Is he just that stupid?

| 10:30 am EST November 15, 2019
Dear Palmer Report readers, we all understand the difficult era we're heading into. Major media outlets are caving to Trump already. Even the internet itself and publishing platforms may be at risk. But Palmer Report is nonetheless going to lead the fight. We're funding our 2025 operating expenses now, so we can keep publishing no matter what happens. I'm asking you to contribute if you can, because the stakes are just so high. You can donate here.

In the midst of the impeachment inquiry, Donald Trump did something that irritated both Democrats and Republicans: He invited Turkish President Erdogan to the White House. During their joint press conference, Erdogan had the nerve to tell the House to stop its “vicious cycle” of passing sanctions on Turkey. Republican Senators hit back succinctly and clearly, especially after Erdogan showed an anti-Kurd propaganda video. If Trump and Erdogan thought their little tea party would win over Republicans, they were sorely mistaken.

Republicans have never supported Trump’s abrupt decision to pull troops out of Syria and leave the Kurds at the mercy of Erdogan. The Kurds have been supportive allies in the fight against ISIS and assisted in the destruction of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, even after Trump’s errant policies left them to face Turkey alone. Yet, Trump thought parading Erdogan in front of Republicans would change things. He was mistaken.
According to Politico, Mitt Romney commented that this wasn’t “a good time … for Mr. Erdogan to be at the White House” while John Cornyn called Erdogan “bad news for the people of Turkey and NATO.”

Even though Mitch McConnell has been against Turkey sanctions, he told reporters that “the matter is still under discussion.” Even as McConnell hesitates, Politico believes that it may well be difficult if not impossible to stop sanctions against Turkey. In fact, as Politico points out, the House overwhelmingly passed a bill that directly targets Turkey’s economy and also states that “[Senators] are itching to condemn Turkey’s president.”

Is Trump purposely committing political suicide, or is he just that stupid? Perhaps he’s merely trying to distract from the ongoing impeachment inquiry, which Politico also points out has released “damning new evidence” based on testimony to date. At the same time, Nancy Pelosi is vocal that Trump “committed bribery” in his actions with Ukraine. Pelosi went on to explain exactly what she means by the word bribery: “The bribe is to grant or withhold military assistance in return for a public statement of a fake investigation into the elections. That’s bribery.” When she puts it that way, Trump’s actions certainly sound like bribery.

According to Cornell Law: “Bribery refers to the offering, giving, soliciting, or receiving of any item of value as a means of influencing the actions of an individual holding a public or legal duty. This type of action results in matters that should be handled objectively in a manner best suiting the private interests of the decision maker.” Yep. This is exactly what Trump did.