Day 86 and Counting: Grassley’s Stumble, El Salvador’s Prison, and an Unchecked White House
Time will tell whether they ever come right out and say it, or continue to play this game of chicken, but make no mistake; they’ve damn-near abandoned the rule of law.
The headline from the Atlantic was clear and unmistakable: The Constitutional Crisis Is Here. Dystopian and deeply-unamerican as it might sound, this is my understanding of reality today: The Executive Branch of the United States has all-but abandoned the rule of law.
Time will tell whether they ever come right out and say it, or continue to play this game of chicken, but make no mistake; they’ve damn-near abandoned the rule of law.
It’s a weighty statement, I know; a statement that begs consideration and honest thought, but I strongly believe any and everyone living here should consider it.
American Historian, Timothy Snyder:
It’s worth noting that Timothy Snyder was born in Dayton, Ohio. He is a world-renowned historian and expert on central and eastern Europe, The Soviet Union, and the Holocaust. His knowledge is the furthest thing ever from radical; it’s firmly rooted in what happened already. That’s why he’s got a boatload of awards and consistent invitations to speak at this moment… He literally wrote the book On Tyranny.
He and his wife (also a renowned professor, also a born-and-raised U.S. citizen) moved to Canada shortly after the November elections.
Many have argued that, for some of Trump’s policies, cruelty seems to be the point; I would argue another point was fear. Anton, author of Permission to be Powerful, talks about what it’s like knowing that you fit the profile of those who could be targeted one day: “You can have all your paperwork in order—and still feel like you’re one tweet away from exile. That’s what no one tells you about being an immigrant in America: Even when you’re safe on paper, you’re never safe in your body. Even when you're legal, you never feel legit.”
As I make my way through the headlines of the day, I am struck by a small but resonant thought: It’s only been 86 days. If the regime has gone this far this fast, how much further are they planning to go?
Today, in the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Trump administration seemed to play a game of, I don’t know, synonyms?
April 15, 2025, 4:28 p.m. ET - Alan Feuer Reporting from the federal courthouse in Greenbelt, Md.
Judge Xinis reminds Ensign that the Supreme Court’s ruling requires the White House to facilitate Abrego Garcia’s release from the Salvadoran prison. That is, in her mind, the administration cannot simply sit back and wait for someone else to free him.
April 15, 2025, 4:27 p.m. ET - Alan Feuer Reporting from the federal courthouse in Greenbelt, Md.
Ensign, the Justice Department lawyer, says that the Trump administration agrees to “facilitate” the release of Abrego Garcia. But his definition of the word is extremely narrow, allowing the White House to effectively take an entirely passive posture in the matter. “If Abrego Garcia presents himself at a port of entry,” Ensign says, “we will facilitate his entry to the United States.”
Let’s say it one more time for the people in the back… Kilmar Abrego Garcia has lived in this country damn near half his life, and has never been charged with a crime. An immigration court SPECIFICALLY said he cannot be deported to El Salvador. Despite all this, they put him on a plane and sent him to not just the one place on Earth a court ordered him not to be sent, but a brutal prison for an apparent life sentence.
Then they admitted it was a mistake… and now they’re arguing this. They know he’s innocent. They know the Supreme Court acknowledged what they did was completely illegal. Beyond what the damn courts say, there’s simple right and wrong, and this administration is bungling it right now.
One thing’s for sure; the anger is growing. Michael Gold of the New York Times reports that Chuck Grassley was specifically asked about Abrego Garcia, and his constituents did not appreciate his answer. Here’s Gold’s reporting:
“Mr. Grassley had been responding to another questioner’s criticisms of the Trump administration’s stance toward refugees when a man behind her shouted: “ Are you going to bring that guy back from El Salvador?”
The question was met with enthusiastic claps from many in the crowd of about 100.
“I’m not going to,” Mr. Grassley said. Pressed to explain his stance, he added, “Because that’s not a power of Congress.”
When the man replied that the Supreme Court had ordered the Trump administration to facilitate Mr. Abrego Garcia’s release, others in the audience began piling on. Some noted that Mr. Grassley chairs the Judiciary Committee, which oversees immigration policy and judges, prompting the senator to stammer, then fall silent and wait for the shouting to die down before trying to respond.
“El Salvador is an independent country,” Mr. Grassley said. “The president of that country is not subject to our U.S. Supreme Court.”
