Donald Trump is getting more desperate by the hour
Donald Trump is growing exceedingly desperate. His most recent attempts to subvert the Constitution would be laughable, if not for being so incredibly dangerous. As famed actor and film producer Rob Reiner tweeted on Wednesday, “We are in a full blown Constitutional crisis. It is time for Republican patriots to come forward and stand up for the love of this country. History will record what you did at the time our Democracy was under assault at the hands of a lawless President.”
While all reasonable individuals would agree with Reiner’s sentiment, not many expect any congressional Republicans to stand up and suddenly become “patriots.” Sure, during the Watergate scandal, following long and arduous congressional hearings, enough Republican Senators decided to put country over party and publicly vowed to vote to convict Richard Nixon on articles of impeachment if he didn’t resign. Sadly, the GOP of the 1970s would be ashamed of today’s Republican Party.
Trump’s desperation is evident in his tweets about how Special Counsel Robert Mueller shouldn’t testify before Congress, and his legal maneuvers to try to block Mueller’s full report from becoming available to Congress. The situation reached a flashpoint when Attorney General William Barr, likely careworn by Trump’s White House, told the House Judiciary Committee that if they held Barr in contempt he would urge Trump to claim Executive Privilege over the entire Mueller report. While this was clearly a move made out of desperation, it will certainly hurt Trump not only politically but legally.
While it certainly feels like we’re living through a unique time in American history, many of Trump’s actions appear reminiscent of Nixon’s downfall. Just as Trump has refused multiple congressional subpoenas, Nixon attempted to obstruct justice by withholding evidence and preventing testimony. Despite Nixon’s best attempt at preventing his crimes from becoming public, the Supreme Court unanimously decided that he had to hand over the requested documents.
I’m a ceramic engineer living in Central New York, avid sports fan but find myself more interested in politics lately.