US senator quits politics over Trump’s conduct
WASHINGTON: Republican disquiet with their president scaled a new high on Tuesday when a party senator facing re-election announced he would instead retire because of the “degradation of our politics” and “the conduct of some in our executive branch”, and accused Donald Trump of being “reckless, outrageous and undignified”.
Arizona senator Jeff Flake, who was up for re-election in 2018, did not name Trump even once but in a speech from the floor of the Senate, he left no doubt about his target as he delivered a scathing critique of the president, his politics, his tweets, and the Republican Party and its leadership’s failure to stand up to him.
“We must stop pretending that the conduct of some in our executive branch are normal,” Flake said in the Senate with party leaders looking on. “They are not normal. Reckless, outrageous and undignified behaviour has become excused and countenanced as telling it like it is when it is actually just reckless, outrageous and undignified.
“And when such behaviour emanates from the top of our government, it is something else. It is dangerous to a democracy.”
Flake has been at odds with Trump, and has taken him on in remarks, tweets and in a recent book. Though his retirement was a surprise, his re-election chan- ces had seemed extremely dim.
The White House was quick to point that out. “Based on previous statements and certainly based on the lack of support that he has from the people of Arizona it’s probably a good move,” press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said, referring to Flake’s retirement.
Flake’s attacks on Trump came just hours after another Republican senator, Bob Corker, retaliated against Trump’s insults on Twitter and called the president “untruthful” and accused him of “debasing” the country through “untruths” and “name-calling”.
TWO INDIAN-AMERICAN BIZMEN FELICITATED
Trump has honoured two IndianAmerican businessmen in recognition of their significant contribution to the US economy.
Trump felicitated Sharad Thakkar and Karan Arora along with seven other owners of minority businesses in the Oval Office of the White House.