Trump's Unpardonable Admission About His Border Wall

[babylonsister]

Trump’s Unpardonable Admission About His Border Wall
The president wants to spend billions of taxpayer dollars for a project that he acknowledges is largely symbolic—even if it breaks the law.
11:40 AM ET
David A. Graham


Disagreements about what the law really means are unavoidable. Congress passes laws, government agencies interpret them, advocates dispute those interpretations, and then the courts step in to resolve the arguments.

But that’s not what’s happening with President Trump’s latest push on his border wall. The Washington Post reports that Trump is frantically urging aides to get construction on his border wall underway, overriding their objections that this might require breaking environmental laws, violating contracting rules, or improperly claiming private land. Why? Not because he believes his wall is necessary for national security. Not because he believes he is right about the law, and his aides’ concerns are misplaced. He doesn’t even believe the wall will actually solve an immigration crisis. Trump is urging action on the wall because he believes it is necessary for him to win reelection.

The tell here is that, as the Post reports, Trump “has told worried subordinates that he will pardon them of any potential wrongdoing should they have to break laws to get the barriers built quickly, those officials said.”

This is one of the biggest scandals of the Trump administration—no small feat. Trump is demanding the government move heaven and (literally) earth, break laws, and spend billions of taxpayer dollars, for a project that he acknowledges is largely symbolic—all for the purpose of bolstering his reelection bid. All presidents work to keep campaign promises, of course, but most don’t do so at the expense of the rule of law.

Running for office, Trump said he would build a wall and Mexico would pay for it, a claim he quickly abandoned. When Congress repeatedly refused to give him money for the wall, he mounted an end-run around Congress, declaring a national emergency. Because Congress has unwisely delegated some of its powers to the president through the National Emergencies Act, he may succeed in defeating legal challenges, since courts tend to give the executive wide latitude to determine what is and isn’t a national emergency.

But Trump keeps undermining the legal rationale for his action. As the Post reports:

Trump conceded last year in an immigration meeting with lawmakers that a wall or barrier is not the most effective mechanism to curb illegal immigration, recognizing it would accomplish less than a major expansion of U.S. enforcement powers and deportation authority. But he told lawmakers that his supporters want a wall and that he has to deliver it.

more...

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/08/trump-pardons-border-wall/596962/

[Newest Reality]

1. It is circular.

From what I recall, Trump sold his base and his voters the wall that he claimed would be the best solution to his Fascist, inflammatory scapegoating and gross, generalized fictions about undocumented immigrants. He repeated it over and over, they bought it, but he sold it, so his promise was to himself, (like we don't know that it is all about him already). The followers reacted.

He managed to conjure issues that really don't take precedence in the scheme of things or that are high on the list for lifting America out of its growing, third-world status, (for more and more people). In fact, it has largely been diversionary as well as divisive, not to mention detrimental, harmful, cruel and destructive to so many lives.

So, he sold them the goods on many issues that he pumped up and/or created and now he wants to keep his promise? Oh boy, that is convoluted and I really wish the article would have addressed that since it is pivotal to his ploys and what underlies them.

[Johnny2X2X]

2. He can just tell them he did it

He never needed to build it, he will just say he did and his Deplorables will believe it.

[Newest Reality]

3. Didn't he start

doing something like that, blathering something like, the wall is being built right now?

He is getting off message. You are right, time start making the imaginary wall real again.

[Johnny2X2X]

4. Yes

He started using "Finish the wall" long ago.

[Delmette2.0]

5. I think that was when old sections were being replaced.

[NewJeffCT]

6. He's been claiming that it's being built since 2017

and, his pictures or video snippets were always debunked as something done under Obama or just refurbishing the wall already there, but he keeps going with it and keeps trying to hoodwink his followers.

Heck, for all I know, maybe his staff tells him that it's real new wall fearing his wrath?

[Delmette2.0]

7. Two thoughts about this.

1. For two years Dipshit had a Repug Senate and House, it was never a priority for them and he didn't try very hard to push them.

2. Can this be a conspiracy to commit the above list of crimes plus conspiracy to use federal funds as an illegal campaign donation?

[lunatica]

8. If we can't believe Trump when he overtly lies

then we can’t believe him when he supposedly concedes anything. Facts are meaningless to him. The truth is only the last thing he thinks, even if three seconds ago he thought the opposite.

Let’s stop wasting our time trying to figure out if he’s lying. The few times he may accidentally tell the truth don't mean he’s not a liar.

[world wide wally]

9. If we are not a nation of laws... Someone please explain what we are

[calimary]

10. Exactly.

So, hey then, republi-CONS. So you're saying THIS guy IS above the law. Right?

You don't think he is? You sure about that?

Well then WHY ON EARTH DON'T YOU SAY SO?????

You REALLY claim no one is above the law? Seriously?

THEN WHY THE HELL DON'T YOU SAY SO???????????

He may be the Orange Fuckstick, but those broad yellow strips running down the length of each of your backs look like they're spreading across your entire bodies.

[ancianita]

11. Big Scofflaw Prez. If he does it, his followers will obey any "directive" he gives cuz he'll pardon

them all. And dying immigrant children's denied hospital costs will pay for it.

This is dictatorship. It's the language and behavior of dictatorship.

Dictators rule nations of men, not of laws, the rules being obedience and loyalty.

Worst case scenario:

He'll start with the symbol of American power -- his wall --
-- all along, his Parscale dog will wage huge disinformation campaigns into 2020 -- digital swarms of bots, trolls, radio fake news, lies to keep liberal media busy, liberal dystopia signage,
-- continue with a "surprise" disaster, blame it on the conspiring evil "Demoncrats" trying to impeach him;
but not end with attacks on our nominee, no;

-- He'll end by provoking civil war by astroturfing fake multiple organizers of "protests," then "otherizing" as "terrorists" any Americans who will not be silent, obedient or loyal, as dupes of foreign powers (like Hillary, the beta test target).

The Kremlin playbook. Because they did it first.