One Lawless Week

 One Lawless Week

Trump, the master of low-brow dissembling, showed us, again, who he truly is in his interview with George Stephanopoulos (GS) (ABC News) when asked whether Don Jr. did anything wrong in not contacting the F.B.I. when agreeing to meet with Russian oligarchs who suggested they had dirt on Hillary Clinton. Clearly not, according to Trump, Sr.  Since “information” is not synonymous with “interference,” the president would be open to it as was his son. “Talk honestly to congressmen,” Trump tells us. “They all do it, they always have.”  They all take oppositional research whatever its source. Not that he knows this, of course.  Rather, in typical Trump fashion, he projects his own corrupt motives on others and uses that as rational to justify his own intent.

In fact, Trump maintained he had never “called the F.B.I” in his entire life. Why not, one wonders. In his faux gangster impression, Trump told GS to “give me a break—life doesn’t work that way.” “You don’t call the FBI.,” pure and simple.  If it’s opposition research, you listen even if it’s from a foreign country like “Norway.”  When pushed by GS to respond to F.B.I. director Christopher Wray’s congressional testimony that any meddling from a foreign government related to a political campaign should be brought to the Bureau, Trump simply doubled down, stating that the director was wrong.  Upon what grounds, one wonders, does Trump base his pure bravado? 

According to Ellen Weintraub, head of the Federal Election Commission, “It is illegal to solicit, accept, or receive anything of value from a foreign national in connection with a U.S. election.”  From a common sense perspective, receiving oppositional research from a foreign source is certainly something of value.  Regardless of whether it would be proven illegal in a technical sense in a court of law, it is, at the least, highly unethical and very well could be illegal.

If nothing else, Trump’s statements provide an indication as to his state of mind. Given the many contacts between Trump associates and high Russian officials and oligarchs extending back several years, the relationship between the Trump campaign team and influential Russians was, to say the least, cozy.  Trump’s July 2016 “Russia, are you listening” chant and the unleashing of the Clinton campaign memos disseminated by Russian-linked Wiki Leaks beginning in the summer of  2016, provide further evidence of an intent based on an ongoing relationship between the Trump campaign and key Russian sources.  At the least, Trump’s remarks in his interview with GS provide corroborating evidence of a mind-set that was more than ready to cooperate with Russia in trashing the Clinton campaign.

The most troubling factor about Trump’s remarks is that he telegraphed to nations around the world that his 2020 campaign is open for business.  No walking back can counter this.  With an open invitation extended, what is to prevent Russia, China, or Saudi Arabia from interfering in our election and within the increasingly fragile democracies throughout the world?

Trump’s explanation of his then personal lawyer, Don McGhan’s sworn testimony as documented in Part II of the Mueller Report on obstruction of justice, is also worthy of attention.  According to that testimony the president ordered McGahn to fire Robert Mueller; afterword, Trump “sought to have McGahn deny that he had been directed [by Trump] to remove the Special Council” (Mueller Report, Part II). When GS asked him about this, Trump said, McGahn “may have been confused.”  When further pressed, Trump doubled down.  “It doesn’t matter” what McGahn said.  Asked why Mcahn would lie under oath, Trump’s responded: “Because he wanted to make himself look like a good lawyer. “ Or perhaps “he believed it because I would constantly tell anybody that would listen…that Robert Mueller was conflicted.  Robert Mueller had a total conflict of interest” (Daily Beast, 6-14-19)

It is simply incredulous that McGahn, a seasoned lawyer, would risk a perjury charge because he wanted to make himself look good or that since he came to believe it, he fabricated some gargantuan lie about Trump wanting to fire Mueller and then asking McGahn to cover it up.  In fact, Trump has ordered McGhan not to testify at the recent congressional Judicial Committee because his public testimony would be utterly damning to the president and he knows it.  Trump’s explanation is nothing other than a garbled effort of a conflicted mind to mask his obstruction of justice culpability.

Finally, consider US Office of Special Counsel’s recommendation that presidential advisor, Kellynnne Conway be fired for multiple violations of the Hatch Act which limits executive employees (other than the president and VP) from using their official office for partisan political purposes.  Conway’s response: “If you’re trying to silence me through the Hatch Act, it’s not going to work.”  Exercising a sense of personal entitlement that the law does not apply to her, she goaded her interviewer to “let me know when the jail sentence starts” (CBS News, 6-13-19).

Regardless of whether the violation of the Hatch Act is a minor infraction, Conway’s response is an apt metaphor in telegraphing the message that the rule of law need not apply to the  Trump administration.

2019

 

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