Trump’s Next Move
You did nothing wrong, Don — fight this charade
WHEN it comes to the impeachment of President Trump, time is not on the side of the Democrats. They have already announced that a vote on articles of impeachment will not take place before Thanksgiving, their previous deadline, and it seems unclear that it can happen this year at all.
This is but one reason why the president should continue fighting against impeachment with every tool in his, and his party’s, arsenal — contrary to advice he is reportedly receiving from some GOP quarters.
To surrender on the essential question of whether he engaged in an inappropriate and potentially illegal quid pro quo regarding aid to Ukraine would be a disaster for Trump. Not only would it vindicate his opponents, it would put his allies in the Senate in a position of having to consider acquittal in a case where the president has admitted wrongdoing.
And what has not been proved thus far by any whistleblower, witness or testimony is that Trump actually engaged in the transaction he is alleged to have engaged in.
We know that a promise to investigate Burisma, the Ukrainian energy company that hired Hunter Biden, was one of several conditions the president wanted met before releasing congressionally authorized military aid to Ukraine. In addition, he wanted a look back at potential Ukrainian election interference in 2016 and a review of the extent to which our European allies are assisting Kiev. Not a single one of these facts is in question.
What is very much in question is whether delaying the aid — aid that was eventually released — while Trump sought answers on these conditions is an abuse of power. Clearly, many career professionals both in the diplomatic corps and the military were uncomfortable with the situation, while the president’s more overtly political appointees, like Ambassador Gordan Sondland, viewed Trump’s actions as within his rightful authority. It is not particularly odd for career officials and political appointees to disagree over such matters, and that happened here.
The president’s critics in Congress and in the State Department are free to argue that Trump acted irresponsibly and at odds with the national interest. But then again, Trump was elected president by the American people — and as such has wide latitude in deciding foreign policy. And while the Democratic base is comfortable removing a sitting president for asserting his authority, it is not clear that independent voters are — and it’s completely clear that Republicans are not.
Trump has no choice but to do what he always does — which is fight. The idea that admitting wrongdoing and apologizing for his actions will help Trump either in regard to impeachment or in bolstering political support strains credulity. The Democrats aren’t going to turn around and say, “That’s OK, buddy, just see that it doesn’t happen again.” Rather, they will pounce on the display of weakness — and only increase the pressure on Trump.
Three years into Trump’s presidency, there is no reason to believe that he and congressional Democrats can turn the page and reset their relationship.
Yes, there are potential policies and legislation where Democrats and the president may be able to work together, such as the North American trade agreement. But the fundamentally vicious dynamic between the two sides can’t be wished away by taking responsibility for actions that Trump clearly thinks were not only fine, but “perfect.”
For Trump and quite possibly for his opponents as well, the only way out is through. There is no truce to be had that can set the country on a course for “normalcy.” For his entire presidency, Democrats have made absolutely clear that investigating and eventually impeaching him is their single priority, and that won’t change if the White House issues some kind of “mistakes-were-made” mea culpa.
Rather, the result will be that Trump’s base will be frustrated, perhaps even concerned that they were lied to by the president, the Democratic base will continue chanting “lock him up” at baseball games and everyone in between will remain essentially where they are right now. Trump’s entire brand is that he is a fighter; if he survives this impeachment attempt, it will be by fighting it — not by apologizing and begging the Democrats’ pardon.