Tim Miller: Sorry Sen. Murkowski, This Is Your Party Now

Summary

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Bulwark Takes

Episode: Tim Miller: Sorry Sen. Murkowski, This Is Your Party Now
Date: January 20, 2026
Host(s): Tim Miller, Alicia Menendez, Tim O’Brien
Main Guests: Chris Ostrushko (via clip), Lisa Murkowski (via clip)

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Episode Overview

This episode of Bulwark Takes centers on the increasingly stark reality of the Republican Party's alignment with Donald Trump and the ongoing accountability void within GOP congressional ranks. Tim Miller and Alicia Menendez, joined briefly by host Tim O’Brien, dissect the party’s unwillingness to challenge President Trump on major issues (specifically the “Greenland” foreign policy controversy and trade tariffs on allies), as well as the performative dissent from a handful of Republican outliers like Senator Lisa Murkowski. The episode also highlights activism and firsthand outrage about ICE mistreatment of citizens in Minnesota through comments from Chris Ostrushko.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Performative Dissent Among Congressional Republicans

• Alicia Menendez’s optimism: She expresses hope, noting “7ish Republicans” spoke out about the “Greenland nonsense.”
• Tim Miller’s pushback (04:59): He isn’t impressed, noting most vocal GOP critics are “retiring,” already sidelined, or “not really in the mainstream of MAGA or the Republican party.” Tim singles out Murkowski, saying,

  “She had to get elected as an independent…she’s not really in the mainstream.” (05:18)

• Rationalization vs. Real Dissent: Tim and Alicia criticize “establishment” Republicans who voice concern but rationalize their inaction, calling out their excuses as empty and avoidance tactics:
  • Alicia: “What else are they doing? Like, Josh Hawley had to wash his hair. Like, that’s why he wasn’t there?” (05:51)
  • Tim: “If he ever invaded Greenland, they’d step up…” referencing the feebleness of their opposition and invoking January 6th for context. (06:09)

2. Senator Lisa Murkowski’s Comments Analyzed

• The two hosts play and react to Murkowski’s excusing GOP non-attendance at a key trip, with Miller’s exasperated take:

  “I don’t understand why I and the people watching the show understand Lisa Murkowski’s colleagues better than she does.” (05:36)

• Murkowski’s remarks (03:37): She insists GOP members’ absence “isn’t an indicator of support or lack of support.”
• Tim and Alicia see this as emblematic denial — the refusal to confront the true Trumpian center of the GOP.

3. Trump, Tariffs, and GOP Enabling

• Tim and Alicia spotlight the upcoming Trump tariff:
  • “Donald Trump is starting a tariff, a 10% tariff on our allies in what, 13 days? In two weeks.” (06:18)
• They articulate what action Congress could take, but note the lack of will:

  “They could bring something up right now that says, no, we’re not going to… They could take back the power of the purse from the president right now… but they’re not going to do that because they don’t actually care.” (06:33, 07:09)

• Ted Cruz quoted as representing the ‘real’ party stance:

  “President Trump is trying to return us to peace through strength…that is good for freedom-loving people around the world.” (Guest Speaker, 07:33)

• Alicia’s sarcasm: “Do you think…John Corbin had a barbecue he had to go to?” skewers excuses for absence. (05:51)

4. Impact of Trumpist Policy on Allies and the World

• Miller and Menendez discuss the damage of new tariffs, the unpredictable harm to U.S. allies (especially the United Kingdom), and play back the “booing at the basketball game in London” as a sign of souring relations. (08:30)

5. Grassroots Outrage: Chris Ostrushko’s Stand in Minnesota

• Tim Miller interviews Chris Ostrushko (08:55), known for a viral outburst against ICE’s mistreatment of citizens.
  • Ostrushko: “I saw American citizens coming out…walking out without jackets because their jackets have been destroyed or taken. And…it’s very cold in Minnesota right now… most people were charged with absolutely nothing.” (08:55–09:37)
• Miller explains why Ostrushko resonates:

  “…somebody that…was looking around what was happening in his community and saying, this is just not normal. This isn’t acceptable. We need to speak out.” (10:07)

