Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu (Calif.) tweeted on Tuesday, "Dear Senator Jeff Flake: Welcome to the #Resistance," in response to Sen. Jeff Flake's (R., Ariz.) decision not to seek reelection and Senate floor speech in which he castigated colleagues for not standing up to President Donald Trump.
The congressman retweeted a segment of Flake's speech, adding his message of "welcome" to the Arizona senator whose term is up in 2018.
Dear Senator @JeffFlake: Welcome to the #Resistance. https://t.co/oy2m48ALeF
— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) October 24, 2017
The original tweet from MSNBC producer Kyle Griffin included a short line from Flake's speech: "Mr. President, I rise today to say 'enough.'"
Jeff Flake: "Mr. President, I rise today to say 'enough'." pic.twitter.com/bJHU4JIX6U
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) October 24, 2017
Griffin's caption highlights Flake's use of the phrase "Mr. President," seemingly unaware that the terminology is how senators address whoever is presiding over the U.S. Senate during floor speeches.
During the speech, Flake said the "coarseness" of the national dialogue under Trump should not be allowed to become the new normal.
Republican and Democratic senators alike praised Flake's tenure after his retirement announcement, but Lieu was unique in making such a political comment.
Lieu even responded directly to a Twitter user who said congress people who say they're "the #resistance should be stripped of powers."
https://twitter.com/Jacob_Rains2day/status/922910851585265670
Lieu, in response, repeated the hashtag three times.
#Resistance #Resistance #Resistance. Also, read the Constitution. One of my duties is to be a check and balance on the President. Get it?
— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) October 24, 2017
Lieu argued Flake's retirement shows Republicans don't want a unified Republican government.
Senator Jeff Flake retiring is evidence that many Republicans, just like most Americans, don't like unified #GOP control of the government. https://t.co/D8v4Azm1K1
— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) October 24, 2017
This is not the first time Lieu has attacked Trump. He has accused Trump of "the greatest political crime in history," and his Twitter bio takes an intended jab at Trump. It ends with the line "Also, I don't take orders from Vladimir Putin."