Tag: Rep. Steve Cohen

Tennessee U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen Joins Push to Strip Trump’s Secret Service Protection if Convicted

Tom Pappert
Congressman Steve Cohen

Tennessee U.S. Representative Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) on Friday joined a number of congressional Democrats who seek to remove the Secret Service protection afforded to former President Donald Trump if he is convicted and sentenced to prison.

Cohen was named in a press release issued by Representative Bennie Thompson (D-MS-02), who led the House January 6 committee, as a co-sponsor of the DISGRACED Former Protectees Act, which would amend Secret Service procedures “by automatically terminating Secret Service protection for those who have been sentenced to prison following conviction for a Federal or State felony.”

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U.S. House Passes Bill to Require Tennessee Valley Authority Disclose Salaries for Top Executives

Tom Pappert

The U.S. House of Representatives on recently legislation filed by Representatives Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) and Tim Burchett (R-TN-02) that would require the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to publish the salaries of its top executives, Cohen announced in a Monday press release.

Titled the TVA Salary Transparency Act, text of the two-page bill reveals new requirements would be posed for the TVA to provide annually “a report of the total number of employees at the management level or above, to include all executives and board members, that shall include the names, salaries, and duties” of employees “that are receiving compensation” higher than that allotted to the highest paid government employees.

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House Votes to Censure Tlaib for Anti-Israel Rhetoric on Second Try

Just the News

Republican Rep. Rich McCormick’s resolution to censure Democrat Rep. Rashida Tlaib for what he calls “promoting false narratives regarding the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, and calling for the destruction of the State of Israel” passed on Tuesday night. 

The final vote was 234-188 with 22 Democrats joining Republicans in approving the resolution.

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Representative Cohen Says Trump ‘Threatening Another Insurrection’

Peter D'Abrosca

A U.S. Congressman from Tennessee said over the weekend that former President Donald Trump is still a threat, even though he no longer holds office.

“If indicted, Trump said there will be problems in this country ‘the likes of which we’ve never seen,'” said Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) on MSNBC. “He’s threatening another insurrection and encouraging his people to be prepared to do it. He is a present and imminent danger to our democracy.”

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Rep. Cohen Says U.S. Must ‘Punish’ Russia ‘With All We Have’ in Bizarre Rants

Peter D'Abrosca

A member of the United States House of Representatives from Tennessee called for the United States to punish Russia in a bizarre Thursday rant on the House floor. 

“What Russia has done in Ukraine is immoral, it is illegal, it is and against the word, the acts, the intensions of every godly character ever,” Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) said. “God would not have approved. WWJD? What Russia has done deserves the entire condemnation of the world and everything we can do to condemn them and put them out of organized, civilized society is appropriate.”

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Controversial Byphalia Pipeline Project Shut Down After Protests

Peter D'Abrosca

After a flurry of protests featuring high-profile activists, politicians and a public relations campaign against the project, the company that was planning to build the Byphalia Pipeline through Memphis abruptly canceled the project Friday.

The pipeline, which left-wingers deemed “racist” because it would have run through mostly black South Memphis neighborhoods, would have transmitted crude oil from a Valero refinery in Memphis all the way to Mississippi.

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Cohen Says Trump ‘Worst Person in the World’

Peter D'Abrosca

A Democrat congressman from Tennessee known for his hyperbolic attacks against former President Donald J. Trump does not appear to be slowing down, despite the fact that Trump no longer holds office.

“It was clear to me from jump street that Trump was the worst person in the world and responsible for orchestrating the insurrection,” Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) said on Twitter. “It was a self-produced alternative show to his electoral defeat and he enjoyed watching it. He’s a narcissistic sociopath!”

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Tucker Carlson Blasts Steve Cohen for Racist Comments About National Guard

Peter D'Abrosca

Tucker Carlson blasted a member of the U.S. House from Tennessee Monday night for suggesting that most of the National Guardsmen deployed in Washington, D.C. for President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration could be a threat because they are White and male.

“Democrats in Congress demanded that the troops sent to Washington this week submit to a political purity test — ‘ideological vetting,’ as they put it — to make certain that every soldier professed loyalty to the new regime,” Carlson said. “Not loyalty to our country, not loyalty to our Constitution, but loyalty to the aims of a specific political party. Nothing like that has ever happened in America and just a few months ago, it would have been unimaginable. Suddenly it’s compulsory.”

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Rep. Steve Cohen Accuses Protesters of Attempting to ‘Murder the Congress’

Peter D'Abrosca

In a hyperbolic rant on the floor of the U.S. House, a Democrat member of Congress from Tennessee made outlandish claims about the mostly peaceful protests at the Capitol building in Washington, D.C. on January 6. 

