Founder and Executive Director @protectdemocracy.org. Former Associate White House Counsel. Tweets my own.https://bsky.app/profile/ianbassin.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/ianbassin.bsky.social/post/3muz7ff3rd22hJust a giant gang of grifters using our government to line their pockets. [contains quote post or other embedded content]08 Sep 2026 14:13 +0000at://did:plc:da5irtfnfcesevyimzjfj2ho/app.bsky.feed.post/3muz7ff3rd22hhttps://bsky.app/profile/ianbassin.bsky.social/post/3muwuvg57jk23Happy Labor Day. As @jenrubin.bsky.social writes at @contrariannews.org, a key phase in the movement to not just reclaim but reimagine our democracy goes into high gear starting now: https://www.contrariannews.org/p/labor-day-is-more-essential-than07 Sep 2026 16:00 +0000at://did:plc:da5irtfnfcesevyimzjfj2ho/app.bsky.feed.post/3muwuvg57jk23https://bsky.app/profile/ianbassin.bsky.social/post/3mugquu2k4s2cThe country feels like a giant Jenga game right now. Where Trump keeps pushing out important pieces and at some point the whole thing’s gonna come crashing down. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/31/us/politics/army-secretary-daniel-driscoll-resign.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share01 Sep 2026 06:05 +0000at://did:plc:da5irtfnfcesevyimzjfj2ho/app.bsky.feed.post/3mugquu2k4s2chttps://bsky.app/profile/ianbassin.bsky.social/post/3mtw4qf4p7c2yDid you know that depriving people of the right to vote has been a legal violation since at least 1703 in common law England? @protectdemocracy.org's Cameron Kistler explains why that matters for how the courts are handling disenfranchisement schemes today: https://electionlawblog.org/2026/cameron-kistler-hog-barns-and-ballot-boxes-the-disenfranchisement-tort-the-8th-circuit-missed-in-minnesota-voters-alliance/25 Aug 2026 15:22 +0000at://did:plc:da5irtfnfcesevyimzjfj2ho/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtw4qf4p7c2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/ianbassin.bsky.social/post/3mtuj7lxtbs2iHopefully we are learning that you can’t expect to just bully everyone in the world — via tariffs, or sanctions, or missiles — into bowing to you. The world is more complicated and multi-polar than that. Trump is teaching us that lesson the hard way. I pray we survive learning it.25 Aug 2026 00:00 +0000at://did:plc:da5irtfnfcesevyimzjfj2ho/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtuj7lxtbs2ihttps://bsky.app/profile/ianbassin.bsky.social/post/3mtqb4yhmm22dIn 1914 in a small rural theater in France, moviegoers booed vigorously when Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany appeared on screen in a newsreel. Stefan Zweig wrote that seeing regular people so angry about a foreign head of state signaled to him the conflicts to come. [contains quote post or other embedded content]23 Aug 2026 07:25 +0000at://did:plc:da5irtfnfcesevyimzjfj2ho/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtqb4yhmm22dhttps://bsky.app/profile/ianbassin.bsky.social/post/3mtm2kgjmms23Trump’s threat to sue @americanprogress.bsky.org is both the flailing of a weak and cowardly leader and a dangerous attack on the First Amendment. Make it backfire. Share their report and donate to them. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/21/us/politics/trump-lawsuit-liberal-think-tank.