2017. Two months ago, it was 46-54%.”

… “When it comes to the national economy versus personal finances, evaluations are also negative. Most say conditions are only fair/poor (76%), and only 18% think inflation is completely/mostly under control. Voters say costs have increased compared to last year for utilities (78%), healthcare (67%), housing (66%) and gasoline (54%). And 85% their grocery prices went up this year, including 60% who say costs increased ‘a lot.’”

… “Majorities of Republicans agree with majorities of Democrats and independents that costs have gone up on each of these items except gas. Trump’s job ratings on foreign policy are underwater: 43% approve, while 55% disapprove. The president receives his top marks on border security (53% approve). Nearly half approve of his handling of immigration (46%), while a new low approves on the economy (38%), (35%) on tariffs and healthcare (34%).

… (64%) are concerned about Congress and the Supreme Court (63%) not doing the checks and balances that they should and are giving too much of their constitutional authority to the president.

… JD Vance was at a Breitbart conference today urging MAGA supporters to be patient with the bad economy: “As much progress as we’ve made, it’s gonna take a little bit of time for every American to feel that economic boom which we really do believe is coming. We believe that we’re on the front end of it.”

… MS NOW: “A federal grand jury in MD is investigating whether Fed Housing Finance Agency director Bill Pulte and DOJ prosecutor Ed Martin improperly appointed unauthorized people to help in mortgage fraud investigations of Trump’s critics. The probe is focused on whether the mortgage fraud investigations of Sen. Adam Schiff and possibly NY AG Letitia James have been tainted by the investigative methods allegedly used by Pulte and Martin.”

… The Hill reported that some Republicans are worried that Trump’s DOJ will play games with releasing the Epstein files and that could backfire on them. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK): “People who feel very strongly about this will feel like they’ve been duped if they say, ‘we can’t release anything because we have an active investigation.’ I don’t think that that will help calm the suspicions many have harbored for a long while on this.”

… Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA): “Obviously, it would be a mistake because Congress has spoken. I fully expect DOJ to release all the documents. It will take a while but I believe they’ve started on it right now. I’m hoping we’ll see the first tranche of documents after Thanksgiving.”

… Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT): “This is Pam Bondi. She works for Trump. This is all a setup. Trump fought to the end to resist release. He lost. Do I believe he’s had a real conversion? No. He anticipated the outcome and then ordered Bondi to begin other investigations so we’ll be seeing DOJ withholding information because it might interfere with ongoing investigations. The concealment will continue.”

… House Oversight Ranking Dem Robert Garcia: “Any sort of move by the DOJ to destroy records or not give them to us, I think will be met by good civil servants responding in a strong way.”

… Epstein survivor Haley Robson on CNN: “There’s a part of me that wants to be happy, but I have reservations because Trump has become very unpredictable, especially with the Epstein files. He was so resistant on originally exposing the Epstein files. And then out of the blue, he said, alright, let’s move this along. I’m a little skeptical.”

… The Independent on the possibility of a Bondi using exception language in the bill to justify a cover up: “Her ability to do this is limited to specific areas of concern, including documents that ‘would jeopardize an active federal investigation or ongoing prosecution,’ as well as items that ‘contain personally identifiable information’ about victims, which would ‘constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.’

… “Child sexual abuse materials” and images related to “death, physical abuse, or injury”, can – and are expected to be – redacted under the terms of the bill. For any redacted or withheld evidence, the DOJ is required to provide a written justification within 15 days of its public release. However, the bill also stipulates that “no record shall be withheld, delayed, or redacted based on embarrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity, including to any govt official, public figure, or foreign dignitary.”

… NYT: “The top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee issued a report calling for an investigation into whether JPMorgan Chase deliberately underreported more than $1B in suspicious transactions by Jeffrey Epstein. The report from the senator, Ron Wyden (D-OR), said the compliance failures by the nation’s largest bank during its nearly 15-year relationship with Epstein were ‘alarming’ and impeded law enforcement’s ability to examine the ‘financial infrastructure that enabled Epstein’s cross-border sex trafficking organization.’”

… Wyden: “Top JPMC execs were in constant contact with Epstein and were aware of his shady financials. Top staff at JPMC, reporting directly to CEO Jamie Dimon, closely supervised Epstein’s accounts. One even coached Epstein on how to sanitize his suspiciously large cash withdrawals. Evidence shows JPMC severely underreported Epstein’s suspicious transactions to the U.S. government for decades, potentially in violation of federal anti-money laundering laws.”

… “Given the scale of Epstein’s trafficking operation, it’s clear that many more powerful people were involved. My staff have seen a paper trail with their own eyes. Banks that helped enable him should be investigated. As should anybody involved in Epstein’s trafficking ring. It’s outrageous that Trump and Bondi appear to be propping up fake investigations they can use as an excuse not to release the file Congress is demanding. That’s not the only Epstein file this admin is hiding.”

… “I’ve been after the Treasury Dept’s own Epstein file. It’s a set of thousands of detailed bank records, a map of Epstein’s financial network. Secretary Bessent is blocking its release – and he denies it’s even something Treasury should be investigating. So it’s not just Trump and Bondi running interference for pedophiles. Bessent is a key part of the Epstein coverup. I plan to seek Senate approval of my bill to force the Treasury to release its Epstein file in the coming weeks because we need to keep on following the money.”

