Jamie Raskin, Joe Walsh Team Up For ‘No Dictators Declaration’ Jab At Donald Trump

WASHINGTON — Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) joined former Republican Rep. Joe Walsh on Monday to promote a “no dictators declaration” in response to the prospect of a second Donald Trump presidency.

The symbolic pledge is an election season ploy to highlight Trump’s authoritarian tendencies without explicitly mentioning the former president.

“This declaration is about protecting the freedoms of the people by closing statutory loopholes that could allow a president to exploit the executive power to trample constitutional freedom and liberty,” Raskin said Monday outside the White House.

Walsh’s presence at Monday’s press conference, organized by the American Civil Liberties Union, State Democracy Defenders and Principles First , highlighted the bipartisan opposition to Trump. Several prominent Republicans, including Trump’s own former vice president, have spoken out against his bid for a second term.

“We’re at a point where the American people need to be protected against a president who would be a king, who would be a dictator,” said Walsh, a former tea party Republican from Illinois known for his past inflammatory rhetoric.

As for his fellow Republicans, who mostly back Trump, Walsh said, “It’s easier to get them to come out and speak against the notion of a dictatorship.”

The five-point “no dictators declaration” says Congress should curtail presidential power to declare emergencies, to deploy the military on U.S. soil, to require loyalty pledges from civil servants and to wield law enforcement against political opponents. It also saysthat former presidents should be able to be prosecuted.

“To reduce the threat of dictatorship, Congress should ensure that presidents who abuse their powers to commit crimes can be