Both Bloomberg and Vox are reporting (though with different writing styles) that Senator Lindsey Graham (R-So. Car.)would use the military to force Congress to stay in town and restore military and intelligence service budget cuts.
Graham proposed this in New Hampshire while toying with the idea of running for President.
More below the orange smoke rising from a coup.
Vox article
Bloomberg article, which covers it in more depth. Bloomberg notes that most press outlets were there, but few besides itself and Vox covered it.
Ben Swann's blog (Swann is a libertarian pundit who is not big on the Right's militarism), with audio of Lindsey Graham's speech.
Laura Ingraham tweeted it out: here
Lindsey Graham (R-So. Car.) said he would do this as his first act if elected President to force Congress to restore Department of Defense and intelligence spending (which is only about half a trillion dollars).
His exact words:
And here's the first thing I would do if I were president of the United States. I wouldn't let Congress leave town until we fix this. I would literally use the military to keep them in if I had to. We're not leaving town until we restore these defense cuts. We are not leaving town until we restore the intel cuts.
So much for Senator Graham swearing to “uphold and defend” the Constitution.
Senator Graham’s spokesperson later told Bloomberg, when Graham said "I would literally use the military to keep them in if I had to," that statement was "not to be taken literally." Glad that's been cleared up.
Political scientists call this a self-coup, where a legitimately-elected leader uses the military to seize more power than is authorised under the law.
But they call President Obama a dictator.
The guy says he is joking. I take politicians at their word: if he says he is going to do it, I believe him.