“This was an assault on the Constitution, an assault on Congress, it was a felonious assault,” Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) said Tuesday evening. “It was [an] attempt to murder Congress and our processes to elect our President of the United States.”

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Rep. Steve Cohen and Democrats Accuse White House Press Secretary of Violating Hatch Act

Corinne Murdock

Representative Steve Cohen (D-TN) and other Democrats have accused White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany of violating the HATCH Act. Cohen retweeted an article from The New York Times that accused McEnany of breaking the law.
“Kayleigh McEnany’s violations of the #HatchAct would be a scandal in any other administration,” wrote Cohen. “Grifters and miscreants. Utterly appalling. #CultureOfCorruption”

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Super Bowl Champion Burgess Owens Blasts Rep. Steve Cohen’s Slavery Reparation Hearings: The Democrat Party Should Pay Restitution

Laura Baigert

  At the hearings held by U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen of Memphis (D-TN-09), one of the testifying witnesses took a different tack from all the others when he suggested that it is the Democrat Party that should pay restitution for the misery it has brought to his race. The hearing held by Cohen, as reported by The Tennessee Star, was of the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Subcommittee of the House Committee on the Judiciary regarding H.R. 40 and the Path to Restorative Justice. The hearing, scheduled for June 19 at 10 a.m., included nine witnesses on two panels, with Panel 1 being reserved exclusively for U.S. Senator Cory Booker. The list of Panel 2’s eight witnesses included Mr. Ta-Neheisi Coates, Distinguished Writer in Residence, Arthur J. Carter Journalism Institute of New York University; Mr. Danny Glover, actor and activist; Mr. Katrina Browne, documentarian, “Traces of the Trade;” Mr. Coleman Hughes, writer, Quilette online magazine; Mr. Burgess Owens, speaker and writer; Rev. Eugene Taylor Sutton, Episcopal Church of Maryland; Dr. Julianne Malveaux, economist and political commentator; and Mr. Eric Miller, Professor of Law, Loyola Law School, Loyola Marymount University. Predictably, given the topic of the hearing, Cohen being the…

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Cohen Says Barr ‘Deserves No Respect’ While Using Chicken Statue, KFC Chicken Bucket to Mock Attorney General For Not Attending House Judiciary Committee Hearing

Jason M. Reynolds

  U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) his upped the ante with his rhetoric by mocking Attorney General William Barr, whom he called a “chicken” — and the Democrat held up a chicken statue and ate fried chicken for effect. Breitbart reported on the tirade at a press conference by the Memphis congressman. The remarks came after Barr said he would not attend a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report showing there was no collusion with Russia or obstruction of justice. #ChickenBarr won’t be appearing before @HouseJudiciary tomorrow. The Attorney General shouldn’t be afraid of taking questions from counsel or members. Contemptible behavior. Fortunately, we have subpoenas ready. pic.twitter.com/a4QecbqcHN — Steve Cohen (@RepCohen) May 1, 2019 The Commercial Appeal reported that Cohen brought the chicken statue and a KFC bucket to the hearing. Barr reportedly refused to attend the hearing because House Democrats demanded that staff attorneys, in addition to lawmakers, be allowed to question Barr over his summary of the Mueller report — a condition that Barr refused to comply with. Before the morning hearing started, however, Cohen ate the chicken in his KFC bucket, Fortune reported. Regarding his analogy, Cohen said in a press release, “The…

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Rep. Steve Cohen Introduces Bills to Eliminate Electoral College, Limit Presidential Powers to Issue Pardons

Jason M. Reynolds

U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN-09), who wishes U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) would jump off a bridge, wasted no time trying to monkey with the U.S. Constitution as the Democrats took control of the House Thursday – he introduced a bill to eliminate the Electoral College. Cohen is a senior member of the House Judiciary Committee. He actually introduced two Constitutional amendments, one to abolish the Electoral College and one to prohibit presidents from pardoning themselves, members of their families, members of their administrations and their campaign staff, according to a press release from his office. Cohen said, “In two presidential elections since 2000, including the most recent one in which Hillary Clinton won 2.8 million more votes than her opponent, the winner of the popular vote did not win the election because of the distorting effect of the outdated Electoral College. Americans expect and deserve the winner of the popular vote to win office. More than a century ago, we amended our Constitution to provide for the direct election of U.S. Senators. It is past time to directly elect our President and Vice President.” Cohen has previously tried to impeach President Donald Trump. Also on Thursday, U.S. Rep. Brad…

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Rep. Steve Cohen Announces Re-election Bids for 2020, 2022

