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Ian Bassin

@ianbassin.bsky.social

140K followers 1.4K following 540 posts

Founder and Executive Director @protectdemocracy.org. Former Associate White House Counsel. Tweets my own.

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Ian Bassin @ianbassin.bsky.social · Feb 28

Our system of checks and balances has stood as a bulwark against tyranny for 250 years.

The way it works is no one man can dictate how our government works.

Congress makes laws, the president executes the laws, and courts make sure laws and rights are protected.

We give that up at our peril.

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Governor JB Pritzker @govpritzker.illinois.gov · 2h

I will not back down.

Trump is now calling for the arrest of elected representatives checking his power.

What else is left on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?

Donald Trump Truth Social Post: Chicago Mayor should be in jail for failing to protect Ice Officers! Governor Pritzker also.

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Protect Democracy @protectdemocracy.org · 18h

NEW: @amandacarpenter.bsky.social offers four essential questions (and answers) to understand what’s really at the heart of Trump’s troop surge to blue cities — and why the unjustifiable military deployments must be stopped, in her latest briefing for The Entrenchment Agenda. Read and subscribe:

Federalism at a breaking point

When red state troops police blue cities

www.ifyoucankeepit.org

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Heather Cherone @heathercherone.bsky.social · 1d

Pritzker is also furious: “Should National Governors Association leadership choose to remain silent, Illinois will have no choice but to withdraw from the organization.”

Gov. JB Pritzker’s letter to the National Governors Association

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Isaac Dovere @isaacdovere.bsky.social · 1d

Newsom says he’s on the verge of quitting the National Govs Association: “should not be difficult … regardless of partisan affiliation, to agree that politicizing our states’ Natl Guard and deploying… over the objections of the home-state Governor,harms the interests of states”

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Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 1d

Turning the military on citizens.

Attempting to rig elections.

Toying with the idea of declaring martial law.

Attacking political enemies and punishing those who speak out.

If this were happening in another country, what would you call it?

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Protect Democracy @protectdemocracy.org · 3d

The Trump administration's latest attack on universities involves coercing them into signing ideological pledges in exchange for funding preference. Earlier we wrote about why there's no negotiating with an annihilation attempt, universities standing firm against attacks is the only option.

Universities have no choice

There is no negotiating with an annihilation attempt

www.ifyoucankeepit.org

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Protect Democracy @protectdemocracy.org · 1d

Attn. civil servants — For a curated list of resources for current and former feds to help navigate attacks on the federal workforce by visit our resources page below: https://protectdemocracy.org/work/resources-for-civil-servants/

Resources for civil servants

If you are still employed as a federal civil servant, there are some initial steps you can take to make things slightly simpler if you are separated from employment.

protectdemocracy.org

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Nicholas Grossman @nicholasgrossman.bsky.social · 2d

If U.S. states have any degree of sovereignty, if there’s any states’ rights at all, it is the right not to be invaded by the armed forces of another U.S. state.

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Protect Democracy @protectdemocracy.org · 2d

BREAKING: Today, we're suing. Federal forces in the Chicago area are brutally suppressing free speech with tear gas, rubber bullets, and flash grenades. Journalists, clergy, and demonstrators have been attacked for peacefully protesting against the government. This is an unconstitutional assault.

BREAKING: Lawsuit challenges violent Illinois ICE enforcement. Press, clergy, and protesters sue DHS for violating First Amendment

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George Conway 👊🇺🇸🔥 @gtconway.bsky.social · 2d

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Josh Gerstein @joshgerstein.bsky.social · 2d

BREAKING: California joins Oregon's existing suit over National Guard deployment, both request Judge Immergut issue TRO against CA guard being sent to OR, argue Trump admin move is attempt to circumvent court order. Docs: www.documentcloud.org/documents/26... www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...

