Senate Republicans use shutdown compromise to give themselves money

About that good-faith bipartisan deal that Tim Kaine helped craft to end the shutdown – Senate Republicans took advantage of Dems’ naivete to give members of their MAGA Senate caucus who had their phone records subpoenaed as part of the investigation into Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election a chance to score gobs of free money.

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ICYMI

• Senate Democrats cave on healthcare fight: It was all just for show, apparently
• Tim Kaine to critics of his Senate shutdown compromise vote: ‘They’re wrong’

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“Any Senator whose Senate data, or the Senate data of whose Senate office, has been acquired, subpoenaed, searched, accessed, or disclosed in violation of this section may bring a civil action against the United States if the violation was committed by an officer, employee, or agent of the United States or of any Federal department or agency,” the bill provides, the language on this inserted into the good-faith bill by Senate Majority Leader John Thune.

The language in the bill limits the take for senators to $500,000 for each supposed violation of this retroactive provision, and prevents the government from invoking immunity to rebut the claims.

As if the Trump DOJ would defend the taxpayers on this anyway, right?

This isn’t Trump saying he wants $230 million from us for ultimately not being held responsible for trying to overthrow the government, but even so – $500,000 per supposed violation for how many ever senators Trump would have called on Jan. 6, that’s going to add up to a lot.

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ICYMI

• Trump now scheming to have us give him $230 million, free and clear

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“I am furious that the Senate Minority and Majority Leaders chose to airdrop this provision into this bill at the 11th hour — with zero consultation or negotiation with the subcommittee that actually oversees this work. This is precisely what’s wrong with the Senate,” said New Mexico Democratic Sen. Martin Heinrich, the ranking member of Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch.

Heinrich is only slightly overstating things there by saying this measure is “what’s wrong with the Senate.”

It’s what’s wrong with Senate Democrats, who not only folded their six-week fight to preserve Affordable Care Act subsidies that would help keep health-insurance costs for millions of American families somewhat in line, days after massive wins in off-year elections in Virginia, New Jersey and New York City, but now, we know, folded and gave Senate Republicans untold millions of dollars for merely having their phone records subpoenaed.