Sen. Thom Tillis's latest maddening but unsurprising flipflop
The Wall Street Journal reported on January 27 (the story is protected by a pay wall — click here to read a Vanity Fair summary) that North Carolina's senior senator Thom Tillis set a new standard for disingenuous flipflops last week with his vote to confirm Trump nominee Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense.
This from the Journal story:
'Tillis personally assured Danielle Hegseth in a call on Jan. 19, witnessed by two other people, that if she signed the statement testifying that she believed her former brother-in-law Pete Hegseth has an alcohol abuse problem and was abusive to his second wife, it would carry weight, and potentially move three votes – his own, along with the votes of Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK).'
The story continued: 'On Friday, Tillis became the 50th senator to vote 'yes' on Hegseth, clinching his confirmation to lead the Pentagon.'
When I started lobbying in the North Carolina General Assembly in 1994, my 'Rookie Guide' contained the following instructions that were non-negotiable:
You are not allowed to wear pants or a pantsuit; only dresses and skirts.
You are not allowed to wear a hat.
You should not talk freely about strategy in the Legislative Cafeteria, for the walls have ears.
Never lie to a legislator. That act, in and of itself, is a career-ender.
What I learned over the decades of my career, however, was that none of this advice, especially Number 4, went both ways. But every single time a legislator lied to my face or on the floor of the House or the Senate, I was surprised and disappointed. My father worked for Chicago's legendary Mayor Richard J. Daley — yet I still expected honesty and integrity from politicians.
When I explained to a Democratic lawmaker that a restrictive abortion bill that was about to be debated on the House floor did not have an exception for rape or incest, he appeared flabbergasted. He then looked me in the eye to assure me that he would only vote for a bill that contained those exceptions. The bill did not have any such exceptions. This legislator cast his YES vote anyway. Far from being a career-ending vote, he was rewarded with a committee chairmanship when the Republicans took the majority in the House.
A typical refrain from a legislator managing his/her bill on the floor of the House was, 'Mr. Speaker, this bill has been agreed to by all of the parties involved. I know of no opposition to this bill.' More than once, I would sit in the gallery listening to this and say to myself, 'Oh yeah?! What about me?!'
I was a nonprofit lobbyist. I spoke for children and the poor and often voiceless constituencies. Even before it was prohibited by laws I helped to create, I did not have a long or wealthy list of clients who would contribute to legislative reelection campaigns. I did not have an expense account to wine and dine legislators after session. All I had was my reputation for providing excellent research and information that was reliable. Even a legislator who was on the opposite side of an issue from me would be the first to tell you that I always told them the truth.
So sadly, I was not shocked to read that Sen. Tillis told this woman one thing and then did just the opposite.
Even with two witnesses.
Even with his unwavering allegiance to the first-ever convicted felon to be elected President of the United States.
Even though his was the deciding vote to confirm an utterly unqualified and flawed man to lead the biggest and most complex department in our government.
Because even while so many of our laws are being broken by the very people who have sworn to uphold them, there is no law against a lawmaker lying.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
20 minutes ago
- New York Times
Some Democrats Panicked Over Mamdani. Obama Called Him.
In the days after it became clear Zohran Mamdani had won New York City's June mayoral primary, much of the Democratic establishment began to panic. Former President Barack Obama, the last Democrat to captivate the party's base, got on the phone. In a lengthy call in June, Mr. Obama congratulated Mr. Mamdani, offered him advice about governing and discussed the importance of giving people hope in a dark time, according to people with knowledge of the conversation. Others in Mr. Obama's orbit have also shown a keen interest in Mr. Mamdani and his campaign. Jon Favreau, who served as Mr. Obama's speechwriter, and Dan Pfeiffer, a former senior adviser, have been in communication with the Democratic strategist Morris Katz, among Mr. Mamdani's closest aides. David Axelrod, who served as Mr. Obama's chief campaign strategist and senior adviser, was also curious. Last month, he stopped by Mr. Mamdani's campaign headquarters, then in the Flatiron neighborhood of Manhattan, to meet the candidate and his staff, and see things for himself. 'What I found when I went over to that office was a familiar spirit that I hadn't seen in a while of just determined, upbeat idealism,' Mr. Axelrod told me. 'You may not agree with every answer he's giving, or every idea he has, but he's certainly asking the right questions, which is how do we make the country work for working people?' He said Mr. Mamdani's ability to inspire young Americans, who feel economic uncertainty acutely, was critical and something the party at large needed to reckon with. Mr. Axelrod was introduced to Mr. Mamdani by Patrick Gaspard, another Obama insider. Mr. Gaspard — Mr. Obama's 2008 national political director, and later the U.S. ambassador to South Africa — has been serving as an informal adviser to Mr. Mamdani. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Chicago Tribune
21 minutes ago
- Chicago Tribune
President Donald Trump pledged to move homeless people from Washington. What we know and don't know about his plans
