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It’s all about deflection. “They hate me!” cries President Donald. “They persecute me!” “This is a hoax! What you see is not true. What you have heard me say, I have not said.”
Presidents are allowed to have private conversations with other heads of state. They are allowed to be crude if they want. They are allowed to curse and slam their fists on the table. They are even allowed quid pro quo … to ask for a favor. They are allowed to extort a promise of allowing for a Democratic election or improved human rights in exchange for American money or aide. And they are allowed to do all of that behind a closed door.
What they are NOT allowed to do is use the might of the United States to ask for personal favors. They are not allowed to leverage the power of the office to gain advantage over a political rival. They are not allowed to ask a foreign country to meddle in our affairs.
For those that have read the transcript of Donald Trump’s conversation with the president of Ukraine, what do you think he was doing? It is painfully and embarrassingly simple. You may decide to give our president a pass, but don’t fool yourself into believing that it did not happen. Facts are facts. The words were spoken. The intent was clear. All that is left is for his followers to not care.
Alec Frank
Wilkes-Barre