Pierce: Donald Trump's 'Promise' to a Foreign Leader Is More Than Just Troubling

[mcar]

Donald Trump's 'Promise' to a Foreign Leader Is More Than Just Troubling
How much of this perilous nonsense are we willing to tolerate?

BY CHARLES P. PIERCE
SEP 19, 2019

I never thought I'd see the day when a serious concern for national security would be allayed in my mind by the fact that the President* of the United States never has made a promise he couldn't break.

Yes, it has well and truly hit the fan. ...

Sooner or later, we'll find out to whom El Caudillo del Mar-a-Lago made one of his customarily worthless promises. If we're all very lucky, it will be to some bush-league satrap like the ruler of Qatar. If we're not lucky, it will be to somebody who won't take the president*'s usual modus operandi as helplessly as various New Jersey glaziers once had to, and the president* will be forced to start eating his KFC with a geiger counter. What we do know is that the communication involving the promise was sufficiently alarming that some conscientious spook blew the whistle on it. What we also know is that our acting Director of National Intelligence has fought like a rabid badger to keep that information a way from the responsible congressional committees....

One hesitates to say enough is enough but, this time, seriously, enough is truly enough. The president*, who knows nothing about anything and whose word is worthless, is promising god alone knows what to god alone knows who, but whatever it happened to be was scary enough to spook the spooks, and damaging enough to risk corrupting the usual oversight process. How much of this perilous nonsense are we willing to tolerate? When corruption and incompetence collide, there's a lot that hits the fan.

https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a29123631/donald-trump-national-security-whistleblower-promise/?src=socialflowTW

[malaise]

1. The sad truth is that Don the Con firmly believes that he is running a one

man government.

ITTMF RFN!

[Hermit-The-Prog]

10. we have a majority in 1/2 of 1/3 of the federal government

Democracy and the rule of law are hanging by fingernails.

[DENVERPOPS]

17. one half of one third????????

Do the math again Hermit.....................they are probably 90% of the way to a complete coup........Wasn't there a book long ago titled: WHILE THE NATION SLEPT ??????? I have no idea what it was about, but it would be the perfect title for a book on the last 30-40 years here in America's Politics. Reagan could have written a great introduction to the book.

The Republicans/Trump have the powerful Senate, the Dept of Justice, the Director of Intelligence, a ton of appellate courts, THE SUPREME COURT, the Presidency, the cabinet, etc etc etc.

I suspect he normal about this newly found whistleblower item:

1) Trump will dismiss it as FAKE news, as will all Republican politicians and their voters

2) He will go to his usual, "I was just joking"

3) The 80% Republican owned media will bury it and overshadow it in major coverage of some trivial bullshit topic.

Wash, Rinse, Repeat........over and over........it really is getting monotonous......

[Hermit-The-Prog]

18. 3 branches, 1 of which is in 2 parts, we have 1 of those parts

[DENVERPOPS]

19. I know what you were trying to say

I know what you were trying to say, and I was trying to show IN REALITY that the three branches of our gov't mean butkis..........in recent history............

The Supreme Court in 2000 proved that THEY ALONE are far more powerful than the three branches of government put all together. AND, their power has become even greater since 2016............

[DemocracyMouse]

21. Well, technically we have approx a bit less than 1/2 of the Senate and more than 1/2 of the House...

... so that's 1/2 of congress. Then 4 out of 9 members of the Supreme Court. That's approx. half (but effectively zero when they vote along "liberal"/"conservative"* lines.

Breakdown:

1/2 congress + 1/2 SC + zero executive branch
= a little less than 1/3rd of the three branches. Hands are still tied until we flip everything.

We still have Truth on our side, although it's not nearly as entertaining as brain-stem-activating Republican media effluence.


*those terms are now 100% meaningless

[mcar]

15. And his cultists in the House and Senate

will let him get away with anything.

[saidsimplesimon]

2. "How much of this perilous nonsense are we willing to tolerate?"

"The beatings will continue until morale improves."

[TheRealNorth]

6. Until the Republican base turns against them

Which will be never so long as Trump is successful beating the Democrats.

