
German. American. EVP @BertelsmannSt; fm. Director & CEO, German Council on Foreign Relations @DGAPev; @Harvard Co-Founder @futurediplomacy & @Harvard_Europe
Berlin, Germany
Joined November 2011
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Cathryn Clüver Ashbrook retweeted
Exactly what we need in the absence of a functioning U.S. Department of Justice. An organization of ex-prosecutors and investigators who help can put cases together for current and future prosecutors who will restore accountability for corrupt federal officials and those who benefit from that corruption.
We are facing a crisis of impunity. That's why we built The Rule of Law Project — to investigate unlawful conduct by federal officials, and work with state and local prosecutors to hold them to account.
Watch former DOJ prosecutor Mark Blumberg and human rights leader Brad Adams launch this critical accountability initiative on MSNOW with Nicolle Wallace.
Cathryn Clüver Ashbrook retweeted
Deservedly scathing op-ed by the NYT:
“If Democrats retake both houses of Congress, and more state governments than they now control, it will tell the world that Mr. Trump does not represent most Americans. It will demonstrate that a country that starts to slide toward autocracy can move back to normalcy, as happened in Hungary this spring. Most important, it will create a desperately needed check on Mr. Trump during his final two years in office.
…
In a 21-month span, he has done more harm to democracy and the rule of law than any other president in the modern era and perhaps longer than that. He has broken his oath to defend the Constitution by trying to rewrite it on his own. He has refused to honor Congress’s power of the purse and misused national security laws for political ends. He has defied federal court orders on Medicaid funding, deportation orders and more. He has dismantled the Justice Department’s legacy as an impartial enforcer of federal law, turning it into an instrument of retribution against his adversaries while canceling investigations into his allies. He has appointed inept sycophants to oversee crucial government functions, including law enforcement, national defense and public health. He has sought to disenfranchise large numbers of voters, claiming fraud that cannot be found, and championed an extreme new approach to partisan gerrymandering. He has physically besmirched the White House by demolishing the East Wing and financing a garish renovation with donations from wealthy allies.”
nytimes.com/2026/10/27/opini…
Cathryn Clüver Ashbrook retweeted
You MUST read this brilliant essay by Judge Michael Luttig: “The Final Battle for America’s Democracy”newrepublic.com/article/2151… via @newrepublic
Cathryn Clüver Ashbrook retweeted
Trump is one of the greatest threats to democracy this country has seen. This is not about one isolated abuse of power; it is a pattern. Vigilance has never been more important, and the midterm elections will be among the most consequential in recent history. Get out and vote!
Examples include:
1. Trying to overturn the 2020 election by pressuring state officials to change the results.
2. Promoting a scheme to replace Biden’s electors with fake Trump electors and pressuring Mike Pence to reject the lawful electoral count.
3. Repeating false claims that the election was stolen, despite recounts, audits, investigations and court rulings that found no evidence of fraud sufficient to change the result.
4. Summoning supporters to Washington before the January 6 attack and failing to act promptly to stop it.
5. Pardoning or commuting the sentences of January 6 defendants, including people convicted of crimes committed during the attack.
6. Elevating election deniers and people who supported overturning the 2020 result to positions of power.
7. Attempting to impose election rules by executive order, including documentary proof-of-citizenship requirements and restrictions on mail ballots. A federal court blocked those rules as beyond presidential authority.
8. Pressuring states to hand over sensitive voter data and suing those that refused.
9. Having the FBI seize 2020 ballots and other election records from Fulton County, based on allegations tied to claims about that election that had already been investigated and disputed.
10. Directing the Justice Department to sue Alaska to block certification of its Senate result if the Republican incumbent loses.
11. Firing independent inspectors general responsible for investigating misconduct across federal agencies; a judge later found the firings unlawful.
12. Firing or seeking to remove prosecutors, FBI officials and agents involved in investigations of Trump or the January 6 attack.
13. Weakening civil-service protections and seeking greater presidential control over independent agencies.
14. Using, or threatening to use, federal law enforcement against political opponents and institutions that challenge him.
15. Threatening civil-society organizations with politically charged investigations or retaliation.
16. Considering the use of IRS tax-exempt status to target nonprofits perceived as political enemies.
17. Dismantling civil-rights and anti-discrimination protections while rejecting remedies intended to address discrimination.
18. Attacking judges who rule against him and undermining the legitimacy of judicial checks on presidential power.
19. Weakening the officials and institutions that resisted his attempt to overturn the 2020 election.
20. Normalizing the idea that elections are legitimate only when he wins, that law enforcement should serve the president personally, and that political opponents are enemies to be punished.
I am sure I have missed other examples, but this list was exhaustive (and exhausting) enough. At any rate, if I have missed anything, please add it in the comments.
Taken together, these actions should ordinarily constitute grounds for impeachment.
