Day 1,023: Impeachment inquiry causing Trump flip-flops, a suspiciously short memory, confusion and anger
Another day, another strike in the whole “Donald Trump welcomes an impeachment inquiry because it will galvanize him, the party and the base” narrative.
Trump is, quite obviously, self-destructing as the evidence of impropriety in a quid pro quo/bribery scandal involving Ukrainian funding grows by the day.
The GOP and Trump have changed their story enough times to give everyone whiplash: the call with the Ukrainian president was perfect, there was no quid pro quo, there’s nothing wrong with quid pro quo, Trump’s actions were bad but not illegal, Rudy Giuliani was running a shadow mission without Trump’s knowledge, the hearings are a sham, the hearings should be made public, and plenty more.
Nothing has stuck, necessitating frequent pivots from Republican members of Congress. Some have even run through parking lots to avoid basic questions from reporters.
Now, Trump has flip-flopped on one of those stories. In the middle of a total word salad that had nothing to do with impeachment, he claimed that the hearings should not be public.
On top of that, Trump — who has previously touted his memory as one of the greatest of all time — seems to be conveniently forgetful.
A month ago, he called Gordon Sondland, who he appointed as Ambassador to the European Union 18 months ago, “a really good man and great American”. (Sondland also donated $1 million toward Trump’s inauguration.)
Friday, however, Trump claimed to barely know who Sondland was, despite speaking to him on many occasions.
And showing an abject ignorance about impeachment proceedings and the law, Trump angrily suggested the whistleblower’s lawyer should be “sued” for treason.
The whistleblower and his or her lawyer haven’t betrayed the country by acting in accordance with the law. Either way, treason would be a criminal case, not a civil one. Suing someone for treason isn’t even close to a thing. But Trump is trying to intimidate everyone in the process so that they back down. He doesn’t care whose lives are threatened, as long as his power is protected at all costs.
Trump is clearly rattled by the prospect of impeachment and being dragged through the mud publicly as open hearings begin next week. All his bravado has been as faux as a fur rug at PETA headquarters. He’s nervous and doesn’t have the mental capacity to craft cogent defenses to damning transcripts and testimony. As a result, he ends up looking more guilty every time he opens his mouth. It doesn’t help that all the facts that come out are combining to tell the same undemocratic and un-American story of him pressuring a foreign government to do his personal bidding.
1,023 days in, 439 to go
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