> Paul Szypula wrote:
> How do Trump's extraordinary betrayals stand up against history? He
could
> be the worst.
> Putting Trump in context is the best way to highlight and
understand his
> betrayals. History is the highest court, and its verdict can't be
appealed.
> David Rothkopf
> Opinion columnist
>
> It is not a small thing to call the president of the United States
a
> traitor. But it is an even greater offense to fail to call him one
if he
> has betrayed his country as often and as egregiously as Donald
Trump has
> done.
>
> As the depth of Trumps active collaboration with Russia became
clear in
> 2016 and 2017, as he was revealed to be surrounded by men who were
> compromised by their ties to Russia, as he orchestrated a cover-up
of his
> wrongdoing, fired and impeded those who would investigate it and
serially
> rewarded Russia for its efforts on his behalf, it was not uncommon
to hear
> critics apply strong labels to what the president had done. Trump
himself
> has applied the word "treason" almost casually to his
political enemies.
>
> But treason is very narrowly defined by the Constitution. Article
III
> specifies, Treason against the United States, shall consist only in
> levying war against them, or in adhering to their enemies, giving
them aid
> and comfort. While it is undoubtedly true that Trump has adhered to
a
> foreign adversary, Russia, and has given it much aid and comfort,
the
> courts have determined that an enemy can only be a country against
which we
> have declared war. That is an antiquated idea in a time during
which
> undeclared wars are far more common and cyber conflict, for
example, may be
> an almost permanent feature of an international relationship. But
it is
> binding.
> Trump has repeatedly betrayed US
>
> That said, the dictionary definition of a traitor is a person who
betrays
> a friend, country or principle. There is no doubt that Trump has
betrayed
> the country time and time again. It is a matter of public record
that he
> encouraged our Russian adversaries to become involved in the 2016
election.
> When the intelligence community provided evidence of the threat
posed by
> Russia, we saw Trump dismiss it, ignore it, fail in his duty to
preserve,
> protect and defend.
>
> We have seen him use the power of his office to reward and
celebrate the
> Russians and to condemn Americans in the CIA and the FBI and
elsewhere who
> would seek to impede the Russian attacks on our democracy. We have
watched
> him undermine the rule of law in the United States and alter U.S.
policy in
> ways that empowered the Russians and, specifically, enabled them to
> interfere yet again in our elections.
>
> Relentless adversary:Russia never stopped trying to sway elections
and sow
> mistrust. Best thing to do is vote.
>
> The Russia betrayal is the original sin of the Trump presidency.
And since
> Russian President Vladimir Putin helped Trump win office, not a
week has
> gone by that we have not been confronted by its consequences
attacks on
> our allies, classified information handed over in the Oval Office,
hacks
> put atop the intelligence community to suppress warnings about
Russia,
> messages from the president validating Putin propaganda over the
findings
> of U.S. national security professionals, embracing Russian
positions on
> issues like Ukraine, giving Russia a free hand in Syria, pulling
out of the
> Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty in a way to give Russia
more
> freedom to develop its defenses.
>
> Investigations into this betrayal have been quashed. But the facts
close
> ties between Trump and his team with Russians and (in the case of
people
> like Paul Manafort and Rudy Giuliani) direct interaction with known
Russian
> intelligence operatives have been established.
> Cover of 'Traitor: A History of American Betrayal From Benedict
Arnold to
> Donald Trump,' by David Rothkopf, published Oct. 27, 2020.
>
> There have been other betrayals, of course: Rewarding foreign
despots who
> might benefit Trump businesses. Every corrupt act of placing
self-interest
> ahead of the national interest. Seeking to pressure Ukrainians into
helping
> defeat a potential political adversary, the act that led to Trumps
> impeachment. Placing personal political fortunes ahead of the lives
and
> well-being of hundreds of thousands of Americans, now victims of
the COVID-
> 19 catastrophe.
>
> Trump has betrayed the country again and again. And there has been
a
> massive effort by him and his political allies to quash this truth,
to
> cloud perceptions with disinformation, to claim critical elements
of it
> were a hoax. To defend the country, to ensure the survival of our
democracy
> and to ultimately undo the damage Trump and Putin and their
enablers and
> cronies have done, it was essential that the facts be brought to
light.
>
> But how could that be done in a way that would stand up to scrutiny
and
> stand out amidst the daily outrages of the Trump presidency? As a
> historian and a student of the presidency and of power, I know that
history
> is the highest court, that its jurisdiction knows no boundaries and
that
> its final verdict cannot be appealed. Further, I understood that it
was
> essential not to allow Trumps serial betrayals to become somehow
> normalized or devalued in the acid back and forth of our daily
political
> debate.
> Trump in historical context
>
> The best way to convey the extraordinary nature of Trumps abuses
and the
> damage he has done is to let the facts speak for themselves against
the
> backdrop of history. It is essential to objectively ask, how do his
acts
> compare with those who have come before him? Where does he stand
alongside
> Benedict Arnold, Aaron Burr, Jefferson Davis, John Brown, the
Rosenbergs,
> Aldrich Ames, Robert Hanssen?
>
> Each of their stories is different (Brown, convicted and hanged for
> treason, was a mistreated hero; Arnold was an American war hero
before he
> became our most notorious traitor). But by placing Trump among
them, as I
> have done in my new book, Traitor: A History of American Betrayal
from
> Benedict Arnold to Donald Trump, we can see what he has done in
context,
> dispassionately, set apart from the spin and the apologists.
>
> Retired Marine generals:Trump's dangerous isolationism weakens
America and
> strengthens our adversaries
>
> The 2020 election presents us with an existential choice. If we
reelect
> this wannabe authoritarian, this puppet of foreign autocrats, he
and they
> will be not just validated but empowered. Whatever Trumps
motivation, we
> have seen him remake our judiciary and undermine our system of
justice. He
> has degraded America on the global stage and profoundly weakened
us.
>
> All that is the price of his betrayals to date. Should he be given
four
> more years to carry them forward, our democracy might never
recover. We
> must see him for the traitor he is and see that because of the high
office
> he held and his complete absence of character or care for the
country, he
> may well be the worst of all those who have betrayed America in the
past.
>
>
>
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2020/10/27/trump-betrayals-stand- > out-even-next-to-benedict-arnold-column/6040603002/
Thanks for posting, the writer knocked it out of the park. Trump would
sell out anybody for himself but then he expects everyone to be loyal
to him. Show me a Trump supporter and I'll show you a fool.
This is a response to the post seen at:
http://www.jlaforums.com/viewtopic.php?p=663993337#663993337
Re: Donald Trump: The worst traitor in American history