The crowd practically erupted in jeers.
I confess myself the teeniest, tiniest bit encouraged by this moment: The town hall in question is in Fort Madison, Iowa, a state which is ruby red, as evidenced by Chuck Grassley’s seemingly endless tenure there. When you watch the video, there’s no question that Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s story is simply that horrific; it really does shock most Americans’ conscience.
Also, GIGANTIC SHOUT OUT to any and every person in that room who jeered at Grassley’s B******* answer!!! The President of El Salvador is not subject to our U.S. Supreme Court… It is unbelievably insulting, just utterly ridiculous to expect us to believe there’s nothing that could possibly be done: Trump and Bukele seemed pretty chummy yesterday, and El Salvador isn’t exactly some military superpower. If Trump simply asked, Bukele would do it.
While this case is hard to look away from, it’s important to remember that it’s only one of many, MANY signs that we’re headed into darker and uncharted territory:
The U.S. President, yet again, asserting that the War in Ukraine was started by Zelenskyy, not Putin.
Rumeysa Ozturk was snatched in broad daylight for co-authoring an article in her university’s newspaper. I’m not kidding. Even Tufts Friends of Israel, a pro-Israel group at Rumeysa’s alma mater, said “We strongly oppose the content of the op-ed that Öztürk coauthored last year... but restricting freedom of speech is flat-out undemocratic and un-American…”; Then, the calls got even louder yesterday because, no joke, Twenty-seven Jewish organizations filed an amicus brief yesterday, arguing against Öztürk’s deportation. She’s been detained since March 25, 2025.
The White House is doing away with the press spot normally reserved for wire services covering his daily activities, yet another step in his control over the news media.
Yesterday, Harvard University rejected the Trump administration’s demands for major changes to its program, which resulted in a near-immediate freeze of $2.2 billion in federal funds for the school. Today via Truth Social, he raised the stakes by threatening their tax-exempt status.
The White House has moved to end the practice of providing legal representation to migrant children who are here without parents or guardians. The children would instead represent themselves, as explained in a bipartisan rebuke from Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Jon Ossoff (D-GA): “Terminating legal representation for these children means that toddlers will now face a courtroom and judge with no adult to advocate on their behalf. Children will be asked to make decisions about their legal rights well beyond their comprehension, with life-altering consequences.”
Yesterday, April 14, Mohsen Mahdawi, a student at Columbia, attended an interview in Colchester, Vermont, which he thought was to finalize his U.S. citizenship; he was arrested instead. Mahdawi is Palestinian, has been a legal permanent resident since 2015, and majors in philosophy. He was one of the organizers of the protests last year, and set to graduate next month. To date, he has not been charged with a crime.
The European Commission is issuing burner phones to officials traveling to the United States… something usually restricted to countries like China or Russia.
Amir Makled, an American citizen born and raised in Detroit, was detained while coming back from a vacation and asked to surrender his phone. While he was not given a reason, he does happen to be the lawyer of a Pro-Palestinian activist.
These are just the examples I could find scrolling the news today, and (I can’t stress this enough), it’s only Day 86. Joyce Vance captured the vibe well: “With the persistence of a toddler who shuts his eyes and pretends something doesn’t exist, Trump wishes the Constitution and the rule of law out of existence, with the complicity of people around him who are willing to parse the law into nonsense in his service.”
You look totally enthralled. lol.
Hey guys... it's me... Brie... and today we're going to talk about how yet again the Republic is totally fucking screwed. :D
This is why I wear a bag over my head.
But that's the disturbing part... it's bad enough that it was mistaken, and the Supreme Court clearly said this was illegal... Now, they're not even trying to get him back. The ramifications to the rule of law are big, but basic right and wrong makes this story shocking to the conscience. All Trump has to do is ask, and he won't do it. That's the behavior of a monster... The USA doesn't send people to foreign gulags without proving them guilty first.
I understand your opinion about protests, and your reasons are sound. I disagree, myself, though I do concede the benefits of protests are less tangible than we tend to acknowledge. Protests let you know you're not alone, for one. They spread the message as well. Most of all, it's a subtle reminder to the government of who's truly in charge; and if enough of us are truly pissed, they'll have an issue of some sort. And lastly, I like protests cause they're American, though and through. It's all wish washy I know, but I believe in it.