Jason M. Reynolds

U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) said he is planning to run for re-election in 2020 and 2022. Cohen made the announcement at a New Year’s Day prayer breakfast Tuesday, WMC said. WMC’s Kendall Downing also tweeted the news, saying, “Congressman Steve Cohen @RepCohen told reporters he’s running for re-election in 2020 and 2022… moments before he told the crowd at the Lowery prayer breakfast. Some pundits had speculated he would step aside in elections to come. Cohen says that’s not the case. @WMCActionNews5.” Congressman Steve Cohen @RepCohen told reporters he’s running for re-election in 2020 and 2022… moments before he told the crowd at the Lowery prayer breakfast. Some pundits had speculated he would step aside in elections to come. Cohen says that’s not the case. @WMCActionNews5 pic.twitter.com/MYvl80XJAI — Kendall Downing (@kendall_downing) January 1, 2019 In response, Cohen tweeted, “Always good to put false rumors aside. Republicans who haven’t been able to  beat me started rumor I would retire due to health concerns. No such luck!” https://twitter.com/RepCohen/status/1080222044871163906 Cohen is not the first Tennessee Democratic representative to announce future re-election plans before even being sworn in for his 2019-2020 term that starts today. U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper (D-TN-05) announced his re-election bid…

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Steve Cohen asks Google CEO to Probe ‘Overuse of Conservative News Organizations in Search Results’

Jason M. Reynolds

U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) apparently does not like it when Google shows conservative websites’ coverage of his television appearances. He remarked upon that trend during a House Judiciary Committee grilling of Google CEO Sundar Pichai Tuesday. Cohen accused Google of “overly using conservative news organizations on your news,” PJ Media reported. “This weekend I was on MSNBC four times, and yet the first thing that comes up is The Daily Caller, not exactly a liberal, but I guess well-known group, then Roll Call, then Breitbart News, then the Memphis Business Journal, then Breitbart News, then Breitbart,” Cohen said. “…I’d like you to look into overuse of conservative news organizations to put on liberal people’s news on Google.” Pichai said, “I can assure you we do this in a neutral way. And we do this based on that specific keyword, what we are able to access the most relevant information.” “I’m sure you try to, but it’s hard for me to fathom being on MSNBC for like eight minutes each show, four times, and there’s more content on Breitbart News than MSNBC,” Cohen replied. “That might say something about – well I’m not going to say that. Scary.” Perhaps even…

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Rep. Steve Cohen Says President Donald Trump is a ‘Criminal Enterprise’

Jason M. Reynolds

U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN-09), the same man who said he wants U.S. Sen.-elect Marsha Blackburn to jump off a bridge, has concluded that President Donald Trump is a “criminal enterprise.” On Friday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “The Last Word,” Steve Cohen spoke about the sentencing memos on former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen. He said, “Donald Trump is a criminal enterprise.” Host Lawrence O’Donnell said, “Only three presidents of the United States have been accused of federal crimes by … a prosecutor, a federal prosecutor of any kind while in office, and Donald Trump is now one of them.” O’Donnell pointed out that any impeachment proceedings would start in the House Judiciary Committee, where Cohen is a member. Steve Cohen said, “I think that what we’ve learned today is what we — many of us have known for at least two years, and some for maybe 10 or 15, that Donald Trump is a criminal enterprise. The Trump family is a criminal enterprise, and that most of the people he’s involved with, like Michael Cohen and Manafort, are shady folks.” The representative said many committees would investigate “Trump activities” but they would not start out with impeachment. Steve Cohen added, “proof…

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Marsha Blackburn Blasts Phil Bredesen, Who Was in the Audience, for Not Calling Out Steve Cohen for Bridge Jumping Comments

Jason M. Reynolds
Phil Bredesen

U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN-07) spoke to Fox & Friends Wednesday about her Democratic counterpart Steve Cohen’s violent remarks about wishing she would jump off a bridge. The interview is available here. Ainsley Earhardt played the Huffington Post’s audio of U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) saying he wished President Donald Trump would tell Blackburn, a U.S. Senate candidate, to jump off the Harahan Bridge in Memphis. The Tennessee Star reported that Cohen made the remarks last month at a prayer breakfast at Broadway Baptist Church in Memphis that was hosted by Democrat Phil Bredesen’s campaign for the U.S. Senate. Cohen said, “The big orange president. He’s going to come down here and he is going to endorse Marsha Blackburn. Because Marsha Blackburn, if he says, ‘jump off the Harahan Bridge,’ she’ll jump off the Harahan Bridge. I wish he’d say that.” Blackburn told Earhardt, “I thought surely he really didn’t say this and surely there was not laughter. You’d expect that with Phil Bredesen, my opponent, in the audience, he would have said, ‘We don’t say things like that. We don’t wish someone’s demise or death.’ “But Ainsley, I’ll tell you, I believe in what Matthew 5 commands us — that…

