The Democrats’ questions may Trump Donald

IT IS all very well for President Trump to be jubilant over the mid-term results of the American vote but he is kidding himself if he thinks the increase of his support in the Senate outweighs his loss of control of the Representatives. As over here, it is the Lower House of Congress that can initiate both legislation and inquiries, and the Upper House that can endorse them.

In Washington the newly empowered Democratic bloc in the Lower House can now set in motion a chain of measures that Donald Trump may bitterly resent. But with voting control it is the Democrats who now have the whip hand after two years of impotence. And Trump’s past two years have left bitter dislike.

If they want (and they will), the Democrats of the Lower House can now set in motion Congressional inquiries into (a) the involvement (if at all) of Russian fake-news cyber experts to urge millions of Americans to “go Trump” two years ago.

Then at (b) there are his tax affairs as a multimillionaire property developer. Did he cut corners on honest declaration of tax liability or did he shelter profits from the taxman? Finally, at (c) what about that reputedly lubricious private life? Are there more Stormy Daniels-style call girls hiding behind the wainscot, ready to emerge and denounce?

A US President has many privileges – but hiding his past is not one of them. And the long litany of screaming dismissals from his staff over two years has created a legion of those with a chip on the shoulder.

If last Tuesday week was a success for him, the battle of Waterloo was a real humdinger for Napoleon.