Trump Warns Republicans

The Washington Examiner published this yesterday: "By the time Trump is sworn in on Jan. 20, the president-elect will have both chambers of Congress ready to pass key legislation and usher in a slate of new policies regarding national security and more. But if the last two years are any indication, that may be easier said than done."

Trump is calling on Republicans in Congress to be careful not to be neutralized by the tricks of the Left.

Be informed, not misled.

The Washington Examiner says, " Since Republicans took control of the House in 2023, GOP lawmakers have quarreled over legislation, often leaving the party at a standstill on must-pass bills. That infighting between different factions of the Republican conference was evident in the last weeks of the 118th Congress, indicating that navigating the trifecta and keeping it together for Trump may be more difficult than they imagined."

"And that infighting might interfere with the Republicans’ majority before they even get started."

President-elect Donald Trump has urged the Republican Party to coalesce behind blocking Democrats’ “tricks” to obstruct the confirmation of his nominees to top Cabinet positions. 

In a statement to Truth Social on Tuesday morning, Trump warned that even though he recently won “a Historic Landslide and Mandate from the American People,” Democratic senators could use procedural gimmicks to slow down the confirmation process in January.

The Examiner reports, "Fresh off a government spending deal that left many Republicans unhappy with Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), lawmakers are returning to Capitol Hill on Jan. 3 [ today] to swear in new members and determine whether Johnson keeps his gavel — three days before the House meets to certify President-elect Donald Trump’s Electoral College win."

However, discontent is circulating throughout the Republican conference, and any defection from Johnson supporters could result in a lengthy speakership battle and a possible delay in certifying their party leader’s ascent to the White House.

Will Kamala try to pull off a dirty trick?

Here's how Vice President Kamala Harris could slow down the certification process:

Justin Levitt, a law professor at Loyola Law School who helped revise the Electoral Count Reform Act, said in an interview with the Washington Examiner that nothing in the Constitution requires a speaker to complete the electoral count. 

If there is no speaker, Levitt predicts the role would fall solely to Harris to administer the count — as the president of the Senate is the only constitutional role mentioned in the 12th Amendment, which deals with the electoral process.

“There’s always been a little bit of ‘don’t look too closely’ magic, a legal sleight of hand because all the members of the House are sworn in by the speaker. The speaker is sworn in by somebody else…but that person isn’t sworn in until they’re sworn in by the speaker,” Levitt said.

“Because it’s such a formality, everybody kind of just agrees to let it happen, but you’ve got somebody without authority taking an official step to give somebody else authority, and that’s always been a little weird,” the professor added.

The only issue with not having a speaker would be the role of the tellers, who Levitt said are effectively “just town criers.” Though not an expert in specific congressional proceedings, he said, he thinks Harris could likely choose tellers or the chambers could just agree to have the current speaker — Johnson — administer the duties until he or another is officially selected as the 119th Congress’ speaker.

“Literally Harris says, ‘I got an envelope from Alabama here,’ and hands the piece of paper to the teller who says, ‘Yep, Alabama, they voted for Trump,’ and she says, ‘Do I have any objections?’ Nobody says they have any objections, we proceed onto the next thing,” Levitt said.

As the next Congress picks up today, Trump has one more crucial Senate ally in his corner, which he lacked during his first four years in the White House.

Sen. John Thune (R-SD) will take over as the new Republican Senate majority leader next month. He and Trump have a much stronger relationship than the president-elect had with Thune’s predecessor, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY).

Takeaway: Some strong advice for our elected officials.

To say things were not going well during the Constitutional Convention of 1787 would be an understatement. It was marked by disagreement, fighting, and bewilderment until the oldest and likely the least religious in the group, Ben Franklin, rose to propose what other more religious men should have proposed sooner:

Mr. President:

The small progress we have made after 4 or five weeks close attendance & continual reasonings with each other,”our different sentiments on almost every question, several of the last producing as many noes and ays, is methinks a melancholy proof of the imperfection of the Human Understanding. We indeed seem to feel our own want of political wisdom, some we have been running about in search of it. We have gone back to ancient history for models of Government, and examined the different forms of those Republics which having been formed with the seeds of their own dissolution now no longer exist. And we have viewed Modern States all round Europe, but find none of their Constitutions suitable to our circumstances.

In this situation of this Assembly, groping as it were in the dark to find political truth, and scarce able to distinguish it when presented to us, how has it happened, Sir, that we have not hitherto once thought of humbly applying to the Father of lights to illuminate our understandings? In the beginning of the Contest with G. Britain, when we were sensible of danger we had daily prayer in this room for the divine protection. ”Our prayers, Sir, were heard, and they were graciously answered. All of us who were engaged in the struggle must have observed frequent instances of a Superintending providence in our favor. To that kind providence we owe this happy opportunity of consulting in peace on the means of establishing our future national felicity. And have we now forgotten that powerful friend? I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth- that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid? We have been assured, Sir, in the sacred writings, that “except the Lord build the House they labour in vain that build it.” I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without his concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better than the Builders of Babel: We shall be divided by our little partial local interests; our projects will be confounded, and we ourselves shall become a reproach and byword down to future ages. And what is worse, mankind may hereafter from this unfortunate instance, despair of establishing Governments be Human Wisdom and leave it to chance, war and conquest.

I therefore beg leave to move, that henceforth prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven, and its blessings on our deliberations, be held in this Assembly every morning before we proceed to business, and that one or more of the Clergy of the City be requested to officiate in that service.

Mr. Sherman (from Connecticut) seconded the motion.

In a matter of days, this confused, now prayerful group of elected public servants drafted the most enduring, effective constitution in history.

Pray for our elected leaders.

And remember: "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and He shall direct thy paths" (Proverbs 3:5,6).

Be Informed. Be Discerning. Be Vigilant. Be Engaged. Be Prayerful.