[Baitball Blogger]

3. He's an international, globalist business man.

What did everyone expect from him, really?

"It's just bizniz."

[leftstreet]

4. True. Boss, CEO, POTUS...makes no difference to him n/t

[DENVERPOPS]

34. I'm almost certain that what Trump REALLY prefers is:

"KING OF THE JEWS"...............

No further comment necessary, I think that says it all.

Signed, sealed and delivered............

[yaesu]

5. this is worse than the Manchurian Candidate because the installed dictator is being controlled

by both corporate and foreign enemies.

[Pluvious]

8. AND by the desire to please the lowest and basest of our racist and bigoted scum voters

He is the hugest mother of all puppets in the history of the World

[barbtries]

7. kick

worth the read. i love Charles Pierce

[dlk]

9. At What Point Does Trump's Behavior Become Treason?

Has he crossed the line yet?

[Lock him up.]

11. Apparently, because blah-blah-blah we're not at war (yet).

The pugs break any law they want without consequences and we have to obey them!

[Kaiserguy]

16. Never

as long as Republicans control the Senate.

[usaf-vet]

30. I would guess it had already happened as he stood at the podium to be sworn in.

[ffr]

12. With proper timing and leadership, people would be ready to strike against this regime.

UAW is doing it. We can do it too.

[WinstonSmith4740]

13. Great article.

But then again, Charles Pierce is excellent. This, however, jumped out at me:

"...said the former officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly."

Why is it that our side always get to play by the rules, but their's doesn't? How come a scum bag like Lewandowski can sit there and thumb his damn nose at the panel members and not be hauled off in cuffs? Why aren't the people who ignored the supeonas in jail? Why aren't Democrats standing up in the Senate every freaking day challanging Moscow Mitch on refusing to bring up gun legislation until he gets Don the Con's permission? How about repeating Lindsey Graham's pearl clutching speech about "cleansing the Oval Office" as a reason for impeaching Clinton?

I will vote Blue no matter who, but you know the old saying about bringing a knife to a gun fight? Democrats aren't even bringing a knife...they're bringing a damn rule book. Thankfully though, we do have Adam Schiff. At least he knows how to use the rules to get action! It's going to take longer than we want, but I think he's the key.

[burrowowl]

26. My grandma used to say:

Jesus said to turn the other cheek but he didn't say what to do if the hit that one (in that passage at least).

[WinstonSmith4740]

31. Totally agree.

I've pretty much been a "turn the other cheek" person, too. But I really think the rethugs would try even Jesus' patience. Dems need to start fighting and stop worrying about appearances. You fight fire with fire.

[lunatica]

14. I fear it will be diabolical, even for him.

Spooking the spooks is never a minor thing. Never. It spooks me.

[SleeplessinSoCal]

20. I like Pierce's name - El Caudillo del Mar-a-Lago.

But like mine better after his waiver removal of CA - President Revenge Porn.

[Cha]

22. Thank you for this, mcar.

[Stuart G]

23. Thank Your insight and opinion...k and r

[Blue Owl]

24. Hmmm... a promise from tRump and 5 cents might get you a nickel

Yet still, his pathetic sucking up to dictators is deserving of impeachment...

[MadDAsHell]

25. I saw some idiot today draw comparisons to P. Obama "promising" to be more flexible with Putin after

his reelection.

While that was disturbing, not even close to the same thing.

[OliverQ]

27. That's been the main right-wing talking point now.

[bucolic_frolic]

28. CHARLES P. PIERCE keeps it rolling all day long on Twitter

Amazing man

[mcar]

29. He really is

[PhoenixDem]

32. Well-written piece

Very informative with sound analysis.

[Javaman]

33. what truly scares me about this shit is this...

if benedict donald gets away with this, it sets a terrifying precedent for future presidents to do the same.

the orange asshole is a horrible human being and in way over his head but I also fear that there could be someone far worse in our future. someone that is a smart version of trumpy the shit clown that would take the precedent set by trump and run with it to it's full extent.