11/25/25: GOP Majority At Risk Before Midterms, Dem Sen Threatened With Court Martial, Thanksgiving Advice

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2:00We need your help to build the future of independent news media, and we hope to see you at BreakingPoints.com. All right, let's get to Congress. Turning now to Congress. Interesting story. So in the wake of Marjorie Taylor Greene's resignation, there's been a discussion about Congress in particular and Republicans who are in Congress. What do they do all day? Do they even really want to stay there? There's been a spate, actually, of a number of people in Congress who are resigning. What was his name? Jared Golden, is that his name, in Maine, who said he would resign. You have Marjorie Taylor Greene who said, or he said he wouldn't run for re-election.

2:31Marjorie Taylor Greene said she's going to resign. But people, broadly, are just fed up with the institution, and they feel like they waste their time, and they don't do anything. Let's put this up here on the screen from Jake Sherman. And he's one of these inside the Beltway reporters who really, you know, he speaks to everybody and reports some of the inside gossip. So here's what he says. A few other GOP members have messaged us over the weekend saying they, too, are considering retiring in the middle of the term. Here is one exercise senior House Republican. This entire White House team has treated all members like garbage, all.

3:04And Mike Johnson has let it happen because he wanted it to happen. That is the sentiment of nearly all. Appropriators, authorizers, hawks, doves, rank and file. The arrogance of this White House team is off-putting to members who run roughshod and threatened. They don't even allow little wins like announcing small grants or even responding from agencies. Not even the high profile, the regular rank and file random members are more upset than ever. Members know they are going into the minority after the midterms. More explosive early resignations are coming. It's a tinderbox. Morale has never been lower.

3:39Mike Johnson will be stripped of his gavel and they will lose the majority before this term is out. That is shocking. Now, remember, I flagged this, that MTG resigning was a big problem for Mike Johnson because that was, I mean, what is it, two votes? They're in the House of Representatives. You lose two more. Take a look at an actuarial table, if you might, for the average age for a number of people in Congress. You're hanging on there by a real thread. And I mean, I think what's interesting about the whole White House treating them like garbage thing is you could blame the White House, but you could also blame Congress.

4:17And then that's the part where I get a little bit annoyed, where I'm like, well, nothing's stopping you from being like MTG and trying to stand up. It's you're who afraid of standing up, quote unquote, to Congress or standing up to the White House or, you know, getting on their bad side. You're the ones who live in fear of a Trump truth social or who go around the Capitol and say, well, I haven't seen the tweet or I'm not aware of what it is or I'm not aware yet of what the president said, but always praising him on the other side, even though behind the scenes you totally disagree. So it's kind of it's a revealing story in the way that they act, but it also it's on them.

4:58And I think that's really what I wanted to make this about is, look, I think it's sad that MTG is leaving. I really do wish that she would stay, at the very least, just to use her voice and salience to make other people uncomfortable, stand up to the White House. But, you know, nothing has stopped them from standing up on even issues like Venezuela, for example. I mean, they refuse to take control over their ability to declare war and to exercise some oversight over the United States military, which is their constitutional, you know, one of their obligations, right, is to review especially appropriations and the literal right to declare war.

5:33They refuse to exercise any power over that. They refuse to exercise any power, let's say, over weapon shipments and the Leahy law. Like they pass laws into office or they pass laws on the books and then they refuse to actually ensure or try to ensure that those laws are being followed. And this isn't just a Trump story. It's really a story of post-Iraq. is that ever since Iraq, when congressmen and senators, or when senators voted to support the war in Iraq, and then Hillary basically lost in 2008 because of the Iraq War vote, they just don't want to take any difficult vote, and they're happy to just pass the buck to the executives so that they own all the political consequences.

6:15And that's really the case on everything. I mean, even if you remember Crystal Obamacare, not when it was passed, but when the Republicans tried to repeal it. Many Republicans who lost in 2018 blamed their vote on Obamacare, on trying to repeal Obamacare for the reason they lost. I remember Martha McSally specifically talking about that in the state of Arizona and multiple others who actually ended up losing in that election. They don't want to take difficult votes. That's why they put things in big bills and they just kind of like shunt it once a year so that they can recover later on if they need to from the political consequences.

6:50So I blame the institution much more than I blame just the White House in this way. They're acting like most White Houses do when it comes to Congress. Yeah, I mean, it's, you know, they're working together to give the executive as much power as possible. Like, that's effectively what's happened here. I mean, they've co-signed Trump's executive power grab from the beginning, even if you think about Doge, right? Oh, yeah. Out of the gates. Doge is now, by the way, finished after having, you know, decimated parts of the federal government but achieved negative cost savings and, you know, wrought a lot of havoc in people's lives and degraded government services, et cetera.