• The panel underscores that ICE has detained U.S. citizens without charges—this isn’t a standard “left/right” immigration story, but a basic rule-of-law breakdown.
  • Alicia: “In Minnesota, these ICE agents, CBP agents are going after U.S. citizens and they are roughing them up and they’re detaining them and they’re not charging them, and…harassing them and then letting them go. We should not allow that in a free country.” (10:54–11:14)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On feckless Republican dissent:

  “What I can’t take is the kind of establishment norms, moderate-type, whatever, Republicans who like rationalize all this, make excuses for it and say it’s wrong, but da, da, da…”
  — Tim Miller (03:01)

• On Lisa Murkowski’s remarks:

  “I don’t understand why...the people watching the show understand Lisa Murkowski’s colleagues better than she does.”
  — Tim Miller (05:36)

• On the coming Trump tariffs:

  “...Donald Trump is starting a tariff, a 10% tariff on our allies in what, 13 days? In two weeks.”
  — Alicia Menendez (06:18)

• On GOP's lack of public courage:

  "I don’t care what they’re saying in private. What matters is what they’re doing in public. And they have an obligation, responsibility to the country.”
  — Alicia Menendez (07:19–07:22)

• Chris Ostrushko on ICE mistreatment:

  “People are usually walking out without jackets because their jackets have been destroyed or taken...they’re not allowed phone calls… most people were charged with absolutely nothing.”
  — Chris Ostrushko (08:55–09:37)

• On activism and accountability:

  “We should not allow that in a free country. And I’m happy that somebody like Chris is out there kind of speaking up for people who may have not been engaged in activism before, but are just outraged by what’s happening.”
  — Tim Miller (11:14)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:30 — Episode begins, panel introduces post-game reaction topics
• 03:37 — Lisa Murkowski's comments on GOP absence played and analyzed
• 04:59–07:19 — Tim and Alicia debate depth of Republican dissent and congressional inaction
• 07:33 — Ted Cruz's supportive Trump remarks highlighted as mainstream Republican position
• 08:55–09:37 — Chris Ostrushko explains ICE misconduct in Minnesota
• 10:07–11:14 — Reflection on grassroots outrage and the importance of citizen action

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Conclusion

This episode sharply critiques the myth of Republican moderation and the idea that private concerns matter more than public actions in national politics. The hosts are deeply skeptical of “outlier” dissenters like Murkowski and instead argue the party’s true face is the one aligned with Trump. The acute focus on ICE abuses in Minnesota further emphasizes the moral and institutional costs of institutionalized avoidance and complicity. For listeners, this is a bracing, unsparing look at party politics, accountability, and the urgency of citizen activism in turbulent times.

Transcript

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[Tim O'Brien]

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[Tim O'Brien]

Hey everybody, it's Tim O.

[Tim Miller]

From the Bulwark.

[Tim O'Brien]

I just got off with my friend Alicia Menendez was sitting in for Nicole on the holiday. We talked about a bunch of stuff including I gave kind of a post game reaction to my conversation with Chris Ostrushko, the Minnesota Angry man who's out there saying this is fucking nuts. I can cuss now that I'm back on YouTube and why what he's doing is important. What we've learned from him we also discussed. Mike Johnson is in the United Kingdom today and I think he might get some tomatoes thrown at him. We'll see how that goes. We talk about that a little bit. But at the beginning, Alicia God Lover was somewhat encouraged by the fact that there have been like 7ish Republicans in Congress who have spoken out about the Greenland nonsense and I hear that. I don't mean to be dismissive of that. I just, I, I just, I just get this rage in my head when I hear them rationalize it. Until you want about Rand Paul, say what you want about Rand Paul.

[Alicia Menendez]

Rand Paul.

[Tim O'Brien]

Is just gonna be Rand Paul, right. He's a libertarian and he's just like this is crazy. When you ask him about the Greenland stuff, when you ask about the Venezuela.

[Alicia Menendez]

Stuff, like we shouldn't be doing this. This shouldn't be a responsibility. This is wrong.

[Tim O'Brien]

We should act right Grand Paul is just see explains what's happened, clearly explains.

[Alicia Menendez]

His position on it. He's got some crazy positions but like.

