Donald Trump: A Sh*t Stain on American Politics and the Rule of Law
Remember when Donald Trump held regular rallies decrying his opponent as “Crooked Hillary,” to cries of “Lock Her Up! Lock Her Up!”?
Remember when candidate, and then President-Elect Trump claimed that he would be the “Law and Order President”…? Suddenly, however, after swearing the presidential oath of office, on a bible, before “the largest inaugural crowd in history” (another lie) — becoming the 45th President of the United States of America,…those laws he has sworn to uphold are merely inconvenient roadblocks to whatever he wants, and whatever he deems an acceptable means to getting there.
The lengths to which he is willing to go includes colluding with our chief foreign adversary, and having his minions take formal meetings with Putin surrogates — to accomplish that goal; undermining our traditional democratic processes, first to win an election, and now, to maintain his tenuous hold on the presidency in the face of a growing criminal case against him. With Donald J. Trump, it’s never transparent, but it’s always about winning and might making right!
That — of course — is after claiming for months, that there was no collusion,… by himself, nor anyone else on his campaign team. Fast forward, past all of the insidious denials (read: LIES!), told over-and-over-and-over again by his clueless surrogates, who were perhaps not directly involved themselves in these illegal efforts but, nevertheless, left twisting in the wind — to further those lies, and to portray all criminal and congressional investigations into that matter as “Fake News” or…“A Nothing Burger.”
Speaking at a joint press appearance with France’s new President, Emmanuel Marcron, as part of a Bastille Day celebration in Paris; Trump had the temerity to actually claim that “most people would have taken that meeting,” now at the center of a smoking gun revelation that contradicts all the earlier denials — in writing, through his son, Donald, Jr.’s private E-mails (the irony of which is delicious)…
The silly, irrelevant protestations that this was merely a “short meeting” and that, regardless, nothing of substance was obtained is now being cited as a rather pathetic excuse, along with the furtive pleas that this president and his assorted relatives and minions are merely “inexperienced,” or as a pandering, apologist Paul Ryan, Speaker of the House says: “He’s new to all of this” is somehow supposed to ‘lower the bar’ on competence and now, even on compliance with the clear-cut prohibitions on receiving foreign money or assistance in our domestic political campaigns.
“Contributions and donations by foreign nationals in connection with elections. A foreign national shall not, directly or indirectly, make a contribution or a donation of money or other thing of value, or expressly or impliedly promise to make a contribution or a donation, in connection with any Federal, State, or local election.” ~ 11 CFR 110.20(b)
Moreover, it strains all credulity — that we are now being expected to take the word of all those Trump associates who have previously lied on government forms; lied to congressional committees; lied to the so-called “Fake News” media; and otherwise withheld countless secretive meetings with known (and unknown) agents of Putin’s Russia,…until a Free Press did its job and uncovered the truth of the matter. An adversary with which Trump repeatedly claimed he had no business or other personal ties,…despite the many videos and other hard evidence that more than suggest the exact opposite,…including his stubborn refusal to release his Tax Returns which would likely reveal various compromising outstanding loans from Russian oligarchs he has befriended over the years.
Finally, as has been his penchant for deflection and projection — all his adult business and short political life— Trump has cynically resurrected “The Hillary Card” as his ‘go to’ topic of ridicule and scorn, over what he and his minions claim were either comparable or worse un-prosecuted high crimes and misdemeanors. But,…even if true, were committed by someone who is no longer a government official nor a candidate for office, but now merely an ordinary private citizen.
Meanwhile, Donald J. Trump holds the highest elective office of trust in America, and — willy-nilly — throws his surrogates (and the laws he disagrees with) all ‘under the bus’ — to excuse his crimes and those of his children, and that amounts to the shameful repudiation of the rule of law which governs all of our free and democratic elections. So, according to Trump & Company; ‘We didn’t collude, and — even if we did, so what?’ It is a very scary echo of a disgraced Richard M. Nixon who proclaimed: “If the president does it, that means that it’s not illegal.” Orwellian then. Orwellian now.