… “When you go through the evidence laid out in our report, it’s clear that JPMC should face criminal investigation for the way it enabled Epstein’s horrific crimes. I’ll keep following the money until we get justice and those that enabled his atrocities are held accountable.”

… MS NOW reported that two Republican Reps say there is now a rift between Mike Johnson and John Thune after Thune passed the Epstein bill with no amendments after promising Johnson he would do the opposite: “A GOP lawmaker close to Republican leadership warned that ‘there’s been an erosion’ of Thune’s capital among House Republicans because of these recent actions.”

… Another: “Johnson knows to get anything done, Thune has to be trusted and respected on the House side. There’s been a bit of a hit to that.”

… Johnson looked beleaguered, haggard, and stressed out when asked how things look going forward: “I would like us to get back to normal Congress, it’s just no one knows what that looks like anymore.”

… Failed US Senate candidate and former local TV host from AZ Kari Lake was asked on Newsmax about Trump calling a female reporter ‘piggy’: “They are not even reporters they are propagandists. There’s not enough disdain that you can muster up for the members of the fake news. I agree with Trump on what he said. I didn’t find it harsh enough. He could have used even more harsh words for these absolutely objectionable human beings.”

… Karoline Leavitt was asked about it today: “I think the president being frank and open and honest to your faces rather than hiding behind your backs is a lot more respectful than what you saw in the last admin.”

… An important part of the job for any WH Press Secretary is to clean up remarks made by the president or offer explanation/context or apology when warranted. But Leavitt never does that. She always crafts a response that makes it even worse by adding her own toxic twist.

… Trump’s former lawyer Ty Cobb on MS NOW about the Comey indictment fiasco: “I think that both Halligan and Bondi should be disbarred. Bondi has twice submitted affirmations to this court about the propriety of Lindsay Halligan’s grand jury presentation. She knew this. There’s no way she could not have known this. And that just means that she lied, or that she’s equally incompetent, but more likely that she lied.”

… Halligan publicly went after the Judge who issued the scathing order about her conduct before the Comey grand jury in an interview to the NY Post: “Personal attacks - like Judge Nachmanoff referring to me as a ‘puppet’ - don’t change the facts or the law. The Judicial Canons require judges to be ‘patient, dignified, respectful, and courteous to litigants, jurors, witnesses, lawyers, and others with whom the judge deals in an official capacity’ and to ‘act at all times in a manner that promotes public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary.”‘“

… Reuters’ DOJ correspondent Sarah Lynch: “Never have I ever seen a sitting US Attorney give an interview and make extrajudicial statements about a pending case. This is not customary for federal prosecutors. Usually DOJ only speaks through court filings.”

… WSJ: “The House voted unanimously Wed evening to repeal a controversial Senate-crafted provision that could grant some GOP senators at least $500,000 each in taxpayer-funded damages, after the provision prompted bipartisan outrage. Rep. Austin Scott’s measure passed 426-0 and strikes the clause inserted by Senate leaders into the legislation that ended the govt shutdown earlier this month.”

… “The measure striking the provision would now need to be approved by the Senate, where its fate is unclear. Thune said Republican senators discussed what to do about the provision at their closed-door lunch Wed, and he expects conversations to continue: ‘We’ll see what the House does, and then we’ll find out what our colleagues in the Senate want to do.’”

… Sen. Lindsey Graham, who was behind the amendment along with Sen. Ted Cruz, said he doesn’t care about the unanimous rebuke from the House and he still intends to sue the taxpayers for millions: “I’m not going to put up with this crap anymore. If you don’t sue, they’re going to keep doing this. Don’t run away from this, Republicans.”

… Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), who would be one of the 8 Republican senators able to sue under the law, said he will not file a lawsuit and didn’t know that Thune, Graham and Cruz inserted that into the CR: “I was shocked it was in there, and I think it’s a bad idea.”

… Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM) asked for unanimous consent in the Senate to pass the House bill, which would have happened since it did not appear any senators were interested in defending this anymore, but Lindsey Graham objected. Now it will have to be voted on by recorded vote.

Another crazy news day kicked off by Trump and Stephen Miller going full Nazi after veterans in Congress dared to suggest that the military didn’t swear an oath of loyalty to them. Republicans in key districts have to feel nervous about Trump’s putrid approval rankings dragging them under like an anchor around their leg, and this kind of stuff right after the “piggy” comment was not helpful.

I did a deep dive on my weekly podcast Uncovered yesterday about Trump’s treatment of female reporters based on what I have seen watching every press encounter he has had for many years, along with all the other big stories of the week. We played a montage I put together of 19 different incidents in just the past 3 months. If you missed the show you can find it here.

Thank you as always for reading, sharing and subscribing to my work.

… Punchbowl: “Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) was banned from traveling internationally for 3 months after an alcohol-related episode during a congressional delegation to Mexico. House Intel Chair Rick Crawford wanted Speaker Johnson to boot Crenshaw