Today Donald Trump made his first visit to Capitol Hill since he was president,

his first time on the hill since his followers ransacked the Capitol on January 6th.

But to understand why Trump chose to come back now after more than three years away,

you don't have to look as far back as the insurrection.

You just have to remember what Trump has been asking Congress to do since his criminal conviction two weeks ago.

The day after Trump was convicted of 34 felony counts in his New York-Hush money case,

eight Republican senators vowed to oppose all Biden nominees

and all Democratic legislation as retribution. Today six Republican senators led by Trump vice presidential

shortlister JD Vance put the oppose all by the nominees part of that vow into

writing.

Senators explained that they would block nominees,

including anyone who has suggested

the Trump prosecutions were reasonable.

Anyone who endorsed Trump's guilt.

Anyone who supported organizations that celebrated the indictment of Donald

Trump and anyone who supported Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg or supported lawfare or censorship in other ways, which is just vague enough to include

basically anyone President Biden has nominated. Now these Republican

senators say that their blockade will last until election day.

And in practical terms that means the US government will not be able to appoint representatives

to things like the UN General Assembly or the World Health

Organization or even to the not particularly political seeming places like

the International Civil Aviation Organization and the Public Buildings Reform Board.

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