President Donald Trump says homeless people in the nation's capital will be moved far from the city as part of his federal takeover of policing in the District of Columbia and crackdown on crime. With his exact plans unclear, there is concern among advocates and others who say there are better ways to address the issue of homelessness than clearing encampments, as the Republican administration has pledged to do. Washington's status as a congressionally established federal district gives Trump the opportunity to push his tough-on-crime agenda, though he has not proposed solutions to the root causes of homelessness or crime. Here's a look at what we know and what questions remain about how Trump's actions will affect the city's homeless population: It is difficult to obtain accurate counts of homeless populations. On one day at the end of each January, municipal agencies across the United States perform what is called a 'point-in-time' count aimed at capturing the total number of people in emergency shelters, transitional housing or without any housing. The 2025 count in the district put the total at 5,138 adults and children, a 9% decrease compared with the year before, according to Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser. It's not entirely clear. Trump wrote on his social media site before Monday's news conference announcing the takeover that 'The homeless have to move out, IMMEDIATELY. We will give you places to stay, but FAR from the Capital.' Asked during a media briefing at the White House on Tuesday where homeless people would be relocated, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said local police and federal agencies would 'enforce the laws that are already on the books,' which, she said, 'have been completely ignored.' Citing a city regulation that she said gives local police 'the authority to take action when it comes to homeless encampments,' Leavitt said homeless people 'will be given the option to leave their encampment, to be taken to a homeless shelter, to be offered addiction or mental health services.' Those who refuse 'will be susceptible to fines or to jail time.' In the past five months, the U.S. Park Police has removed 70 homeless encampments, giving the people living in them the same options, she said. As of Tuesday, Leavitt said only two homeless encampments remained in district parks maintained by the National Park Service and would be removed this week. District officials said Tuesday they were making additional shelter space available after Trump said federal agents would remove homeless people in the city. Kevin Donahue, the city administrator, said outreach workers were visiting homeless encampments and that the city has a building available that could house as many as 200 people, if needed. Donahue made the comments during a conversation with community advocates and Bowser. The conversation was broadcast on X. He said the outreach would continue through the week with a 'greater level of urgency.' Bowser said that when Trump sees homeless encampments in the city it 'triggers something in him that has him believing our very beautiful city is dirty, which it is not.' Washington residents emphasized reductions in crime in recent years and concerns over the removal of homeless encampments in interviews Tuesday criticizing the federal takeover of the city's police department. Jeraod Tyre, who has lived in the city for 15 years, said 'crime has been slowing down lately' and argued that federal troops would only escalate tensions because they do not have 'relationships with the people in the community' like local police do. Sheiena Taylor, 36, said she is more fearful as a result of the presence of federal forces in the city where she was born and raised. Taylor said she has seen federal officers around her home and on the subway and worries about their targeting of young people and people experiencing homelessness. 'Being homeless isn't a crime,' she said, emphasizing the need for solutions to the root causes of homelessness or crime rather than policing. It's not exactly clear what agents specifically will be tasked with moving homeless people to areas outside the city. There also hasn't been detailed information about how the people will be housed or provided for in new locations. Some advocates have raised constitutional questions about the legality of forcibly removing homeless people from the city.
Axios
21 minutes ago
- Axios
Trump's GOP backing declines amid inflation and redistricting push
President Trump's approval rating among Republicans has slipped steadily since the start of his second term, dropping 9 points this week, according to a new poll by The Economist and YouGov. Why it matters: The poll, conducted August 9-11, found that some of Trump's most high-profile current priorities, such as pushing for Republicans to draw more favorable congressional maps and his plans to calm inflation, aren't sitting well with Americans by and large. By the numbers: Trump's support among Republicans and Republican-leaning Americans fell from 92% in January, to 83% this week. Trump's overall net approval rating, or "the percent who approve minus the percent who disapprove", is -12, per the poll. A -12 approval rating, while negative, is higher than the -15 rating he received at this point in his first term. Zoom in: The poll comes as Trump has pushed Texas Republicans to take the unusual move of trying to redraw congressional maps to craft five more GOP seats. Texas Democrats are avoiding their state in an attempt to deny Republicans a quorum, and several blue states are getting behind the idea of starting redistricting battles at home to fight back. Only 16% of Republicans think states should be allowed to redraw more favorable congressional districts, while 57% say they should not. Comparatively, 6% of Democrats think states should be able to redraw districts, 80% say they should not. Zoom out: Americans have been particularly stubborn about one issue: 48% expect inflation to increase in the next six months. The fine print: The opt-in poll surveyed 1,635 U.S. adult citizens, and utilized their party identification as of November 8, 2024. The margin of error for the overall sample is approximately 3.5%.