[Tim O'Brien]

You know, that's refreshing to me. What I can't take is the kind of establishment norms, moderate type, whatever, Republicans.

[Alicia Menendez]

Who like rationalize all this, make excuses for it and say it's wrong, but da, da, da, da. But there's this and there's that. And if push get my colleagues push against Jefferson.

[Tim Miller]

Anyway.

[Alicia Menendez]

So I get kind of hot.

[Tim O'Brien]

Having to listen to all these clips. And I'm not going to make you listen to all the clips, but I'm going to make you listen to the one that sent my blood pressure spiking the most and that was Lisa Markowski out of Alaska. Let's watch that.

[Lisa Murkowski]

So you're not seeing a lot of Republicans here today and I'm not going to give you the details of other members schedules, but Senator Coons, quite honestly, you put this trip together pretty quickly. And I don't think that the absence of Republicans is because they don't care about this issue or they have already decided what side of the fence that they may be. So I would not, I would not take, take that as an indicator of support or lack of support when they played that clip.

[Tim O'Brien]

Alicia sent it to Claire McCaskill and I have smoke coming out of my ears over here when it finally gets around to me. Well, just stick around for that. Appreciate y' all subscribe to the feed. Got a bunch of good stuff coming today. We'll be back soon. Peace.

[Host/Interviewer]

Tim Miller, the number of conversations that all of us around the table had that come back to this fundamental question of what Republicans on Capitol Hill are or aren't going to do. But the amount of sound that I was able to play for you at the top of this hour of congressional Republicans, actually either they're mocking him, saying legitimately he has a political problem, legitimately he's not understanding the law. That is closer to critical mass than I have heard on anything other than Epstein. Do you think I'm wrong?

[Tim Miller]

Kind of. I love you, Alicia, but I wasn't really impressed with that list of people at the beginning. It's like you got Don Bacon who's retiring and quit Congress because he realizes he's still out of step with his party of Thom Tillis, who's retiring and quit Congress because he realized he's out of step with his party. Lisa Murkowski, who had to get elected as an independent. And she was. They tried to beat her with a kook from the right, but she was one of the rare ones that was able to defeat that attempt to beat her from the right. But she's not really in the mainstream of MAGA or the Republican Party.

[Alicia Menendez]

And I just, I don't, I don't.

[Tim Miller]

Understand why I and the people watching the show understand Lisa Murkowski's colleagues better than she does.

[Alicia Menendez]

Just going back to that video, he played this idea that other Republicans didn't.

[Tim Miller]

Go because Chris Coons scheduled the trip too recently.

[Alicia Menendez]

Like, what are they. What else are they doing? Like, Josh Hawley had to wash his hair. Like, that's why he wasn't there. Do you think, like, John Corbin had a, you know, had a barbecue he had to go to? Like, what else are they doing? Like, we're threatening our biggest allies. They could do something right now, like, this whole thing. Oh, well, let's.

[Tim Miller]

If he ever invaded Greenland, they'd step up. So she's saying, I don't know, maybe.

[Alicia Menendez]

Maybe they didn't really step up on.

[Tim Miller]

January 6th when people attacked our Capitol.

[Alicia Menendez]

Maybe they would. But, like, right now, Donald Trump is starting a tariff, a 10% tariff on our allies in what, 13 days? In two weeks.

[Tim Miller]

The Senate, John Thune is allegedly against trade wars.

[Alicia Menendez]

So he's been his whole career. He's the Senate leader. They could bring something up right now that says, no, we're not going to. We can't. You know, you don't have emergency powers to tariff NATO allies or, you know, you don't have emergency powers to tariff Europe, make him veto you. You know, they could take back the power of the purse from the president right now. It should be in Congress's hands anyway. Senator McCaskill knows he shouldn't be able to unilaterally make up a fake emergency and tariff the Netherlands. And so if they're opposed to what he's doing in Greenland, in addition to.

[Tim Miller]

The war powers resolution that Senator McCaskill.

[Alicia Menendez]

Brought up, they could also do this and block him from doing that. But they're not going to do that because they don't actually care. Maybe they say to Lisa Murkowski in private, like, hey, Lisa, this is crazy.

