You really could not script better timing if you tried. On Thursday night, President Trump went on national television and presented declassified evidence that China actively worked to influence the 2020 election, targeting swing states, paying journalists to write anti-Trump stories, and using business contracts to pressure American executives. The administration also revealed that more than 250,000 non-citizens are registered to vote across just four states: California, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Nevada.
So what happened Friday morning? As USA Journal reported, retiring North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis marched onto the Senate floor and promised to use "every device" he has to make sure the SAVE America Act never sees the light of day. Because nothing says "I love this country" like watching evidence of foreign election interference on Thursday and then blocking election security legislation on Friday.
The SAVE America Act, for those keeping score, would require proof of citizenship to register to vote and photo ID to actually cast a ballot. Polling shows roughly 80% of Americans support these measures, which means Tillis has somehow found himself on the wrong side of a issue that unites practically everyone except people who benefit from the current system.
Tillis's argument is that there isn't enough time before November to implement the bill's requirements. It is a neat little trick, because if you keep saying "not enough time" every single cycle, the bill can never pass. It is the legislative equivalent of telling your kids you will take them to Disney "someday" while never actually buying tickets.
The real fireworks came when independent journalist Sara Gonzales confronted Tillis in a hallway and asked whether his opposition had anything to do with the nearly $700,000 in donations he has received from industries tied to cheap illegal labor. Tillis walked away from the question. Then, in a move that no public relations professional would ever recommend, he brought it up himself on the Senate floor the next day, apparently so irritated that he could not stop thinking about it. Getting called out and then publicly confirming that it bothered you is not exactly the power move he thinks it is.
"I will use every device I have available to slow down the wheels of government until people cop a clue and do the math," Tillis said, nearly shouting. This is a man who also nearly torpedoed Pete Hegseth's confirmation and blocked Ed Martin's full-time appointment as D.C. Attorney. He is retiring. He has nothing to lose. And he has apparently decided to spend his remaining months in the Senate being as helpful to the opposing team as humanly possible.
The man is basically a Democrat sleeper agent who forgot to be sleepy about it. January 2027, when his term finally expires, cannot arrive fast enough for the Republican base. Until then, the rest of us get to watch a lame-duck senator fight harder against voter ID than most Democrats do, which is genuinely impressive in the worst possible way.
Read more conservative news commentary at: USA Journal News
