OPINION:
Tom Perez of Democratic National Committee chairman fame took to national television to defend the suit he’s kicked off against President Donald Trump and Russia and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange — and fell short.
So short, in fact, members of his own party are still criticizing him, along with members of the media outlets that normally defend the DNC.
Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill has called the suit a “silly distraction.” Democratic Rep. Jackie Speier has said it was “not in the interest of the American people.” And even The Washington Post is pointing out that the suit has few party admirers and could strain further the DNC’s already strained budget.
Yet on “Meet the Press” on Sunday, Perez doubled down on the suit, saying he didn’t care how much money it took — by gosh, the truth would be set free.
“I don’t know the amount of money that it will take, but I will tell you, it’s hard to put a price tag on preserving democracy,” he said. “That’s why I concluded that it would be irresponsible of me not to do this.”
And on the criticisms from within?
“I love those two Democrats,” Perez said of McCaskill and Speier. “They’re great people. … [But] I disagree with them for the simple reason that preserving our democracy is priceless.”
Sure. But don’t look Perez to serve past his current chairman term.
Oh — and it’s a republic, by the way. Or a democratic-republic. Not a democracy. The DNC chair may be sending the DNC into a state of long-term financial arrears with this suit. But the least he could do is get the name of America’s government right.
• Cheryl Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com or on Twitter, @ckchumley.
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