Longtime Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin is finally retiring. He announced the news on X—why are these lefties still using X, seeing as literally Hitler owns it?—that he would not seek reelection when his term is up.
“The decision of whether to run for reelection has not been easy. I truly love the job of being United States senator, but in my heart, I know it’s time to pass the torch, so I’m announcing today that I will not be seeking reelection at the end of my term,” the Democrat said in the video.
“The people of Illinois have honored me with this responsibility longer than anyone elected to the Senate in our state’s history,” he added.
He then went on to warn of the usual threats to democracy: “The challenges facing our country are historic and unprecedented. The threats to our democracy and way of life are very real, and I can assure you, I’ll do everything in my power to fight for Illinois and the future of our country.”
He noted that he’s spent more than half of his life in Congress, which is not something to brag about, and declared that he’s always “tried to stand up to power on behalf of the people of Illinois and our country.”
He thanked his family for putting up with the demands of his far too lengthy career, and said Democrats have a “strong bench” waiting in the wings. Right.
He reiterated that to the New York Times:
In an interview revealing his plans, Mr. Durbin, who is in his fifth Senate term, said it was not an easy choice to step away from his prime perch doing battle with President Trump, whom he considers a dire threat to democracy. He described moments in recent days “where I thought, ‘Man, I don’t want to miss this fight.’”
“But you know,” he continued, “I have to be honest about this. There are good people in the wings, good people on the bench ready to serve, and they can fight this fight just as effectively as I can. There comes a point where you have to face reality that this is the time to leave for me.”
I’ll always remember Durbin for siccing the IRS on conservatives. In 2010, during President Obama’s term, he urged the IRS to investigate the tax-exempt status of conservative nonprofit groups, including churches. He brazenly announced it on his Senate website:
Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) urged the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to quickly investigate the tax status of Crossroads GPS and other organizations that are directing millions of dollars into political advertising without disclosing their funding sources. U.S. tax law requires that the primary purpose of 501(c)(4) organizations, like Crossroads GPS, cannot be political, including the “participation or intervention in political campaigns.”
“I write to urge the Internal Revenue Service to examine the purpose and primary activities of several 501 (c)(4) organizations that appear to be in violation of the law,” wrote Durbin. “[Crossroads GPS] has spent nearly $20 million on television advertising specific to Senate campaigns this year. If this political activity is indeed the primary activity of the organization, it raises serious questions about the organization’s compliance with the Internal Revenue Code.”
As a result, the IRS used words like “Tea Party,” “Patriots,” and “9/12” to target applications for nonprofit status between 2010 and 2012. Groups were subject to outrageous questioning, delays, and even demands for donor lists.
Groups targeted in the scheme included Crossroads GPS, Media Trackers, True the Vote, Tea Party Patriots, and even the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association! Even though no criminal charges were ever brought (there should have been), the Department of Justice had to admit wrongdoing, apologize, and pay to settle lawsuits with nearly 500 organizations.
Thanks for nothing, Dick Durbin. We won’t miss you.
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