Representative Jamie Raskin (D-MD) is back in the headlines—and not for the right reasons. In a newly released episode of the “Pod Save America” podcast, Raskin delivered a string of statements that are raising serious questions about foreign policy overreach, partisan threats, and the dangerous normalization of retributive politics on the global stage.
The episode, which appears to have been recorded before Sen. Chris Van Hollen’s controversial meeting with Kilmar Abrego Garcia in El Salvador, features former Obama staffer Tommy Vietor suggesting that Democrats should “threaten to take action against any foreign government that participates in the extraordinary rendition of American citizens.”
A fundamental problem with that premise? Abrego Garcia is not an American citizen. He’s a Salvadoran national, deported under legal authority after a 2019 court order, with alleged MS-13 ties and a record that includes domestic violence accusations. Yet Vietor’s framing—untethered from the legal facts—set the tone for Raskin’s alarming response.
Jamie Raskin: “When we come back to power — and we will — are not going to look kindly upon people who facilitated authoritarianism in our country.”
Yes, that totally sounds like a non-authoritarian position. pic.twitter.com/u7Ez26rnyV
— Thomas Sowell Quotes (@ThomasSowell) April 19, 2025
Raskin, rather than clarifying or rejecting the false premise, instead said he “liked the idea” of issuing threats against foreign governments. He then launched into a sweeping commentary about building “transnational democratic solidarity” to combat what he called “fascist chaos” supposedly unleashed by the Trump administration.
Let’s pause here: a sitting member of Congress is openly discussing colluding with foreign governments and movements to oppose the foreign policy of the current, duly elected U.S. president.
The real bombshell, however, came when Raskin shifted from globalist idealism to naked political intimidation:
“Implicit in that should be if and when we come back to power — and we will — we are not going to look kindly upon people who… facilitated authoritarianism in our country because that’s an assault on our Constitution and on our people.”
Let’s not mince words: this is a threat of retribution aimed not just at domestic political opponents, but at sovereign foreign governments who dare to align with U.S. policies Raskin and his party find distasteful.
This isn’t diplomacy. It’s partisan vengeance wrapped in diplomatic language.
This isn’t Raskin’s first flirtation with delusional or inflammatory rhetoric. He’s previously accused Elon Musk of “illegally seizing power” over U.S. Treasury-linked financial systems, and he’s made repeated coup analogies about Trump that strain credibility—even as he calls for the use of “every means available” to stop political opponents.
These aren’t the words of a public servant grounded in restraint and institutional respect. They’re the words of a politician increasingly unmoored from constitutional norms—ironically, under the guise of defending them.
The irony here is suffocating. Raskin claims to be defending democracy, yet he’s:
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Threatening foreign nations based on ideological disagreement;
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Presuming judgment over sovereign alliances with a sitting U.S. administration;
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And hinting that future Democratic power will bring consequences for failing to toe their line.
That’s not democratic solidarity. That’s political conditionality based on party control—a dangerous precedent for U.S. foreign policy and a chilling message to global allies: if you don’t align with the Democrats, you may be punished next time they hold power.
