Democrats' magic words: Jamie Raskin is handling it
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Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) speaks to liberal grassroots activists outside the U.S. Capitol on March 10. Photo: Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images
House Democrats have a new go-to phrase when pressed by constituents on how they'll fight back if President Trump touches off a constitutional crisis: We have Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) on it.
Why it matters: Democratic lawmakers have been taking flak from their grassroots base for not adopting enough of a pugilistic stance against the president. Elevating their resistance folk hero is one way of deflecting that.
- As if to demonstrate how far ahead of the game he is on doing verbal combat with the Trump administration, Raskin privately advised fellow Democrats this month to use a more punchy phrase than "constitutional crisis."
- Raskin said during a virtual caucus to instead call it "the sweeping MAGA attack on our Constitution," according to two lawmakers who were on the call.
State of play: He is helping to spearhead House Democrats' response to the Trump administration's shock-and-awe tactics as a co-chair of their rapid response and litigation task force.
- Raskin has taken the lead on the legal side of things, including preparing for the possibility of Trump ignoring a judicial order, as Axios previously reported.
- "We are brainstorming lots of different kinds of responses to different kinds of defiance," he told Axios in an interview.
- "Obviously civil contempt and criminal contempt are there, and there are different kinds of legislative responses too. ... We are not without a full range of potential responses."
What we're hearing: One lawmaker showed Axios a text conversation with grassroots organizers in their district in which he said Raskin was working on the legal response to Trump — and was met with cheers.
- Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) told Axios that, when pressed at town halls on who is working to prepare for a constitutional crisis, "I use Jamie Raskin's name." The answer, she said, evokes confidence from the crowd.
- "That's my answer, usually, that we actually have one of the best constitutional lawyers in the country," said Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.). "He's a great focus point."
Yes, but: Behind the scenes, it's not just Raskin working on this issue, several lawmakers stressed.
- "It's more than that," said Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), who leads Democrats' Stop Project 2025 Task Force. At town halls, he said, "I think you've kind of got to explain what you're doing."
- House Democratic caucus chair Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) said that, ultimately, the response to a constitutional crisis "is going to be something that our caucus and [House Minority Leader Hakeem] Jeffries will weigh."
The bottom line: "Look, I've devoted my career to the Constitution and the rule of law, and I think it is reassuring to people to hear that we've been through various kinds of constitutional crises before and we've weathered them," Raskin told Axios.
- "There's no doubt that we are experiencing a thorough-going attack on the Constitution right now, but we are going to defend it every step along the way and we are not letting our guard down for a moment."
- Said Aguilar, Raskin's fellow former Jan. 6 committee member: "I always sleep better at night knowing that Jamie Raskin is here helping us out."
