Boy, you have to hand it to this president. He can send Democrats and their media allies into orbit in a proverbial New York minute; this time, by suggesting he might listen to opposition research from a foreign government. Stop the presses: Trump Promises to Collude with Foreigners! If only Trump’s mind and intentions were that easy to decipher, Democrats would be right – and Lindsey Graham would never sleep.
It is unlikely Trump unwittingly confessed to a treasonous 2020 campaign, teaming with outsiders to act against America’s best interest. It is possible that Trump grew impatient with the interview’s “collusion theme” and – as he often does – wandered off message. It is probable Trump was trolling his antagonists to make a point: don’t bring that weak collusion game into my gym!
In order to unpack the ABC News interview, one must read the entire transcript. George Stephanopoulos asked one hypothetical question after another, which defense attorneys routinely advise one not to answer. If Stephanopoulos truly wanted to advance open and honest elections, then he would interview Hillary Clinton. Did you, through the general counsel’s law firm, employ a foreign national to collect opposition research from sources inside the Russian government? The answer to that question would be a real bombshell.
Trump’s “treasonous” answer was to this Stephanopoulos question: If foreigners offer your campaign information on opponents, should they accept it or call the FBI? Trump’s answer: I think maybe you do both. In other words, the man to whom all US intelligence, justice and military leaders report suggested to a reporter that he could accept the information and alert the FBI. Honestly, where is the treason in that answer, when all presidents are empowered to know and do just about everything on behalf of their country?
And there you have it: Democrats and their media allies have a double standard when it comes to Donald Trump. They just know their party’s commanders in chief handle secrets properly and never abuse their office, and they just know President Trump puts himself before country. That kind of makes sense, if your head has been immersed in Jello the last 60 years.
Democrat Jimmy Carter did blab to the world the secret existence of a new stealth fighter jet, which allowed enemies to develop heat-signature identification technology and down a stealth jet in the Balkans. Barack Obama’s party did pay for the “pee tape” dossier, and his staff did leak its existence to a senator (Harry Reid) and CNN. In fact, much of Trump’s interview alluded to what actually goes on in Washington. America is still alive and kicking, by the way.
It would help if the extreme left (and the extreme right) accepted the outcomes of elections that don’t go their way. In the case of President Trump, the political left now opposes the electoral college, presidential purview, and his freedom of expression. Their reaction is childish, akin to changing a game’s rules when one is losing. Boo-hoo-hoo!
The USA is a constitutional republic, which means state electorates choose the president – not a national majority, public-opinion polls or news organizations. Voting majorities in 90 percent of America’s counties trust Trump with nuclear weapons and “dirt” on foreign and domestic opponents. While on the subject of trust, Hillary Clinton did betray the trust of a congressional order, destroying emails with BleachBit and hammering smart devices. She was our other choice. Oh, well.