OR2ndTRORequest100525

www.documentcloud.org

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Senator Ron Wyden @wyden.senate.gov · 2d

Video taken one hour ago outside the Portland ICE facility of the violent insurrectionists in question

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Liza Goitein @lizagoitein.bsky.social · 2d

This is the legal equivalent of a child kicking a sibling after his mother says “violence is never acceptable, so I order you to stop hitting your brother.” If any other litigant pulled a stunt like this, they (and their lawyers) might well be facing sanctions. 3/16

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Liza Goitein @lizagoitein.bsky.social · 2d

The judge (Karin Immergut, a Trump appointee) had ruled that there is no legal basis for deployment in Portland because recent protests have not been violent. But her actual order only mentions the Oregon Guard, so Trump is trying to get around it by using the California Guard. 2/16

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Liza Goitein @lizagoitein.bsky.social · 2d

This morning, hours after a federal judge ruled that it would be illegal to federalize and deploy Oregon National Guard troops in Portland, Trump deployed federalized California National Guard troops in Portland. 1/16

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Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 3d

This Trump administration policy of generating an artificial civil war on the basis of big lies is of course meant to be frightening but it is also anti-American, unlawful, stupid and pursued by wildly unpopular people.

Brandon Friedman @brandonfriedman.bsky.social · 3d

Everyone is trying to have a normal Saturday night and the president's top advisor is on X announcing that civil war is necessary

@StephenM on X: Legal insurrection. The President is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces, not an Oregon judge. Portland and Oregon law enforcement, at the direction of local leaders, have refused to aid ICE officers facing relentless terrorist assault and threats to life. (There are more local law enforcement officers in Oregon than there are guns and badges in the FBI nationwide). This is an organized terrorist attack on the federal government and its officers, and the deployment of troops is an absolute necessity to defend our personnel, our laws, our government, public order and the Republic itself.

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Michael Clemens @mclem.org · 3d

The richest man on earth and the White House are calling for suspension of our Constitution and an authoritarian seizure of our co-equal Judiciary branch by our Executive branch.

Americans, Conservative and Republican, reject dictatorship. We know the poison it brings and we do not want it.

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Ian Bassin @ianbassin.bsky.social · 3d

The chaos and unrest is being instigated by Miller and Trump.

They are the ones bringing violence and disorder to American cities, filming it, and then using those images of their creation to justify the need to send in more troops and assert total control.

Joshua J. Friedman @joshuajfriedman.com · 3d

“Federal officers were flanked by videographers, toting professional equipment and wearing high-visibility vests. They filmed from behind the lines of officers, capturing the show of force. At least two drones swept over the scenes.”

Alex Zielinski @alexzee.bsky.social · 3d

Hours after a federal judge paused the Trump administration’s plans to deploy 200 members of the Oregon National Guard to Portland, federal law enforcement officers escalated the tactics used on protesters in the city.

Troy and I were on the ground:

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David Burbach 🌹 @dburbach.bsky.social · 3d

For perspective on her politics, Judge Immergut was one of Ken Stars' attorneys investigating Bill Clinton, a US Attorney for GW Bush, and appointed to the federal bench by Trump

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Will Stancil @whstancil.bsky.social · 3d

Miller’s apparent elevation to shadow president and his seeming intent to declare an end to the constitutional order would, in any other administration, be treated as a executive branch meltdown that was immensely embarrassing for the president and requiring Miller’s immediate removal

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Adam Cohen (My Personal Views Only) @axidentaliberal.bsky.social · 3d

In ruling that the government cannot deploy the National Guard in Portland

A federal judge finds that president Trump lied

“this Court concludes that the President did not have a ‘colorable basis’ to..federalize the National Guard..The President’s determination was simply untethered to the facts”

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Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 3d

The administration has determined that if you describe this accurately for what it is, you are also an enemy of the state

CNN @cnn.com · 4d

Adults and children alike were pulled from their Chicago apartments, crying and screaming, during a large overnight raid that has left tenants and neighbors shaken. https://cnn.it/4pPCXIt

37 people arrested and American kids separated from parents after ICE raid at Chicago apartments | CNN

Adults and children alike were pulled from their Chicago apartments, crying and screaming, during a large overnight raid that has left tenants and neighbors shaken.

www.cnn.com

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Ian Bassin @ianbassin.bsky.social · 3d

Breaking: Trump-appointed federal judge issues temporary restraining order against Federalized deployment of National Guard in Oregon.

Judge: “this is a nation of Constitutional law, not martial law.”

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Ian Bassin @ianbassin.bsky.social · 4d

I’ve often wondered in contexts like this what would happen to a doctor who got a diagnosis that wrong? And what if they did so consistently?

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Dave Weigel @daveweigel.bsky.social · 5d

What I'm referring to. It's a privilege to be invited onto networks to talk about my reporting but I have limits. Similarly stopped doing NewsNation after Nextar took its Kimmel stance.

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