@SenateDems , @HouseDemocrats, @SenateGOP, @HouseGOP, @SenatorCollins, @lisamurkowski, @SenThomTillis, @SenBillCassidy, @SenJohnCurtis, @SenToddYoung, @SenMarkKelly, @SenatorSlotkin, @SenOssoff, @SenAmyKlobuchar, @ChrisCoons, @SenatorHick, @SenatorShaheen, @SenatorHassan
Cathryn Clüver Ashbrook retweeted
So würdelos handelt @AudiOfficial
Richtiger und angemessener Kommentar im @handelsblatt
handelsblatt.com/100264757.h…
Cathryn Clüver Ashbrook retweeted
Natürlich gibt es den Druck im US-Geschäft 🇺🇸 und den Zwang, sich dort abzusichern. Aber sich mitten im Wahlkampf neben Trump auf die Bühne zu stellen und einem Autokraten ganz offen Schützenhilfe zu leisten, überschreitet jede Grenze. Da hilft kein Schönreden mehr. Während daheim 🇩🇪 bei VW die Werke wackeln und die Arbeiter die Zeche zahlen, hilft die Konzernspitze drüben einem Brandstifter aktiv im Wahlkampf. Wer so agiert, verkauft jede Haltung für den schnellen Profit. Das kann und darf nicht der Weg sein.
#Audi #Volkswagen #Wirtschaftsethik
Cathryn Clüver Ashbrook retweeted
A good day for democracy, with big wins in Serbia and Brazil. Israel could be next on Tuesday, then the US midterms the following week. The best case against the autocrats is the autocrats (and how they govern with corrupt self-promotion). trib.al/l5x6pNO
Cathryn Clüver Ashbrook retweeted
♥️🇳🇴
WARNING: STRONG LANGUAGE
President Trump escalated his invective against Norway, calling it a ‘shit house country’ and saying Norwegian immigrants are not welcome in the United States because the Nobel committee, based in the capital Oslo, has not awarded him a Peace Prize reut.rs/3U1joSt
Cathryn Clüver Ashbrook retweeted
This is like the epigraph for the entire Trump 2.0 presidency:
‘’I don’t give a damn. We’re making a fortune’
Serbien, Brasilien, Israel, USA:
Es steht nicht geschrieben, dass der Marsch in den Autoritarismus immer weitergehen muss.
Die Selbstzerstörung der Demokratie ist ein umkehrbarer Trend.
Es gibt keinen permanenten "vibe shift".
Der Kampf gegen den IIliberalismus ist offen.
Cathryn Clüver Ashbrook retweeted
"Everything we love is on the line" in the US election. I argue that President Trump has systematically undone the strategy that since the 19th century has made the US the world's leading country. He has eroded our sources of greatness.
So what's at stake isn't just affordability or data centers or the Iran war. It's America's future: nytimes.com/2026/10/24/opini…
Cathryn Clüver Ashbrook retweeted
Witkoff versucht in Oslo heute in einer Mischung aus Druck auf die Ukraine, Energie-Anreizen für Russland und Illusionen über plötzlich sprudelnden und bei den Mid-Terms helfenden Diesel zu verhandeln. Trump und seine Leute verstehen weder Russland, noch die Ukraine, noch Europa.
Cathryn Clüver Ashbrook retweeted
Breaking News: Michael Bloomberg, the billionaire and the former mayor of New York City, gave Democrats $80 million in a late push to help them take the House in the midterms, his team told The New York Times.
Cathryn Clüver Ashbrook retweeted
"One senior Ukrainian official and two Ukrainian military officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, say Hegseth is holding up supplies of Patriot missiles, which Ukraine relies on to intercept ballistic missiles." kyivindependent.com/its-sign…
Cathryn Clüver Ashbrook retweeted
In 1994, Ukraine gave up the world’s third-largest nuclear arsenal on America’s word.
This month, the president traded that word for a diesel deal with Putin.
Watch what he does for Putin. It shows what he wants to do with his power over you. 👇🏼
NEW: The DOJ is further relaxing rules governing political activities for presidential appointees like AG Blanche, as he makes appearances at political events and alongside candidates pbs.org/newshour/politics/tr…
Cathryn Clüver Ashbrook retweeted
It speaks to the unchecked power of the American presidency that a single warped occupant of the Oval Office can transform the United States into an ally of Putin even as most Americans are outraged by his invasion of Ukraine and targeting of civilians. trib.al/86S0yX6
Cathryn Clüver Ashbrook retweeted
Trump is the most transparent President in history. Here he is admitting (bragging) Putin has deterred him from raising pressure on Russia by threatening to help Iran. Previous presidents would have been embarrassed to have been outmaneuvered by Putin. Love this transparency.
Cathryn Clüver Ashbrook retweeted
The WSJ editorial board states outright: “…there needs to be a bipartisan reckoning for Mr. Trump’s budding alliance with the Kremlin against Ukraine, Europe and American interests.”
wsj.com/opinion/to-russia-wi…

