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Democrats Double Down on Personal Attacks Against Marsha Blackburn: She ‘Can Swim’

Jason M. Reynolds

Marsha Blackburn “can swim,” a Democratic consultant said Sunday in response to U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen’s violent remark about wanting President Donald Trump to tell the Senate candidate to jump off a bridge. Cohen (D-TN-09) made the remark last month to a group of pastors at a prayer breakfast meant to increase Democratic turnout for the Aug. 2 elections. The breakfast was held at Broadway Baptist Church in Memphis and was hosted by Democrat Phil Bredesen’s campaign for the U.S. Senate. “The big orange president …. He’s going to come down here and he is going to endorse Marsha Blackburn, because Marsha Blackburn, if he says, ‘Jump off the Harahan Bridge,’ she’ll jump off the Harahan Bridge,” he said in the audio obtained by The Huffington Post. “I wish he’d say that,” Cohen said. Democratic consultant John Rowley added to the violent attacks on Rep. Blackburn (R-TN-07). He told Fox 17 Nashville In Focus on Sunday that Cohen’s remark was “totally inbounds” because “Steve Cohen knows Marsha Blackburn can swim.” You can watch the clip here. Rowley said the incitement to violence was “nothing.” “It could be a good publicity stunt for the city of Memphis,” he added. “You never…

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Marsha Blackburn Responds to ‘Hurtful’ Violent Remarks Steve Cohen Made About Jumping Off Bridge

Jason M. Reynolds
Marsha Blackburn

Ed Henry of Fox News interviewed Tennessee U.S. Senate candidate Marsha Blackburn Friday about U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen’s violent remarks about her. Henry remarked, “It seems like incivility in politics is growing worse by the day.” He then played audio of Cohen (D-TN-09) saying he wished President Donald Trump would tell U.S. Rep. Blackburn (R-TN-07) to jump off a bridge in Memphis. The increasingly erratic Memphis Democrat made the statements at a prayer breakfast last month that was hosted by former Gov. Phil Bredesen, Blackburn’s opponent in the Senate race. The audio recording revealed that Cohen said, “The big orange president…he’s going to come down here and he’s going to endorse Marsha Blackburn, because Marsha Blackburn – if he says, ‘Jump off the Harahan Bridge,’ she’ll jump off the Harahan Bridge. I wish he’d say that.” Henry asked Blackburn for her reaction to the recording and Cohen’s claim he was joking. Blackburn said, “It’s hurtful to hear that. Steve is someone who was a colleague of mine in the state Senate and then we’ve served in Congress together. I have worked with him on issues like infant mortality issues in Shelby County, and we serve in the same delegation so…

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Rep. Steve Cohen Wants President Trump to Tell Rep. Marsha Blackburn to Jump Off a Memphis Bridge

Jason M. Reynolds
Donald Trump, Steve Cohen

Just as you can count on the sun to rise tomorrow, you can expect U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen to make an inappropriate statement. Now, he has ratcheted it up by saying he wants President Donald Trump to tell U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn to jump off a bridge, The Huffington Post reported. Cohen (D-TN-09) made the remark last month to a group of pastors at a prayer breakfast meant to increase Democratic turnout for the Aug. 2 elections. The breakfast was held at Broadway Baptist Church in Memphis and was hosted by Democrat Phil Bredesen’s campaign for the U.S. Senate. One political analyst recalled how this mirrored an infamous moment in Democratic Party history. Tennessee Star Political Editor Steve Gill said,“The Democrats actually voted against and booed God at their Convention in 2012, so it isn’t really surprising that we would get these comments from Memphis Congressman Steve Cohen at Democrat Phil Bredesen’s so-called prayer breakfast. Bredesen’s silence about Cohen’s words speaks volumes about Bredesen’s character—or lack thereof.” Blackburn (R-TN-07) is running as the GOP’s U.S. Senate candidate against former Democratic Gov. Phil Bredesen. “The big orange president …. He’s going to come down here and he is going to endorse…

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Rep. Steve Cohen Predicts That Trump Jr., Kushner Will Be Indicted But President Will Pardon Them

