So if I understand this defense, Mr. Trump was just being a political animal, like Mr. Lincoln or Mr. Johnson before him, when dealing with Ukraine.
Except that Mr. Trump, unlike the others, utilized the coffers of this nation as his own piggy bank, withholding crucial monies otherwise due to a country and its new leader struggling to combat Russia and Mr. Putin's efforts to place Ukraine under its control.
What is missing from the analysis by Mr. Blackman is what threats, express or implied, these other Presidents used as leverage. Did Mr. Lincoln suggest he would dock wages of those soldiers not voting, send them into battle without their weapons or even withhold their rations? Did Mr. Johnson state he would refuse to fill the attorney general post unless Mr. Clark was confirmed or that he would take some other punitive step if he did not get what he wanted?
Being a politician, and seeking to gain LEGITIMATE advantage, even if it is distastefully obvious, is the nature of the game. But that does not mean that ANY methods to achieve those aims are permitted.
Donald Trump abused the privilege and power of his office in a manner wholly inconsistent with the dictates and limitations of his authority. By taking $391 million dollars away from President Zelensky and Ukraine unless and until they conspired with him to smear Joe Biden, he became the very definition of a man who acted outside the scope of his PERMITTED actions, who deserved not our grudging praise for a clever political maneuver, but our condemnation and a vote of the Senate finding him GUILTY of the charges leveled against him.
Despite the President's assertions, and those of his supporters, including Mr. Blackman, not ALL is fair in love, war and the presidency of the United States.
No comments:
Post a Comment