Summary
Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) traveled to El Salvador to seek the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland resident wrongfully deported in March.
Abrego Garcia, married to a U.S. citizen with three children, was legally allowed to stay under a 2019 court order.
The Trump administration admitted his deportation was an “administrative error” but refused his return. The Supreme Court ruled against the administration 9-0.
In response, the White House launched a smear campaign against Van Hollen, framing Garcia as a gang member despite no charges or convictions.
No, there absolutely is a coherent plan, it’s just that part of that plan is to create chaos and the appearance of incoherence. We absolutely should keep that straight.
It’s also true that Trump’s orbit contains a lot of other useful idiots, but they are hangers-on, not who I would consider to be his handlers.
Of course it does take a certain kind of idiot to ever embrace fascism, but we can’t mistake that for incompetence.