7:25So congratulations to all involved. And now the Doge boys who were part of it are apparently afraid that they're going to be prosecuted for, you know, not following the law while they were there. But in any case, out of the gates, all these Republicans were so excited about Doge and all this cost-cutting and completely on board with the executive branch just unilaterally deciding what funds were going to be spent, what programs were going to be cut. They didn't assert their authority as a legislative body, you know, because, I mean, this is the way this is supposed to work, as everyone knows, is Congress appropriates funds.

8:00And then the executive has discretion over exactly how Congress's wishes are fulfilled. But the constitutional understanding is that Congress has the power of the purse and the executive branch doesn't just get to say, hey, we're just not doing the Department of Education anymore. No, that was congressionally mandated. So if you're a Republican and you have control of the House and the Senate and you want to decimate USAID or you want to decimate the Department of Education, OK, those are congressionally mandated authorized agencies. You go through a process or if there are individual programs that you're like, you know what, I'm not on board with this subsidy to green energy or whatever it is.

8:38Again, you can pass legislation to roll back what was done in the past. Instead, they were happy to hand it off to Elon and his chainsaw and President Trump. So you can't now turn around and be like, hey, they treat us like a potted plant. They treat us like garbage. Or another quote was they act like we're the Duma, which is, you know, the Russian parliament that's just like a rubber stamp for Putin. Like, they treat us like that. It's like, yeah, you asked for that treatment. You handed all of this power. You went along with this whole executive power grab. You celebrated. You were in support of it.

9:08And now you're like, where's my consultation on this and that? Like, get out of here. But, you know, I think the I think the sense of frustration and disgust has set in after the 2025 election results, where it is now incredibly clear that they are going to lose the majority. So the only thing worse than being treated like garbage in a potted plant in the majority is being treated like garbage in a potted plant and being in the minority and having to deal with the Democrats and whatever subpoenas and investigations they're going to do as well. So, you know, it wouldn't surprise me if this comes to pass that enough say, forget it, I'm out of here before the midterms that Johnson loses his gavel.

9:50You know, they a lot of these like they'll go to special elections. The timing of those varies by state. You know, I'm not sure exactly what will happen in Florida. It's a very red district. You're likely to get another Republican. But in the meantime, there will be a vacancy for a while that will make their holding on to the majority more difficult and keeping everyone together will require Mike Johnson to keep literally everyone together on every single priority. And then you look at something like, you know, in Tennessee, there's this special election going on right now in a district Trump won by 22 points.

10:21I think the Republicans are probably going to win it, but they're a little bit nervous. They're having to spend money. That shows you how dangerous this situation is, especially in special elections where, you know, Democrats high turnout base now shows up for these things. And Republicans, you know, base, which has shifted and become more working class and is less likely to turn up for these elections, may not be paying attention. Yep. I think you are definitely correct. And for Mike Johnson, let's put MTG's response D2 up there on the screen. She says, fact check, it's true, but it's worse than people inside the bubble know.

10:55When you talk to real Americans about the wicked snow globe of Washington, D.C., love that. Myself and many of my colleagues have come courageously roaring into 2025 with legislation that matched the election mandate only to be totally sidebined by Johnson under full obedience of the White House. Executive orders are temporary. Q memes have not obliterated the deep state. My colleagues constantly trying to pass a loyalty test instead of demanding what is right, won't help Americans pay their rent, stop corporations for buying home, buy groceries, provide good-paying jobs, and more. Passing effective legislation that gets signed into law is permanent and actually solves problems.

11:29Now that House members are switching gears into campaign mode and will be fighting for their lives, our legislative majority has been wasted. Our best shot was the first six to nine months. When Republicans lose the midterms, it becomes total and complete political war. Gridlock once again. The Union Party always wins. What is a convincing message for 2026 and likely 2028? It will be the American people asking candidates, what tangible thing have you done for me? How did it or will it make my life any better? I think she's right. It also demonstrates some of the issues that we have right now with Congress broadly.

12:02And there's also a joke, apparently. Let's put this next one up here on the screen. Inside the White House, top advisors joke that they are ruling Congress with an iron fist, according to people who have heard the comments. Steve Bannon, the influential Trump ballot, likened Congress to the Duma, the Russian assembly that is largely ceremonial, which is. I forgot it was Bannon who was the one who said that. Who said it was the Duma. Which Duma? That's the question. Real Russia watchers.

