01 October 2019

Double Breaking

Two important news items broke late yesterday within minutes of each other that likely will add fuel to the impeachment fire now heating up in Washington.

First, the New York Times broke the story (link here) that Donald Trump pressed another foreign head of state for personal favors to help him politically. This time, Trump asked the Australian Prime Minister a few weeks ago for assistance in discrediting the Mueller investigation.

Trump believes it the factual and legal basis for the Mueller inquiry can be discredited, that will help him somehow. The basis of Trump's objections are not that he and his staff acted improperly but that someone dared to report this and investigate him.

Minutes later, the Washington Post broke the story (link here) that, on Trump's behest, the Attorney General has asked a number of foreign intelligence officials to help discredit the Mueller investigation. He's essentially asking foreign intelligence agencies to discredit America's intelligence agencies.

Both Trump and the Attorney General's activities risk weakening America's standing and diplomatic capital simply to help Trump's political prospects. Given how support for impeachment and removal has spiked markedly within just the last week, Trump's belief that discrediting the Mueller investigation, which has been concluded for months, seems patently ludicrous.

Basically, Trump is focusing on selling to his base that's already sold. At the same time, he's alienating the rest of the country more and more, all the while the latter group gets bigger and support for impeachment and removal from office grows.

Trump is dangerously close to the support tipping point now, if he hasn't passed that point already. This happened with Nixon in 1974 when he lost support that was never going to come back. Let's hope the same happens with Trump.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Speak up!