Why it matters that a senator fell for a bogus White House gift shop – By Steve Benen (MSNBC) / June 14, 2023
Bill Cassidy probably should’ve taken a closer look before slamming the White House Gift Shop for selling a trinket celebrating Donald Trump’s indictment.
If it seems like the political debate over Donald Trump’s federal indictment is one-sided, it’s not your imagination: The former president’s Republican allies have scrambled to defend their partisan ally, while Democrats prefer to say very little.
In fact, Politico reported late yesterday, “President Joe Biden and his top aides have taken a vow of silence on the federal indictment of his predecessor, Donald Trump — and have explicitly ordered the national Democratic Party and his reelection campaign to do the same.” The same report added that the DNC “has advised members of Congress seeking guidance on what to say that they should not comment on the Trump probes if they are speaking publicly in their role as Biden campaign surrogates.”
There’s room for conversation about whether Democrats are being a little too quiet about Trump’s criminal scandal, but whether the strategy is wise or not, Biden and his allies appear content to let the public conversation unfold without them.
