A Gangster in the White House – The Atlantic

While the presumed whistle-blower reportedly remains employed by the government, he is also reportedly subject to regular death threats, including at least implicit threat by Trump himself. Trump was recorded in September telling U.S. diplomats in New York: Basically, that person never saw the report, never saw the call, he never saw the callheard something and decided that he or she, or whoever the hell they sawtheyre almost a spy. I want to know whos the person, whos the person who gave the whistle-blower the information? Because thats close to a spy. You know what we used to do in the old days when we were smart? Right? The spies and treason, we used to handle it a little differently than we do now.

Trumps tweeting in the past two days was so frenzied and the sources quoted were so bizarreincluding at least four accounts devoted to the Pizzagate-adjacent conspiracy theory QAnon, as well as one that describes former President Barack Obama as Satans Muslim scumas to renew doubts about the presidents mental stability. But Trumps long reticence about outright naming the presumed whistle-blower suggests that he remained sufficiently tethered to reality to hear and heed a lawyers advice. He disregarded that advice in full awareness that he was disregarding it. The usual excuse for Trumps online abusivenesshes counterpunchingamounts in this case not to a defense but to an indictment: Counterpunching literally means retaliating, and retaliation is what is forbidden by federal law.

The presumed whistle-blowers personal remedy for the presidents misconduct is a private lawsuit for monetary damages against the federal government. Its hard to see how such a lawsuit would do anybody any good. The presumed whistle-blower still draws a salary, and may not have suffered any material costs at all. The presumed whistle-blowers ultimate compensation for this ordeal should be a future place of honor in the service of the country.

In the meantime, though, the country is left once again with the problem of a president who refuses to obey the law. Trump is organizing from the White House a conspiracy to revenge himself on the person who first alerted the country that Trump was extorting Ukraine to help his reelection: more lawbreaking to punish the revelation of past lawbreaking. Impeaching a president whose party holds a majority in the Senate obviously presents many grave practical difficulties. But Trumps post-Christmas mania confirms House Speaker Nancy Pelosis prediction that Trump would impeach himself.

Donald Trump will not be bound by any rule, even after he has been caught. He is unrepentant and determined to break the rules againin part by punishing those who try to enforce them. He is a president with the mind of a gangster, and as long as he is in office, he will head a gangster White House.

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A Gangster in the White House - The Atlantic