Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) criticized his Republican colleagues in Congress on Saturday after they met with former President Trump in closed-door meetings earlier this week, calling the positivity surrounding the visit “a scandal and shame.”
The Maryland lawmaker’s comments come just two days after Trump paid a visit to the Capitol on Thursday — his first since the Jan. 6, 2021, attacks — and attempted to paint a picture of Republican Party unity.
“Well, he returned to the scene of his crime. He did not apologize to the 150 Capitol officers, MPD., Montgomery County police officers who were hurt and hurt by the mob he unleashed on us that day,” Raskin said in an interview on MSNBC’s “The Weekend.”
“There were Republicans who at least tried to complain at that time, who have now completely swallowed all their doubts… [and] they are trying to pretend that nothing big happened and Donald Trump can feel proud that he has consolidated cult-type control and power over the Republican Party,” he continued. “But it is a scandal and a shame for the country.”
In brief comments to the press after his meetings, Trump praised the “great relationship” he has with Republican lawmakers and promised that any differences would be “resolved”. The presumptive GOP presidential nominee has also apparently mended ties with some of his most vocal critics in the party, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) and outgoing Utah Sen. Mitt Romney.
The former president has also supported House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) in recent weeks, even inviting him to deliver remarks at his Mar-a-Lago resort. Johnson was among a group of Republican lawmakers who attended Trump’s secret trial in Manhattan, which recently ended with a historic conviction.
“All they talked about was politics, how they’re going to try to elect more people to give Donald Trump more power,” Raskin said, after the panel played a clip of Johnson following the meeting with Trump, where he said the party was “unified” in mutual aid to win in November.
When asked whether Republicans’ embrace of Trump could be a preview of what’s to come if he is reelected to the White House, Raskin seemed to agree.
“What’s happening in the Republican Party, what’s happening with Republicans in Congress: absolute corruption is their duty,” Raskin responded. “I mean, we took an oath to defend the Constitution of the United States, not to defend one guy or one party, or the interests of a billionaire sugar daddy, and yet this is what’s happening now.”
“And yesterday, they bowed down to the gun manufacturers and gave them exactly what they wanted, throwing away the rule of law,” he added, invoking the Supreme Court’s decision on Friday to invalidate the ban on bump stocks – a device that when added to firearms can convert semi-automatic weapons into weapons capable of firing hundreds of rounds per minute.
The ban was implemented by Trump after a gunman used the device to kill five dozen concertgoers in Las Vegas in 2017, the deadliest mass shooting in US history.
Friday’s decision comes as the former president, who was endorsed by the National Rifle Association earlier this month, tries to portray himself as the Second Amendment’s “best friend” and promises more protections for gun owners if win in November.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