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13:30All right, let's go to the next part on sedition, shall we? Yeah, so you guys have been probably following the story. We covered it on the show. So Alyssa Slotkin, Mark Kelly, and some other Democratic members of Congress, like national security Dems who either come out of the CIA, former CIA or former military, put out this video saying, hey, if there are unlawful orders, you should not follow them. Not specifying which unlawful orders, et cetera. And I think it was meant to provoke, and it certainly got that response. Trump started calling them the seditious seven. He retweeted a comment that, you know, George Washington would have had them hanged.

14:10He said they were traitors, et cetera. Well, we have a new escalation in this battle. We can put E1 up on the screen. This is the Department of Defense statement here. They say the official statement of the Department of War has received serious allegations of misconduct against Captain Mark Kelly, retired in accordance with the Uniform Code of Military Justice and other applicable regulations. A thorough review of these allegations has been initiated to determine further actions, which may include recall to active duty for court martial proceedings or administrative measures. This matter will be handled in compliance with military law, ensuring due process and a partiality.

14:48Oh, yeah. OK. Further official comments will be limited to preserve the integrity of the proceedings. Department of War reminds all individuals that military retirees remain subject to the UCMJ for applicable offenses and federal laws such as this particular code. Prohibit actions intended to interfere with the loyalty, morale, or good order and discipline of the armed forces. Any violations will be addressed through appropriate legal channels. All service members are reminded they have a legal obligation under the UCMJ to obey lawful orders and orders are presumed to be lawful. A service member's personal philosophy does not justify or excuse the disobedience of an otherwise lawful order.

15:25We can put Mark Kelly's response here up on the screen as well to get what he was saying. So he says, when I was 22 years old, I commissioned as an ensign in the United States Navy and swore an oath to the Constitution. I upheld that oath through flight school, multiple deployments on the USS Midway, 39 combat missions in Operation Desert Storm, test pilot school for space shuttle flights at NASA, and every day since I retired, which I did after my wife Gabby was shot in the head while serving her constituents. In combat, I had a missile blow up next to my jet and flew through anti-aircraft fire to drop bombs on enemy targets.

15:59At NASA, I launched on a rocket, commanded the space shuttle, and was part of the recovery mission that brought home the bodies of my astronaut classmates who died on Columbia. did all of this in service to this country that I love and has given me so much. Secretary Hegseth's tweet is the first I heard of this. I also saw the president's post saying I should be arrested, hanged and put to death. If this is meant to intimidate me and other members of Congress from doing our jobs and holding this administration accountable, it won't work. I've given too much to this country to be silenced by bullies who care more about their own power than protecting the Constitution.

16:32Sagar, I'm curious for your view on this. I mean, in some ways, I mean, what they said is basically on its face, uncontroversial that like, hey, if there are illegal orders, you don't have to follow them and you actually shouldn't follow them, which is just Ryan was saying it's basically like, hey, don't commit crimes. You know, it's very on its face, very uncontroversial. But because of the context around it, it was obviously meant to provoke. And they did that very effectively. I mean, it reminded me of a sort of a Trumpian tactic. I was like, oh, these centrists are actually learning a little bit of something.

17:04And now they've created this whole conversation around, OK, well, which orders would be unlawful and what are you talking about? And a whole fur around this with the Trump freak out and overreaction here. So I wonder what you make of it. Yeah, they're doing this guy the biggest favor they ever could. Mark, do you know how much skill it takes to make Mark Kelly compelling as a figure? It's one of the most boring guys I've ever seen in my life. Look, no offense to a service record, not saying anything bad, just saying, you know, it's like. I've seen the guy in person. There's not a lot going on there.

17:34But, you know, this is the best thing they could have done for him. In fact, the Democrats have already sent multiple fundraising emails with that exact same thing. When the headers are all like, he wants to throw me in prison. They're going to turn this guy into a resistance hero. Recall him for court martial. By the way, given the conduct now currently of the way, like the judicial system that they have, their track record. let's say, for example, in the Comey case, Letitia James, sandwich guy, multiple of these other cases they've brought, I wouldn't be so confident, you know, that they can come.

18:10Oh, I mean, it's obviously ridiculous. Right, but that's - Like, you're allowed to, like, just state the obligations that they have under the Constitution. There's nothing illegal about that. What are they going to turn this into? A few good men? You know, they're going to turn it into a few good men, literally. They're going to be the most televised court-martial in U.S. history. The cameras outside of the courtroom, they'll turn him into a goddamn hero, literally. You just save his election down there in Arizona. And oh my God, the amount of fundraising and profile. I mean, there's nothing else that these guys could want.

