Is he just that stupid?
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.
Shirley is a former entertainment writer and has worked in the legal field for over 25 years