Progressive Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., held the Senate floor overnight and into Wednesday morning to protest what he called President Donald Trump's "grave threats to democracy."
Merkley, 68, began speaking shortly before 6:30 p.m. Tuesday and was still on the Senate floor as of 9 a.m. Wednesday morning, marking more than 14-1/2 consecutive hours of remarks.
The senator's marathon speech, according to The Hill, temporarily paralyzed Senate business as he denounced what he described as the president's authoritarian overreach during his first nine months back in office.
"I've come to the Senate floor tonight to ring the alarm bells," Merkley said, according to CNN. "We're in the most perilous moment, the biggest threat to our republic since the Civil War. President Trump is shredding our Constitution."
Throughout the night, Merkley spoke about a range of actions he said demonstrated the administration's disregard for democratic principles. He pointed to the Department of Justice's recent indictments of Trump's political opponents, including New York Attorney General Letitia James, and the resignation of U.S. Attorney Erik Siebert, who reportedly questioned whether there was sufficient evidence to bring those charges.
"This is tyranny," Merkley said, urging both Democrats and Republicans to "join together to save the republic."
Using visuals such as a large green placard accusing Trump of "weaponizing the Justice Department," Merkley accused the president of abusing his office to silence dissent and consolidate power.
He criticized the administration's halting of research grants to universities, calling it part of a broader campaign to undermine independent institutions.
"President Trump wants us to believe that Portland, Oregon, in my home state, is full of chaos and riots," Merkley said. "If he can say there's a rebellion, he can use that to strengthen his authoritarian grip on our nation."
Merkley's protest followed a weekend of mass "No Kings" rallies across the country, where demonstrators accused Trump of acting like a monarch, Newsweek reported.
The senator echoed protesters' concerns, warning that executive actions, federal troop deployments, and aggressive enforcement policies were pushing the country toward autocracy.
"This is an incredible threat to our nation," he said. "To the entire vision of our Constitution, to the entire platform on which our freedom exists."
The speech may have been an attempt to distract people from the Democrats' federal shutdown, now entering its fourth week — the second longest in U.S. history.
Senate Democrats have blocked Republican attempts to reopen the government 11 times amid an impasse over healthcare subsidies.
Merkley previously held the floor for more than 15 hours in 2017 while opposing the nomination of Justice Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court.
Earlier this year, Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., spoke for a record-setting 25 hours and 5 minutes in protest of the Trump administration.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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