18:40And again, that's the irony, is that this is Mark Kelly we're talking about here. It sort of rescues them with the Democratic base too. Yes, I know. It's so annoying. These like centrist types. And it's like, I mean, they were, yeah, they were clever. And then it's annoying to me too. Like Slotkin got asked about, okay, well, are there unlawful orders? And then she's like, oh, I'm not saying that. It's like, you know what? If you're going to do this and flirt with us, like just freaking come out and say you can at least raise questions about the Venezuela shit we just did in this show. You know, certainly you can speak to that as well.

19:08But they can they're getting away with raising questions and like provoking Trump without actually having to be against any of the specific actions, some of which, you know, the Venezuela stuff, a bunch of Democrats. They may not like how Trump's going about it, but they're not out and out opposed, which is why a lot of Democrats have been very quiet about the possibility of regime change in Venezuela. But but yeah, I mean, it's completely rescuing them in their standing with the Democratic base, making it appear like they're fighting. And I think it was sort of a clever and Trumpian tactic, frankly.

19:40Here's the Pete Hegseth response that Mark Kelly had alluded to. He, quote, tweeted that original Department of War statement. He says, the video made by the seditious six was despicable, reckless, and false, encouraging our warriors to ignore the orders of their commanders, undermines every aspect of good order and discipline. Their foolish screed sows doubt and confusion, which only puts our warriors in danger. Five of the six individuals in that video do not fall under Department of War jurisdiction. One is CIA. Four are former military but not retired, so they're no longer subject to UCMJ.

20:10However, Mark Kelly, retired Navy commander, is still subject to UCMJ, and he knows that. As was announced, the department is reviewing his statements and actions which were addressed directly to all troops while explicitly using his rank and service affiliation, lending the appearance of authority to his words. Kelly's conduct brings discredit upon the armed forces and will be addressed appropriately. So, yeah, I mean, this is just, I don't know. It's just ridiculous. I mean, and also for these guys to to wax about the the order, especially Pete Hegseth. I mean, the one thing we know about his leadership at the Pentagon is has been nothing but like chaos and absurdity the whole time, which is why he's relegated to these Twitter fights rather than doing like the big boy negotiations that are going on right now.

20:54I mean, to this point about let's go to the next one here, just about that. This it just pains me. The incompetence. It just pains me. The judge has now dismissed the case against James Comey and Letitia James after finding the prosecutor was unlawfully appointed. The judge ruled that Lindsey Halligan was appointed after Trump urged Pam Bondi to prosecute and the New York Attorney General. Bondi said Monday the DOJ will appeal the judge's ruling. So these charges against Comey and against Letitia James were dismissed, quote, without prejudice. so that means that it could be recharged and potentially overturned all of that on appeal.

21:31Obviously, you know, even with appeal and all of that is there, but it's not looking so good, considering the way that Halligan handled the case, considering the grand jury stuff that we'd revealed there previously. And, I mean, it's just going the same way of so many of these others, where they stand up, they make a big show of it, and then it hits the judicial system, and they're like, yeah, I don't think so. So, there you go. It's a big story, though, just to show how incompetently they handled the case, because this was one of their flagship ones against Comey. And it drives me nuts. I don't want to sit here and defend James Comey.

22:06I can't stand the guy. I want him to be prosecuted, to be honest. But the way that they've done it is just the most incompetent, foolish, ridiculous way. And then when they lose, too, of course, it just devalues any potential future argument they have. And of course, Comey, he has rights and he's a multimillionaire who will be able to contest to his defense. And his lawyers already pretty effectively took this one down. They were the ones who pointed out all of the ineptitude originally in the case. Yeah. And just as a reminder to people, the way this went down, you know, the original prosecutor in that district, you know, basically was like, there's nothing here to indict on.

22:47And he's pushed down. Then they put in Lindsay Halligan. And that's what this ruling centers around is they say she was inappropriately appointed. She's never been involved in a criminal prosecution before ever. And now you're in charge of this incredibly high stakes, high profile prosecution of Jim Comey. She screws everything up about it, you know, doesn't present the grand jury with the final indictment. So was likely to get thrown out for that as well. Then you also have Trump, you know, just out and out talking about how he wants this retribution about against Comey, which also could have gotten the case thrown out as well.