Sullivan looks the other way as Trump goes after Jerome Powell
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, whose endorsement of Sen. Dan Sullivan set a world record for a lack of enthusiasm, correctly called out the Trump administration for the criminal investigation of Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell for failing to cut interest rates as much as Trump wants.
“After speaking with Chair Powell this morning, it’s clear the administration’s investigation is nothing more than an attempt at coercion,” Murkowski said.
“The stakes are too high to look the other way: If the Federal Reserve loses its independence, the stability of our markets and the broader economy will suffer,” Murkowski said.
There’s no need to guess about which way Sullivan was looking. He knows better than to offer even mild criticism.
Former treasury secretaries and fed chairs from both parties said the Trump attack on Powell will damage the United States economy.
"This is how monetary policy is made in emerging markets with weak institutions, with highly negative consequences for inflation and the functioning of their economies more broadly," they said.
"It has no place in the United States whose greatest strength is the rule of law, which is at the foundation of our economic success,” they said.
Trump continues to erode the rule of law while Sullivan turns his head.
He will try to make his re-election campaign about Chuck Schumer, portraying him as the evil force telling Peltola what to do and controlling her every move.
Peltola’s long-shot campaign needs to focus on the winner of the FIFA peace prize in the White House who pulls the strings on Sullivan, the recipient of the Qatari jumbo jet, the man who says his “morality” is all that stops him on the world stage.
There is an example almost every day of Sullivan looking the other way while Trump tries to distract the nation from the Epstein files. At the very least, Alaskans should be made aware of these instances.
Regarding Murkowski’s endorsement, Alaska Public Media reporter Liz Ruskin interviewed her last Thursday about her position. Murkowski sounded a bit to me like a chicken endorsing Col. Sanders.
She has made it clear she wants the Republican Party, which is controlled by Trump, to continue to have a Senate majority. That means backing Sullivan. (This may be a one-and-done endorsement message, which is what Sullivan gave Murkowski in 2022.)
“So you would endorse Dan?” Ruskin asked in her interview.
“You know, yes I’m, I am, I guess I’m saying that I am endorsing my Republican partner and colleague,” Murkowski said. The Republican Party under Trump has no place for Murkowski, but she hasn’t come to that realization.
It may be that Sullivan wants Murkowski to never mention his name during the campaign as the Republican Party in Alaska is controlled by those who claim she is a traitor. I’m not sure if her endorsement helps or hurts him. It would have helped Peltola, however.
Peltola faces a difficult campaign, but this race will be competitive—closer than Al Gross’s loss to Sullivan in 2020.
A simple endorsement doesn’t mean much. But if Murkowski stays true to form, as I suspect she will, and acts on her independent streak—calling out Trump’s excesses, his attacks on our institutions and the damage he is doing to our form of government—she will be helping Peltola immensely.
Murkowski’s behavior serves as a powerful example that stands in stark contrast to Sullivan’s slavish obedience to one man.
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