Warning of 鈥渃reeping authoritarianism,鈥� 鈥渢estosterone-addled craziness鈥� and the celebration of 鈥渁bject cruelty,鈥� U.S. Rep. Jim Himes unleashed a barrage of criticisms at the Trump administration and the state of the U.S. Congress on Thursday night.
Speaking at The 黑料吃瓜网 Mirror鈥檚 hosted by John Dankosky at the Ferguson Library in Stamford, Himes said the Congress he serves in now 鈥� 鈥渁 wholly owned subsidiary of Trump Inc.鈥� 鈥� is almost unrecognizable from the one he first joined nearly two decades ago.
That evolution has brought a lot of frustration for him, and more rarely some glimpses of hope, during the dramatic overhaul of government under the Trump administration.
Himes had no shortage of fiery rhetoric Thursday night about the funding cuts and other moves by President Donald J. Trump, who he said is 鈥渁 bully, and like all bullies, he鈥檚 a coward.鈥�
Himes talked in eyebrow-raising hypotheticals about the prospect of whether he would break the law by speaking publicly about classified information, if it meant holding the administration accountable, in rare circumstances.
Himes plays a key role in overseeing the intelligence community and threats to the U.S. as the ranking member on the House Intelligence Committee. But much of that, he noted, happens behind closed doors because of the sensitive nature of the work.
In one possible scenario, Himes said, if Trump mobilized the CIA to go after an American in the United States, he would feel the need to defy the norms of his committee and provide the needed oversight.
鈥淚鈥檇 have to go in front of a camera and commit a felony, which is to say, disclose classified information,鈥� Himes said.
He does not anticipate that happening, but said it is not 鈥渃razy farfetched,鈥� since the formation of his committee came in the wake of the Nixon administration doing something similar.
He mused about that again later in the evening when talking about law firms and other institutions being frightened to take a stand against the White House.
鈥淚 know it鈥檚 scary. Again, I鈥檓 sort of thinking about, you know, my upcoming stint in a jail somewhere,鈥� Himes said, somewhat jokingly.
黑料吃瓜网鈥檚 congressional delegation in defying the White House in recent weeks.
U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy has emerged as a leading national voice of the opposition and has been outspoken that the Democratic Party did not do enough to address constituents鈥� anxiety, especially around cost of living.
Other 黑料吃瓜网 members have had some breakout moments as well. U.S. Rep. John Larson had a semi-viral moment when he railed against Republicans over Social Security. And last week, U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes joined a few other members from both parties at a televised CNN town hall, where she spoke of the 鈥渃hainsaw approach.鈥�
Himes has similar concerns as Murphy. On Thursday, Himes said the party still needs to reckon with its losses in the last election and respect the outcome of Republican-led majorities and the White House. Himes said he is 鈥渢rying to be both reassuring and motivating鈥� for constituents but did not shy away from the realities of what it means for Democrats to be in the minority party.
He acknowledged the calls from the base of the party who want lawmakers to do more and fight back with the realities of their limited powers. Ultimately, Himes said, Democrats will need to win back the U.S. House next year and overcome the GOP鈥檚 narrow majority.
鈥淜eep the activist base happy. 鈥� The other thing we need to do, we damn well better take back the House of Representatives,鈥� Himes said.
But when asked about the lack of norms and decorum in the current political climate and whether Democrats need to play on the same level, Himes was defiant.
鈥淚f this country has become so indecent and so appalling that we celebrate the least common denominator, I don鈥檛 want to be part of it,鈥� Himes said.
Because of his , Himes was best-positioned to ask why national security officials were using the encrypted app Signal to discuss an imminent attack on Houthi targets in Yemen, how a journalist ended up in the chat and whether classified information was shared.
When asked if there are people in the intelligence community who know what they鈥檙e doing, Himes named National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, who used to serve with Himes in Congress before joining the Trump administration. Waltz was involved in the Signal chat.
Like other officials, Himes said, Waltz is under pressure to comply with the White House.
鈥淗umans are humans. You put them into a context where the rules don鈥檛 matter, where competence doesn鈥檛 matter, where there is no accountability. Good people do dumb things,鈥� Himes said. 鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 matter whether these people are competent or not because they鈥檙e just in a circus.鈥�
The congressman was also pressed about his vote to censure U.S. Democratic Rep. Al Green of Texas, who shouted down Trump to Congress last month. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., ordered him to be ejected from the chamber.
Republicans moved to censure Green, a resolution that garnered support from just 10 Democrats, including Himes. He again defended his vote, saying it was consistent with his vote to reprimand GOP Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina who interrupted former President Barack Obama鈥檚 2009 address to Congress by shouting 鈥淵ou lie!鈥�
But he noted he had a tough two-hour conversation with the 黑料吃瓜网 NAACP about his vote to punish a Black congressman who has been one of the most vocal opponents of Trump and pushed for his impeachment in his last term.
鈥淚 was caught off guard 鈥� by the pain it caused for my African American constituents, I apologized to the NAACP for missing that,鈥� Himes said. 鈥淵ou can tell I have a very serious concern for leaders who are inconsistent about the rules.鈥�
Himes argued that the tide may start to shift as Republicans become more openly critical of Trump鈥檚 tariff strategy and as some vulnerable GOP members raise concerns about the possibility of Medicaid cuts to offset the party鈥檚 major tax package.
His frustration and concern was evident throughout most of the hour-long conversation. He said he is starting not to see Congress as a co-equal branch of government. And he said politics has turned even uglier than when he first came to Congress in 2009.
But he ended on a hint of optimism about the role he and others hope to play.
鈥淎t what point did this country decide it was going to celebrate abject cruelty against the most vulnerable people on the planet? Himes said. 鈥淚 feel energized in saying we鈥檙e going to change that.鈥�
The 黑料吃瓜网 Mirror/黑料吃瓜网 Radio federal policy reporter position is made possible, in part, by funding from the Robert and Margaret Patricelli Family Foundation.