Photo Op!

The ACLU was all set to sue PresidentÂ Donald Trump over hisÂ executive orderÂ “Promoting Free Speech and Religious Liberty.” But now they’ve changed their minds.

The order (full text here) includes statements like, “It shall be the policy of the executive branch to vigorously enforce Federal law’s robust protections for religious freedom,” and this monstrosity: “the Secretary of the Treasury shall ensure, to the extent permitted by law, that the Department of the Treasury does not take any adverse action against any individual, house of worship, or other religious organization on the basis that such individual or organization speaks or has spoken about moral or political issues from a religious perspective, where speech of similar character has, consistent with law, not ordinarily been treated as participation or intervention in a political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) a candidate for public office by the Department of the Treasury.”

But when you boil it all down, according to the ACLU, it’s meaningless. There’s no practical implication from Trump’s huge gesture to the religious right. In other words, it’s a big nothingburger.

Or, as the ACLU puts it, “an elaborate photo-op with no discernible policy outcome.”

We thought we’d have to sue Trump today. But it turned out the order signing was an elaborate photo-op with no discernible policy outcome. â€” ACLU National (@ACLU) May 4, 2017

And what a photo op!

MOMENTS AGO: @POTUS invites the Little Sisters of the Poor up onstage at his event for #nationaldayofprayer. pic.twitter.com/CByoTP74DB â€” Fox News (@FoxNews) May 4, 2017

Members of the religious right marched onto the dais as President Trump sat down to sign the order, after he spoke for about seven minutes, waxing on about the importance of religious liberty.

It was all a scam, apparently. Some “fake news.”

The directive to explore religious-based exceptions to healthcare does cue up a potential future battle, but the status quo has not changed. â€” ACLU National (@ACLU) May 4, 2017

There’s a directive for the Attorney GeneralÂ to “issue guidance interpreting religious liberty protections in Federal law,” so we’ll see what comes from that.

But for now, maybe, we can breathe easy, and direct our energies to defeating the Republicans who just voted to repeal ObamaCare.

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