Bill Cassidy accuses Trump of treating Congress as ‘merely an appendage’
Bill Cassidy, the Republican senator from Louisiana who is being ousted from his position after Donald Trump successfully backed a challenger in May’s primary, has accused the US president of treating Congress as “merely an appendage” in his handling of the Iran war.
In an interview on Sunday with CBS News’s Face the Nation, the out-going Cassidy explained his recent face-to-face row with Trump over the president’s failure to brief Congress on the prosecution of the hostilities with Tehran. In a fleetingly rare instance of a Republican politician directly standing up to Trump, Cassidy let rip at a Capitol Hill lunch over the senator’s support for a war powers resolution that was a symbolic rebuke to the White House.
After Trump “berated” Cassidy and three other Republican senators who had voted for the resolution, Cassidy let his “Irish temper” get the best of him, he told the political talk show. “I raised my volume to match his,” he said, echoing remarks he had recently made.
The cause of his anger, Cassidy said, was that under the separation of powers laid out in the US constitution, Congress had to be briefed. The US’s founding fathers had designed the arrangement “so that there would not be too powerful of an institution of a presidency” and so that it would “reflect all of the American people, not just the will of one person”.
Set against that founding vision, Cassidy accused Trump of acting “as if Congress is merely an appendage, and frankly, sometimes Congress acts like it’s an appendage”.
The senator added that he had “accomplished the mission” in that following the blazing row Trump conceded and granted him a briefing on the war from Vice-President JD Vance and special envoy Steve Witkoff. Having received that audience, Cassidy dropped his support for the war powers resolution.
Nonetheless, Cassidy’s plain spoken comments to Face the Nation indicate that the senator remains emboldened having effectively been chucked out of the Senate seat he has occupied since 2015. On Saturday, Julia Letlow, the challenger Trump backed in May’s Republican primary, won a runoff election and is now in pole position to replace Cassidy in November’s general election.
Cassidy, who demonstrated his independent streak when he voted to convict Trump on impeachment charges over his supporters’ US Capitol attack on 6 January 2021, had strong words over how the president’s second term was going. He questioned Trump’s domestic priority of passing the Save America Act that would introduce new federal voting restrictions, saying that he should be focused instead on “how we make life more affordable for the average American”.
He said: “If I were president, I’d be focused on what a family around the kitchen table is looking at as they go through their bills. … How do you make their life better?”
On the Iran war, Cassidy was critical of what he suggested was the Trump administration’s failure to meet its initial objectives. “The fact is that a medium-sized power at this point is perceived to have fought a superpower to a draw,” he said, adding that the conflict had so far cost $29bn and claimed 13 American lives.
A more upbeat assessment was given on NBC’s Meet the Press by Cassidy’s fellow Republican senator Roger Marshall. “I don’t think the war is over [but] we’re making great progress,” Marshall, of Kansas, said. “So I’m asking America to hang in there.”
In his interview, Cassidy also made threatening noises over the confirmation process for the acting attorney general, Todd Blanche, in which the senator is likely to wield a key vote. He has been among a group of Republican senators who have vented fury at justice department attempts to set up a $1.8bn so-called “weaponization fund” to pay Trump’s allies – as well as a move to permanently shield the president and his family from IRS audits.
“I absolutely object to that,” Cassidy told CBS News. “Leaders should be held to a higher standard, not a different standard. They should be more accountable … I would object to anything that goes against the spirit of that, and making one person above the law is wrong.”
Read the full story at The Guardian ↗
Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who lost his primary race after Trump backed a challenger, publicly criticized the president's handling of congressional oversight during the Iran conflict. In a CBS News interview, Cassidy described a heated lunch conversation where Trump rebuked him and other Republican senators for voting on a war powers resolution. Cassidy said he raised his voice in response, arguing that the Constitution requires Congress to be briefed on military operations. He stated that Trump was treating Congress "as if it is merely an appendage." After the exchange, Trump arranged a briefing through Vice President Vance and envoy Steve Witkoff, and Cassidy subsequently withdrew his support for the resolution. Cassidy also expressed concerns about Trump's legislative priorities, suggesting focus on affordability would better serve Americans. Regarding the Iran conflict, Cassidy noted it has cost $29 billion and resulted in 13 American deaths while achieving limited strategic objectives. He also indicated he may oppose the confirmation of acting attorney general Todd Blanche over concerns about justice department proposals that would shield the president and his family from IRS audits.
Read the full story at The Guardian ↗
Bill Cassidy, the Republican senator from Louisiana who is being ousted from his position after Donald Trump successfully backed a challenger in May’s primary, has accused the US president of treating Congress as “merely an appendage” in his handling of the Iran war.