Jason M. Reynolds
Wolf Blitzer, Steve Cohen

U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) said he believes that special counsel Robert Mueller will probably indict Donald Trump Jr. and Jared Kushner and then the president will pardon both. The Memphis representative made the remark on CNN in response to Rudy Giuliani saying he is not sure so-called “collusion” with Russia is a crime. Cohen said it is “entirely possible” both men would be indicted and President Trump would “go totally off his rocker … not that he’s on it now” and issue pardons. When Wolf Blitzer asked what charges would be brought, Cohen said he thought Trump Jr. and Kushner were in contact with the Russians to affect the elections. Blitzer asked if he had evidence for the “very serious charge,” and Cohen said he thought he was right and time would tell. The congressman, who is a member of the House Judiciary Committee, is making increasingly more unhinged remarks against conservatives. Calls men ‘pathological liars’ Cohen appeared on MSNBC’s “Live With Alex Witt” Sunday to discuss the latest developments with former Trump attorney Michael Cohen (no relation) and Mueller’s ‘Trump-Russia Collusion’ investigation, as The Tennessee Star reported. The congressman has a well-established record of vitriolic statements aimed at conservatives…

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Memphis Democrat Steve Cohen Increasingly Unhinged, Calls President Trump and Rudy Giuliani ‘Pathological Liars’

Steve Morley
Steve Cohen

Memphis-area Democrat Representative Steve Cohen appeared on MSNBC’s “Live With Alex Witt” Sunday to react to the latest, if unusual, developments with former Trump attorney Michael Cohen (no relation) and Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s ongoing ‘Trump-Russia Collusion’ investigation. The five-term congressman has a well-established record of vitriolic statements aimed at conservative and Rebublicans, but Cohen managed to “find a new gear” when President Trump surprised the world with his election victory over Hillary Clinton in 2016. Since then, the avowed progressive has become uncreasingly unhinged as his efforts to block, obstruct, resist, and even oust President Trump or his policy agenda have failed. Regarding new questions about Michael Cohen’s credibility, Alex Witt asked if the fact that Cohen has been exposed as “wiretapping” his clients impairs his belivability on the stand, “Or do you believe it is the President who loses in the credibility department?” Rep Cohen, who is a member of the House Judiciary Committee answered, “I think that Michael Cohen, Rudy Giuliani and Donald Trump have about the same amount of credibility. They all use, at best, situational ethics – but probably more likely they just lie constantly, and they’re all three pathological liars.” (emphasis added) Surprised at the…

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Democrat Rep. Steve Cohen Denies Tweet ‘Where is Our Military Folks? The Commander in Chief is in the Hands of Our Enemy!’ Was Call for Military Coup Against President Trump

Tennessee Star Staff

Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) denied this afternoon that his tweet earlier in the day in which he stated “Where is our military folks? Commander in chief is in the hands of the enemy” was a call for a military coup against President Trump. Where are our military folks ? The Commander in Chief is in the hands of our enemy! https://t.co/3eF7OLKEdN — Steve Cohen (@RepCohen) July 16, 2018   Cohen attempted to “clarify” what seemed to many to be a call for a military coup against President Trump on Twitter about an hour later in response to a tweet from Christopher D. White of the Daily Caller News Foundation, but did not appear to do so successfully. “I assume you mean: why aren’t members of the military sounding off on this? Not. Why isn’t the military taking up positions to take out the POTUS? Because it’s not totally clear,” White asked. “Of course,” Cohen responded. — Steve Cohen (@RepCohen) July 16, 2018 White pushed back. “Of course *what*? Which is it?” he tweeted. Cohen did not respond.   Of course *what*? Which is it? https://t.co/x31k59eWSG — Christopher D. White (@ZanderKelly30) July 16, 2018 Just last week, Cohen attempted to walk…

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Dershowitz: Democrat Cohen’s Insult to Purple Heart Recipients ‘Low Point’ of Anti-Trump FBI Lovebird’s Congressional Testimony

Admin
Maria Bartiromo, Alan Dershowitz, Steve Cohen

Harvard Law Professor Emeritus Alan Dershowitz appeared on Maria Bartiromo’s ‘Mornings with Maria‘ on Fox Business Friday to discuss the public hearing of anti-Trump FBI lovebird Peter Strzok. However, the two wound up spending much of the segment on Rep. Steve Cohen’s (D-TN-09) deeply insulting suggestion that the embattled Strzok should receive a Purple Heart – an award established by George Washington himself nearly 236 years ago for soldiers wounded in battlefield injuries that dates back to the country’s founding. “Well it was a disaster. Everyone looked terrible,” Dershowitz said, when Bartiromo asked what his main takeaway from the day’s events was. Dershowitz added, “The low point, of course, was when a congressman said he deserved a Purple Heart. A Purple Heart you get when you put your life at risk, not for answering some questions in from of some congress people.” He continued, “It proves the point I make in my book [The Case Against Impeaching Trump] that there should have been a neutral, non-partisan, 9-11-type of commission investigating all of this.” As Dershowitz spoke, viewers could see the Harvard Law Professor become more outraged as he completed each sentence. “The 2016 election was filled with problems – Russia…