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share [contains quote post or other embedded content]21 Aug 2026 15:17 +0000at://did:plc:da5irtfnfcesevyimzjfj2ho/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtm2kgjmms23https://bsky.app/profile/ianbassin.bsky.social/post/3msqsyg6njs2gJoined @raushenbush.bsky.social to talk about the midterms and our power to help ensure they are free and fair. https://www.interfaithalliance.org/post/protect-democracys-ian-bassin-freedom-is-still-up-to-us___. https://www.google.com/url?q=https://protect.checkpoint.com/v2/r01/___https://www.interfaithalliance.org/post/protect-democracys-ian-bassin-freedom-is-still-up-to-us___.YzJ1OnByb3RlY3RkZW1vY3JhY3k6YzpnOjZjODkzMzQ1MDM3MWUzNmJiN2JkZDQ0ZDY0ZTJjZmRlOjc6ZDk0ZDo4NGI3NzMxOWMzOTA1MTdiMmZkYTMyNTY0YmVlMDNjMTg5MjUyZDAxMDg3OWZkMDg3ZmU3MDFmYTg3YWE0NDdiOmg6VDpG&source=gmail-imap&ust=1786981026000000&usg=AOvVaw1Tqto3RLI-O1Z82YqCvYwv10 Aug 2026 19:19 +0000at://did:plc:da5irtfnfcesevyimzjfj2ho/app.bsky.feed.post/3msqsyg6njs2ghttps://bsky.app/profile/ianbassin.bsky.social/post/3msly4bxffk2eYet again, if our adversaries had actually installed a puppet president they couldn’t have done better. The U.S. Is Burning Through Weapons in Iran. Russia and China Are Taking Note. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/08/us/politics/pentagon-weapons-stockpiles-china-russia.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share08 Aug 2026 21:08 +0000at://did:plc:da5irtfnfcesevyimzjfj2ho/app.bsky.feed.post/3msly4bxffk2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/ianbassin.bsky.social/post/3mskuzcpxo22eTodd Blanche won nomination and confirmation by showing his willingness to corrupt the Justice Department to be Donald Trump’s personal sword and shield. I still think the American people will prove too strong a match for this corruption in the end, but if our democracy is to die, this is how.08 Aug 2026 10:40 +0000at://did:plc:da5irtfnfcesevyimzjfj2ho/app.bsky.feed.post/3mskuzcpxo22ehttps://bsky.app/profile/ianbassin.bsky.social/post/3mshevdwg5k2kBiden made the right decision with problematic execution pulling out of Afghanistan and he was savaged for it daily. Trump makes one of the worst strategic decisions in U.S. history with catastrophic consequences and somehow the reaction seems milder. Am I wrong about that?07 Aug 2026 01:13 +0000at://did:plc:da5irtfnfcesevyimzjfj2ho/app.bsky.feed.post/3mshevdwg5k2khttps://bsky.app/profile/ianbassin.bsky.social/post/3msexel4bg22nHas there been a bigger and faster and more total strategic failure in American history than Trump’s decision to attack Iran? [contains quote post or other embedded content]06 Aug 2026 02:06 +0000at://did:plc:da5irtfnfcesevyimzjfj2ho/app.bsky.feed.post/3msexel4bg22nhttps://bsky.app/profile/ianbassin.bsky.social/post/3msb4noljgs2sThe Republicans have already shown themselves to care not at all for our Constitution. There’s apparently no bottom to this if they confirm Blanche, who has weaponized the Justice Dept to be a personal legal arm for Donald Trump, protecting his wealth and lawbreaking and persecuting his opponents.04 Aug 2026 13:30 +0000at://did:plc:da5irtfnfcesevyimzjfj2ho/app.bsky.feed.post/3msb4noljgs2shttps://bsky.app/profile/ianbassin.bsky.social/post/3ms7lo5fxh22bFire Cashman. His time has passed.03 Aug 2026 22:53 +0000at://did:plc:da5irtfnfcesevyimzjfj2ho/app.bsky.feed.post/3ms7lo5fxh22bhttps://bsky.app/profile/ianbassin.bsky.social/post/3ms5i63k7hc2pOne of the most important pieces you’ll ever read, from @davidfrenchjag.bsky.social The War That Could Swallow the World https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/02/opinion/iran-war-russia-ukraine-world-war-threat.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share03 Aug 2026 02:45 +0000at://did:plc:da5irtfnfcesevyimzjfj2ho/app.bsky.feed.post/3ms5i63k7hc2phttps://bsky.app/profile/ianbassin.bsky.social/post/3ms43yz7fdc2gIf there was a book of Greek Myths about this era, the story of Brad Karp and Paul Weiss would be in it. Unsatisfied with being an unbelievably wealthy top law firm, it sought more, and Karp destroyed his reputation, firm, and career in the process. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/02/us/politics/paul-weiss-trump.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share02 Aug 2026 13:35 +0000at://did:plc:da5irtfnfcesevyimzjfj2ho/app.bsky.feed.post/3ms43yz7fdc2g