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Marco Rubio defends Trump policies in Federalist Society speech amid draft-Rubio 2028 push

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Summary

  • Marco Rubio denounced the 'rules-based order' and defended the administration's Iran, Venezuela, and immigration policies in a November 13 Federalist Society speech.
  • Republicans are pushing to draft Rubio for 2028 after the party lost 41 House and eight Senate seats in the November 3 midterms.
  • Rubio says he is not thinking about 2028, and the White House and State Department denied reports he would resign to run.
  • Democrats, who take House and Senate control on January 3, 2027, plan investigations of Trump administration corruption, including Rubio's foreign policy.
  • The White House and Justice Department have warned Democrats their probes could cross into criminality, sending warning letters to Robert Garcia and Richard Blumenthal.
  • Rubio has served simultaneously as secretary of state, national security adviser, and chief archivist during Trump's second term.

Reactions

  • Rep. Robert Garcia said Democrats would not be deterred, that 'Donald Trump has something to hide,' and warned administration officials to 'lawyer up.'
  • Senator Richard Blumenthal called the Justice Department's threat baseless, writing 'I will not be intimidated,' and vowed vigorous investigations into misuse of taxpayer dollars.
  • Rubio said, 'We're not the United Nations, it's the State Department of the United States,' and quoted Pompey, 'Stop quoting laws to men with swords.'
  • Hill Republicans including Marlin Stutzman and Mike Haridopolos urged a Rubio 2028 run, while people close to Rubio said he was not thinking about 2028.
  • Jim Jordan predicted a third impeachment of Trump and said Democrats would target the entire Cabinet and the Republicans' 2028 nominee, potentially Rubio.
  • Bernie Sanders warned Democrats that accountability matters but affordability must come first.

Related

Timeline newest first

  1. In a November 9 letter, White House counsel Will Scharf told Rep. Robert Garcia that some foreshadowed House corruption probes could be deemed criminal.
  2. The Justice Department told Senator Richard Blumenthal on November 11 that his ballroom-donor inquiries could violate criminal laws; Senator Elissa Slotkin received a similar letter on November 12.
  3. At a November 12 press conference, Attorney General Todd Blanche said there were no active criminal investigations of incoming members of Congress over their oversight comments.
  4. Persian Gulf governments are preparing for inquiries into alleged corruption involving Trump, his administration, and his family after Democrats' midterm sweep.
  5. Secretary of State Marco Rubio decried the 'rules-based order,' international lawyers, and 'activist courts' in a November 13 Federalist Society speech defending the administration's Iran, Venezuela, and immigration policies.
  6. Draft-Rubio efforts for 2028 were reported heating up after the midterms, with Democrats saying they plan to grill Rubio on Trump's foreign policy once they take Congress.
  7. Rubio's prepared remarks, obtained before the speech, warned that the 'spirit of Marx' outlived the Soviet Union and attacked 'soulless global bureaucrats' invoking the rules-based order.
  8. Congressional Democrats sent preservation letters to more than 60 companies, agencies, and Trump figures after the November 3 election, ahead of subpoena power on January 3, 2027.
  9. Federalist Society convention attendees said they would watch Rubio's Barbara Olson Memorial Lecture for signs of 2028 ambitions and a Republican path after the midterm losses.
  10. In the remarks, Rubio called international law an instrument of a global elite and quoted Pompey, 'Stop quoting laws to men with swords,' against International Criminal Court enforcement.
  11. Rubio credited the Federalist Society's decades-long 'long march through the institutions' of American law as a model conservatives must keep building on.
  12. U.S. Attorney Aaron Reitz sent Senator Richard Blumenthal a letter citing two federal criminal statutes and ordering him to preserve records related to his White House ballroom inquiry.
  13. Blumenthal replied by ordering Reitz to preserve his own records and writing, 'I will not be intimidated.'
  14. Blumenthal sent document demands to Trump-linked crypto firms, ballroom donors, and administration officials, each backed by a subpoena threat if records were not turned over by January 4, 2027.
  15. Rep. Robert Garcia said Democrats would press ahead with investigations despite the White House warning, citing a $2 billion Saudi investment in Jared Kushner's firm.
  16. Jim Jordan said Democrats will target Trump's entire Cabinet and probably the Republicans' 2028 nominee, predicting a third impeachment of Trump.
  17. U.S. Attorney Aaron Reitz called on Senator Richard Blumenthal on November 11 to preserve documents tied to his inquiry into White House ballroom donors, threatening 'significant legal consequences.'
  18. White House counsel William Scharf's letter to Garcia, sent November 9 and made public November 11, accused Democrats of seeking to 'abuse' their power through investigations of executive officials.
  19. A House vote on November 10, 2026, failed to advance an impeachment resolution against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries had supported.
  20. Rep. Robert Garcia had told the Trump administration to 'lawyer up' on election night after projections showed Democrats would control the House.
  21. Roughly two dozen Hill Republicans voiced support for drafting Rubio for 2028; Rubio told reporters he was 'just not going to talk about 2028 anymore.'
  22. Whistleblowers told Democrats federal officials were destroying records tied to Trump's Washington construction projects; the Interior Department called the allegations false.
  23. Blumenthal sent letters to Amazon, Apple, BlackRock, and other ballroom donors demanding records by January 4, and companies raced to hire congressional-investigations lawyers.
  24. After the election losses, Republicans were reported turning from JD Vance toward Ron DeSantis and Marco Rubio as 2028 contenders.
  25. Rep. Jared Huffman announced letters to 36 federal agencies and companies, including Boeing, Chevron, and ExxonMobil, ordering them to preserve records for his committee's investigations.
  26. Senator Bernie Sanders warned Democrats not to spend too much time investigating Trump, saying affordability must come first.
  27. Democratic leaders said their agenda would focus on healthcare, tariffs, and investigations of the administration rather than impeachment.
  28. Rep. Jamie Raskin said Democrats would restore aid, use spending power and oversight, and subpoena ICE personnel before pursuing accountability.
  29. Garcia warned Trump and his allies to 'lawyer up' and listed targets including the Trump family's business dealings, cryptocurrency ventures, and Jeffrey Epstein ties.
  30. Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth were reported as possible departures from the administration after the midterms; Rubio said he planned to stay.
  31. Blumenthal demanded documents from FCC Chairman Brendan Carr and ballroom donors including Apple, Meta, Google, Nvidia, and Microsoft on November 5, 2026.
  32. Democrats vowed sprawling investigations into Trump's finances, crypto dealings, and ICE operations after winning control of Congress.
  33. Steve Scalise told House GOP committee chairs to inventory upcoming Democratic investigations of the Trump administration.
  34. Law firms issued advisories warning that early investigative steps would begin before the new Congress is sworn in on January 3, 2027.
  35. Reports said Rubio was preparing to resign as secretary of state to seek the 2028 Republican nomination; the White House and State Department vehemently denied them as baseless.
  36. House Judiciary Committee Democrats began hiring investigators for policy, oversight, and investigative work a day after the midterm results.
  37. Planned Democratic investigation targets were reported to include the Trump family's crypto ventures, Donald Trump Jr.'s dealings, Jared Kushner's negotiations, and Pete Hegseth.
  38. Democrats were reported planning oversight of administration corruption, Hegseth, Big Tech, and energy costs, with some urging cost-of-living probes first.

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