US democracy in peril

It looks like the political situation in the US is getting more and more confusing, to the point that the whole world is rendered on edge.

First, FBI Director James Comey, in his Congressional testimony on Tuesday, denied the allegation by President Donald Trump that the agency had the Trump Tower phones tapped.

However, Mr Comey confirmed that the FBI is conducting a criminal investigation into whether Russia has influenced the US 2016 presidential election — by hacking into the Democratic Party’s computer system and helping Mr Trump get elected.

This seems to be a time bomb for President Trump and his administration.

Second, news emerged that President Trump’s former chief campaign chairman Paul Manafort was forced to resign before the 2016 election because it was found he had worked for a Russian billionaire, possibly to advance the interests of Russian President Vladimir Putin in the US.

Third, former United States ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, described Russia as a “major threat” to the US democratic system and the rules-based liberal world order.

Citing George Washington’s warning about the danger of foreign interference, Ms Power said: “More than 220 years later, Washington’s warning feels strikingly relevant.”

Ms Power also cited a recent poll that showed an alarming shift in US public opinion: 37% of American Republicans now hold a favourable view of Mr Putin, up from only 10% in 2014.

Hence, is this the beginning of the end of the “exemplary” American democracy?

VINT CHAVALA