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Democrat Steve Cohen Tries to Walk Back Purple Heart Slur of Veterans

Jason M. Reynolds
Steve Cohen

U.S. Rep Steve Cohen (D-TN) wants to take it back after drawing fire for flippantly telling anti-Trump FBI lovebird Peter Strzok he wanted to give him a Purple Heart during a Congressional hearing. The Memphis Democrat made the remark during the disgraced FBI agent’s heated testimony in front of the House Oversight and Judiciary committees regarding his bias against President Donald Trump. For an analysis of the hearing, click here. Even reporter Aaron Blake of the Washington Post was dumbfounded: https://twitter.com/AaronBlake/status/1017476103794028550?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Now, Cohen wants to take it back. Newsmax quoted his interview with CNN’s Ana Cabrera: “I regret using the term ‘Purple Heart. I used it metaphorically, not literally. I never thought, literally, it should be given to Agent Strzok,” he said. The Purple Heart is given to U.S. service members who are wounded or are killed during combat. The apology may be too little, too late. Some veterans in Tennessee say they’re planning a protest march in protest of Cohen’s remark, Fox News reports. Sean Higgins, an Air Force veteran from Memphis, is leading the upcoming march, The Tennessean reported. Higgins said many constituents are “p****d as hell” after Cohen said Strzok deserved the military award. “How do you compare…

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Tennessee House Delegation Unanimously Opposes Ryan Immigration Bill

John Bryant
TN Congressional Delegation

Tennessee’s U.S. House delegation voted unanimously against House Speaker Paul’s Ryan’s immigration bill Wednesday, including both Democrat members, with Rep. Diane Black not voting. The bill went down in defeat by a wide margin, 121-301, despite President Trump’s subdued support. A sprawling, compromise GOP immigration bill that would have provided a path to citizenship for young illegal immigrants while directing $25 billion for the construction of President Trump’s border wall failed in the House on Wednesday, despite encouragement from the president for Republicans to support it. The bill was overwhelmingly rejected 301-121, in part because some Republicans are reluctant to vote for any bill they worry could be portrayed as “amnesty.” More than 100 Republicans voted against the legislation. The legislation was given little chance of passing going in. Trump’s tweet Wednesday captured his earlier private views that he supports the bill as well as his previous tweets that Republicans were wasting their time on legislation that can’t pass the Senate, putting a different spin on the latter. “HOUSE REPUBLICANS SHOULD PASS THE STRONG BUT FAIR IMMIGRATION BILL, KNOWN AS GOODLATTE II, IN THEIR AFTERNOON VOTE TODAY, EVEN THOUGH THE DEMS WON’T LET IT PASS IN THE SENATE,” he tweeted in…

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Commentary: All Aboard! Rep. Steve Cohen Leads Democrats to Jump on the Crazy Train to Impeachment

Admin

Cue Ozzy Osbourne. The Democrats have finally boarded the Crazy Train. A handful in the House just introduced five articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump. Sigh. Psychiatrists take note; here are the names: Reps. Marcia Fudge of Ohio, John Yarmuth of Kentucky, Luis Gutierrez of Illinois, Adriana Espaillat of New York and Al Green of…

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Rep. Scott DesJarlais Calls Impeachment Attempt ‘Political Stunt’

Jason M. Reynolds

One Tennessee congressman called U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen’s attempt to impeach President Donald J. Trump a “political stunt.” Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) and other House Democrats on Wednesday filed five Articles of Impeachment against the president. U.S. Rep. Scott DesJarlais (R-TN-03) told the Tennessee Star, “Americans voted for Donald Trump and Republicans to improve the economy and national security. That’s what we’re working on and would be glad to have Democrats’ help. I think that’s what the country would like. “Political stunts, which might make some feel better about an election loss, only slow progress on important matters like cutting middle-class taxes and rebuilding our military. I’m focused on a positive agenda for Tennesseans.” In the Articles of Impeachment, Cohen and his co-sponsors cited allegations of Russian interference in the presidential elections, alleged links between Trump’s campaign and Russia and the firing of FBI Director James Comey. The Democrats also accused Trump of profiting off his business brand during his presidency (a process called emoluments), the pardoning of former Sheriff Joe Arpaio and Trump’s disagreements with the news media. Cohen is the ranking member of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice. He called for the committee to…

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Rep. Steve Cohen Files Articles of Impeachment Against President Trump