In an interview on Sunday with CBS News’s Face the Nation, the out-going Cassidy explained his recent face-to-face row with Trump over the president’s failure to brief Congress on the prosecution of the hostilities with Tehran. In a fleetingly rare instance of a Republican politician directly standing up to Trump, Cassidy let rip at a Capitol Hill lunch over the senator’s support for a war powers resolution that was a symbolic rebuke to the White House.
After Trump “berated” Cassidy and three other Republican senators who had voted for the resolution, Cassidy let his “Irish temper” get the best of him, he told the political talk show. “I raised my volume to match his,” he said, echoing remarks he had recently made.
The cause of his anger, Cassidy said, was that under the separation of powers laid out in the US constitution, Congress had to be briefed. The US’s founding fathers had designed the arrangement “so that there would not be too powerful of an institution of a presidency” and so that it would “reflect all of the American people, not just the will of one person”.
Set against that founding vision, Cassidy accused Trump of acting “as if Congress is merely an appendage, and frankly, sometimes Congress acts like it’s an appendage”.
The senator added that he had “accomplished the mission” in that following the blazing row Trump conceded and granted him a briefing on the war from Vice-President JD Vance and special envoy Steve Witkoff. Having received that audience, Cassidy dropped his support for the war powers resolution.
Nonetheless, Cassidy’s plain spoken comments to Face the Nation indicate that the senator remains emboldened having effectively been chucked out of the Senate seat he has occupied since 2015. On Saturday, Julia Letlow, the challenger Trump backed in May’s Republican primary, won a runoff election and is now in pole position to replace Cassidy in November’s general election.
Cassidy, who demonstrated his independent streak when he voted to convict Trump on impeachment charges over his supporters’ US Capitol attack on 6 January 2021, had strong words over how the president’s second term was going. He questioned Trump’s domestic priority of passing the Save America Act that would introduce new federal voting restrictions, saying that he should be focused instead on “how we make life more affordable for the average American”.
He said: “If I were president, I’d be focused on what a family around the kitchen table is looking at as they go through their bills. … How do you make their life better?”
On the Iran war, Cassidy was critical of what he suggested was the Trump administration’s failure to meet its initial objectives. “The fact is that a medium-sized power at this point is perceived to have fought a superpower to a draw,” he said, adding that the conflict had so far cost $29bn and claimed 13 American lives.
A more upbeat assessment was given on NBC’s Meet the Press by Cassidy’s fellow Republican senator Roger Marshall. “I don’t think the war is over [but] we’re making great progress,” Marshall, of Kansas, said. “So I’m asking America to hang in there.”
In his interview, Cassidy also made threatening noises over the confirmation process for the acting attorney general, Todd Blanche, in which the senator is likely to wield a key vote. He has been among a group of Republican senators who have vented fury at justice department attempts to set up a $1.8bn so-called “weaponization fund” to pay Trump’s allies – as well as a move to permanently shield the president and his family from IRS audits.
“I absolutely object to that,” Cassidy told CBS News. “Leaders should be held to a higher standard, not a different standard. They should be more accountable … I would object to anything that goes against the spirit of that, and making one person above the law is wrong.”
Read the full story at The Guardian ↗
Bill Cassidy is a Republican senator from Louisiana who lost his primary after Trump backed a challenger in May Cassidy had a heated exchange with Trump over the president's failure to brief Congress on military operations against Iran Cassidy voted for a war powers resolution that rebuked Trump on the Iran conflict Trump 'berated' Cassidy and three other Republican senators for voting on the resolution Cassidy raised his voice during the Capitol Hill lunch conversation to match Trump's volume Cassidy described Trump as treating Congress 'as if it is merely an appendage' Trump granted Cassidy a briefing from Vice President Vance and special envoy Steve Witkoff following their exchange Cassidy dropped his support for the war powers resolution after receiving the briefing The Iran conflict has cost $29 billion and claimed 13 American lives according to Cassidy Cassidy suggested the conflict has resulted in a strategic stalemate rather than clear American objectives being achieved Cassidy stated that Trump should prioritize making life more affordable for Americans rather than pursuing voting restrictions Cassidy signaled opposition to proposed justice department funding and protections that would shield the president and his family from IRS audits
Read the full story at The Guardian ↗
- Senator Bill Cassidy accused Trump of treating Congress as 'merely an appendage' over insufficient briefing on Iran hostilities
- Cassidy, a departing Republican senator, had a heated Capitol Hill exchange with Trump but dropped support for a war powers resolution after receiving a briefing from Vice President Vance and Steve Witkoff
- Cassidy criticized Trump's domestic priorities and the conduct of the Iran conflict, suggesting it has cost $29 billion and 13 American lives with limited strategic gains
- The Louisiana senator signaled he may oppose confirmation of acting attorney general Todd Blanche over concerns about justice department funding and presidential tax protections