[Tim Miller]

But I don't care what they're saying in private.

[Alicia Menendez]

What matters is what they're doing in public. And they have an obligation responsibility to the country. So, you know, sure, it's better than nothing that there are six of them or whatever. But to me, I think Ted Cruz.

[Tim Miller]

Is much more representative of like where the party is right now, which is they'll go along with whatever Trump wants.

[Guest Speaker]

President Trump is trying to return us to peace through strength, which is an important principle in the US It's a Ronald Reagan used to talk a lot about that. And at times when America is strongest, it is good for freedom loving people around the world.

[Host/Interviewer]

Tim's like a mixed message salad. I'm not sure what in there is supposed to make our allies feel better. Do you?

[Alicia Menendez]

Yeah, well, one of the results, not rhetoric, hate to go back to it is the tariff that we're putting 10% on the United Kingdom for no reason unclear because Donald Trump said he didn't get a peace prize. We're going to do a 10% sales tax on Americans and screw with the British export economy. People take this seriously. You know, people do get upset when you play games with their economy and.

[Tim Miller]

You gave and trade engage in trade wars. That hurts, you know, their way of life over nothing.

[Alicia Menendez]

People get rightly upset.

[Tim Miller]

And you saw, I think Nicole played this last week was the, the booing at the basketball game of America that happened in London. And I think that Speaker Johnson should expect to get the same treatment this week and I don't know, maybe wear an apron to that speech.

[Host/Interviewer]

Tim, you spoke with someone who gained a lot of attention for his comments regarding ice's behavior. Let's watch and then talk about it.

[Chris Ostrushko]

I just kept observing what was going on. And I saw as I was down there, I saw American citizens coming out, you know, one every hour or so. And for most people that haven't seen the Whipple Building, the drive is very long. People are usually walking out without jackets because their jackets have been destroyed or taken. And it's very cold in Minnesota right now and they don't, they're not allowed phone calls. So they walk out to the crowd and ask for a cell phone or something to use to call somebody to pick them up. And I was trying to get their stories about what was going on inside the building, why they were taken, if they're charged with anything. And most people were charged with absolutely nothing.

[Host/Interviewer]

Tim, I wonder why you think Chris's comments hit such a nerve and just what sort of your takeaway from your time with him.

[Tim Miller]

Yeah, people who don't recognize him without the cussing. Minnesota, a guy who was interviewed on the street a couple nights ago and.

[Alicia Menendez]

Basically said that he's not a protester.

[Tim Miller]

He's not someone who's been to these things before. But this is freaking nuts to do it in a PG version. What is happening in Minnesota? And his comments really resonated with me. I was happy I had a chance.

[Tim O'Brien]

To talk to him.

[Alicia Menendez]

And look, basically what he is, what.

[Tim Miller]

He was representing for me is somebody that A, just was looking around what was happening in his community and saying, this is just not normal. This isn't acceptable. We need to speak out.

[Tim O'Brien]

And B wanted to get other people.

[Tim Miller]

To do so as well. So I was impressed by him. He said he was seeing more and more people who, like him, hadn't been coming to protest and were coming out in the days after his video went viral. And I think that the thing that he's really focusing on, not that we.

[Alicia Menendez]

Don'T care, you know, it's wrong to.

[Tim Miller]

Menace or treat immigrants wrong.

[Alicia Menendez]

It's wrong and wrong to treat people who are illegally wrong.

[Tim Miller]

Like, we have a process here.

[Alicia Menendez]

We have the nation. We should treat people, you know, with dignity and within the rule of law. But I think his point that is important for folks to know who might.

[Tim Miller]

Not be as engaged in this as everybody who's watching the news day today.

[Alicia Menendez]

Is that In Minnesota, these ICE agents, CBP agents are going after U.S. citizens and they are roughing them up and they're detaining them and they're not charging them, and they're bringing them to that Whipple Building and harassing them and then letting them go. We should not allow that in a free country. And I'm happy that somebody like Chris.

[Tim Miller]

Is out there kind of speaking up for people who may have not been engaged in activism before, but are just outraged by what's happening.