Jason M. Reynolds
Rep. Steve Cohen

U.S. Congressman Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) and other House Democrats on Wednesday filed five Articles of Impeachment against President Donald J. Trump. “The time has come to make clear to the American people and to this President that his train of injuries to our Constitution must be brought to an end through impeachment,” the congressman from Tennessee’s 9th District said in a press release. “I believe there is evidence that he attempted to obstruct an investigation into Russia’s interference with the U.S. presidential election and links between between Russia and the Trump campaign, most notably the firing of FBI Director James Comey.” Cohen is the ranking member of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice. The Articles of Impeachment may be read here. Other reasons given include: National Security Advisor Michael Flynn misled Vice President Pence about his discussions with the Russian Ambassador to the United States. • Donald J. Trump demanded F.B.I. Director James Comey’s loyalty, and asked Comey to let Flynn go. • Donald J. Trump fired F.B.I. Director James Comey while the F.B.I. was investigating Russian interference with the 2016 presidential election including possible collusion with the Trump campaign. Donald J. Trump admitted in a television…

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Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen Accuses Conservative Pro-Life Black Woman of ‘Ignorance’ in Abortion Debate Over Heartbeat Bill

Wendy Wilson
Steve Cohen

  U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN-9) on Wednesday accused an African-American conservative activist who testified about abortion’s harmful effects on the black community of “ignorance” with respect to the sincerity of his positions on social problems and an “inability” to appropriately address Congress. The tense exchange came during a hearing in Washington, D.C., before the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice on the “Heartbeat Protection Act of 2017,” which would ban abortions of babies with detectable heartbeats. Star Parker, founder and president of the Center for Urban Renewal and Education (CURE) and a longtime conservative columnist and speaker, said it was “disingenuous” of Cohen to distract from the abortion issue by bringing Medicaid into the debate, reports LifeSiteNews. Cohen, whose district covers most of Memphis, is against the heartbeat bill, arguing that it violates Roe v. Wade. “The culture of death is taking 23 million people’s health care aware from them,” Cohen had said, according to a video of the hearing posted by The Daily Caller. “That seems to be the main focus of this Congress. It’s also taking a billion dollars from Medicaid, which is the main focus of the budget.” Cohen said that “if you believe…

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U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen Blasts Trump for ‘Dangerous’ Pardon of Former Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio

Wendy Wilson

  U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN-9) blasted President Trump over the weekend for Trump’s pardon of former Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio, calling Trump’s action “dangerous” and saying the president has “once against abused his authority and divided our nation.” Earlier this month, the Democratic congressman, whose district includes Memphis, said he would introduce articles of impeachment against Trump because of his comments following violent confrontations in Charlottesville, Virginia, between white supremacists and radical leftists. Trump pardoned Arpaio on Friday, praising the 85-year-old in a White House statement for his “admirable service.” Arpaio was recently convicted of misdemeanor contempt for defying a judge’s order stop traffic patrols that were said to unfairly target immigrants. As sheriff, Arpaio was known for his fight against illegal immigration. He lost re-election last year. Here is Cohen’s full statement released Saturday: President Trump’s pardoning of Joe Arpaio isn’t just bad, it’s dangerous. The President continues to show a callous disregard for the independence of our federal judiciary. Even worse, he did so in defense of a man who had been criminally convicted of failing to follow a court order in connection with a lawsuit involving racial profiling.  This was not only a terrible decision, but if reports are accurate…

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Tennessee Congressional Delegation Split on Trump’s Afghanistan Decision Along Partisan Lines

Wendy Wilson
Tennessee Star

Republican Sen. Bob Corker and Republican Reps. Marsha Blackburn, Scott DesJarlais and Chuck Fleischmann released statements in support of President Trump’s decision to keep troops in Afghanistan. Trump announced his decision Monday evening in a televised address. His decision is likely to disappoint some conservatives because he campaigned on pulling out of Afghanistan. “My original instinct was to pull out — and, historically, I like following my instincts,” Trump said in his address. “But all my life I’ve heard that decisions are much different when you sit behind the desk in the Oval Office.” Trump said that, as happened with the withdrawal from Iraq in 2011,  “a hasty withdrawal would create a vacuum that terrorists, including ISIS and al Qaeda, would instantly fill.” Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN), who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the following in a statement: I had the opportunity to talk with Secretary Tillerson in advance of this evening’s address, and while I look forward to receiving additional details, I support the direction President Trump laid out tonight for the U.S. role in Afghanistan. While there are certainly substantial questions about whether Afghanistan has the capacity over time to provide stable governance to its people, this more focused…

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Tennessee U.S. Senator Bob Corker Stands By Statements Criticizing Trump Over Charlottesville

