21 September 2019

Drip Drip Drip

The whistleblower story exploded yesterday with the revelation from multiple media outlets, each with their own sources, that Donald Trump repeatedly pressed the new president of Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden's son in exchange for more than a hundred fifty million dollars in military aid (details here and here).

According to several media reports, each with their independent sources, Trump asked the new president at least eight different times to revive an investigation that had been shelved as meritless.

Trump is known to believe that Biden will likely be the Democratic nominee who faces him in the 2020 general election. He obviously wants to use the former Vice President's son as a cudgel against him.

If Washington were working properly, at a minimum a special counsel would be appointed to investigate this matter. The administration could initiate this process, but don't hold your breath waiting for that to happen. As well, on its own Congress can vote to appoint a special counsel, but the Republican-controlled Senate would not likely move on this.

Arguably this is Trump's most serious transgression to date. He's using the power of the presidency by threatening to withhold foreign military aide unless another country assists in smearing a political opponent. Were Ukraine to be threatened by another nation, that could have direct consequences for the United States. And a whistleblower who brought this to the proper people to investigate is illegally being blocked from testifying before Congress, just as his report is being illegally withheld from Congress.

The Democratic-controlled House will likely be all over this and soon -- they already have been in trying to get the whistleblower report which they should have been given by law. The Senate, however, will likely do nothing.

Once again, we have another big reason to make sure than Donald Trump is defeated in next year's election. He's putting self before nation and using the presidency to achieve that.

This is exactly the sort of thing Richard Nixon did and was forced out of office for doing so. The same should happen to Trump, now more than ever.

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