Wendy Wilson

  COLUMBIA, Tennessee — U.S. Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) on Friday defended his remarks Thursday criticizing President Trump for his comments about the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, last weekend between white supremacists and leftist radicals. Corker was in Columbia on Friday to speak at a joint luncheon of the Rotary and Kiwanis clubs at the Memorial Building downtown. On Thursday in Chattanooga, Corker questioned Trump’s competence and said, “He has not demonstrated that he understands what has made this nation great and what it is today, and he’s got to demonstrate the characteristics of a president who understands that.” Trump’s critics in the mainstream media and on the left, as well as some establishment Republicans, have maintained that Trump indirectly supported white supremacy by blaming both sides for the violence and saying there were innocent people on both sides. Asked by The Tennessee Star after Friday’s luncheon what he thought Trump should have said instead, Corker said he didn’t want to get into analyzing it further. “I’m trying to steer away from that,” Corker said. “What I said yesterday I think speaks for itself. Hopefully this, myself and maybe a few others speaking out, will have an effect. But I just want good…

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Democrat U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen of Memphis Calls for Impeaching Trump over Charlottesville Comments

Wendy Wilson

  U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN-9) said Thursday that he will introduce articles of impeachment against President Trump because of Trump’s comments following violent clashes in Charlottesville, Virginia, on Saturday. “Instead of unequivocally condemning hateful actions by neo-Nazis, white nationalists and Klansmen following a national tragedy, the President said ‘there were very fine people on both sides.’ There are no good Nazis. There are no good Klansmen,” said Cohen, who is Jewish, in a statement. A progressive leftist whose congressional district includes Memphis, Cohen is a ranking member of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice. The clashes in Charlottesville were between white supremacist demonstrators and leftist radical counterprotesters. A woman was killed and around 20 injured when a man identified as a white supremacist drove his vehicle into a crowd. There also was fighting in which both white supremacists and counterprotesters were “swinging sticks, punching and spraying chemicals,” according to the Washington Post. Bottles and rocks were also thrown back. There were injuries on both sides. On Saturday, Trump condemned the “egregious display of hatred, bigotry, and violence on many sides.” At a press conference Tuesday, Trump said he waited until Monday to condemn specific groups because he…

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Group Pushes For Removal Of Confederate Statues In Memphis

Wendy Wilson

A group using the hashtag #TakeEmDown901 is organizing to push for the removal of Confederate statues in Memphis, part of a trend across the South. More than 250 people attended a rally Tuesday evening at Bruce Elementary School on Bellevue Boulevard to learn more about the group’s efforts. “These statues were built as tools of oppression during the Civil Rights movement and reconstruction,” said organizer Tami Sawyer, according to WMC Action News 5. Sawyer said the statues must go to make Memphis more attractive to millennials. One activist at the meeting said, “If you don’t take down these statues, then we will.” However, the Sons of Confederate Veterans is protesting the efforts. The group released a statement saying: Those who tear down historic monuments are no better than Nazis or ISIS. They are historical terrorists. The TearDownMemphis or TakeEmDown group bears the same characteristics. Our historical monuments, especially including the two largest Confederate monuments, are a tribute to those honored city residents of our nation’s past.  They certainly do not signify white supremacy or anything of the sort.  Both Jefferson Davis and N. B. Forrest are veterans of the United States military and of the Confederate States. The Sons of Confederate Veterans…

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Tennessee Democratic Congressmen React to Comey Firing

Wendy Wilson
Tennessee Star

  Here is reaction from the only two Democratic members of Tennessee’s congressional delegation to President Trump’s firing of FBI Director James Comey on Tuesday. They made their comments in official press statements and on social media. Rep. Jim Cooper, Democrat: The FBI is investigating Trump associates right now. This firing calls to mind the worst days of Nixon. It's time for a special prosecutor. https://t.co/Jx6VEvqFDH — Jim Cooper (@jimcoopertn) May 10, 2017 Rep. Steve Cohen, Democrat: I have said to my colleagues and to the public for over four months that FBI Director James Comey would do the right thing in the Trump-Russia investigation. I also believed President Trump wouldn’t fire him unless he felt that Director Comey threatened his presidency. This is sadly reminiscent of the Saturday Night Massacre when President Nixon fired Justice Department officials that threatened his presidency. Two days ago, I tweeted that I hoped Director Comey would be next year’s recipient of the Profiles in Courage Award because of the Trump-Russia investigation, but President Trump has effectively vetoed that award. I call on Speaker Paul Ryan to immediately appoint a bipartisan, non-classified, public, and transparent commission to investigate the Trump-Russia relationship. Our democracy is…

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