U.S. Officials Warn of 'Real Security Consequences' if Trump's Acquitted

[applegrove]

U.S. Officials Warn of ‘Real Security Consequences’ if Trump’s Acquitted

Sam Brodey, Congressional Reporter and Erin Banco, National Security Reporter

https://www.thedailybeast.com/trumps-impeachment-acquittal-will-have-real-national-security-consequences-us-officials-warn?via=twitter_page

"SNIP.....

But it’s not only Capitol Hill Democrats that are preparing for a new reality. Whatever the White House says in the face of Trump’s ultimate acquittal in the Senate, U.S. administration officials and foreign officials acknowledge Trump will increasingly manufacture his own foreign policy decisions, with his personal associates, without the input of his intelligence and national security agencies. That means Trump will more likely have the ability to run his personal political errands—and business agenda—with little, if any, scrutiny. And when that scheme falls apart, and Trump’s personal associates turn on him, or decide to detail the behind-the-scenes shenanigans, the U.S. will lose credibility on the world stage.

“We’ve already seen this happen with Bolton,” one U.S. official with an extensive foreign policy portfolio, said. “His own officials will go to conferences, or hold meetings, and we’ll be blindsided by discussions the White House has had behind our backs. And how do you think this makes us look? Disorganized for one. But also that we’re a country, or at least a government, divided.”

That new reality is one that’s all but been approved by Republicans in the Senate who are set to sign-off on the White House counsel’s argument that President Trump has complete authority to make crucial national security decisions as he sees fit, even if it threatens American interests overseas or runs roughshod over a process his own deputies had put in place.

A large portion of the Ukraine story has focused on how Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani and other close confidantes such as former Energy Secretary Rick Perry and E.U. Ambassador Gordon Sondland carried out a shadow diplomacy effort to run what Democrats have called a political errand. 


.....SNIP"

[Thomas Hurt]

1. they haven't twigged to the fact that this kind of behavior is that of an autocrat and dictator.

or at least they don't have the balls to call it what it is...

[crickets]

2. I think they've been so myopically focused on getting this over with

and "winning" politically that they have not thought through many of the long term consequences, or about how badly the consequences could come back to bite them... and us.

[riversedge]

4. Getting it over with [the trial] seems to be the Repugs main goal. No thinking involved.

[not fooled]

7. But, as Elie Mystal said

today on the Nicole Sandler show, republicans think there will NEVER be a Democratic president again. That's why it's fine with them that red don gets all this power. They fully intend that a Democrat will never get the chance to use it.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

12. yes, treasonous GOP think that they will rule forever with Putin's help

[GeorgeGist]

3. Trump has presided over 6 bankruptcies.

Just saying

[ancianita]

5. It's the consequence of being a nation of men, not of laws. No enforcement is no law at all.

Enforcement is only for the "little people." It's the Insider-Outsider pecking order that gets shuffled by "services."

Lessons for how it was done in Russia might apply here. Particularly how elections were "developed."

The Road to Unfreedom by Timothy Snyder (2019) is the best deep dive into what we're about to experience.

We might as well know now.

[Corgigal]

6. I'm concerned

with the mock trials myself. He would arrest Hillary and Obama, with phony charges from his DOJ.

I remembered when Trump won, and I turned to my husband, that maybe a Obama should pardon Hillary. Not because she did anything wrong, but Trump can’t do power responsibly. I hope Andrew McCabe is alright too.

[Blue_true]

9. He won't do that, it would blow up on him massively.

What he will continue to do is stuff his pockets with under the table deals with foreign interests, and he will do back room deals with totalitarian governments to try to weaken our nominee in the Fall.

[Corgigal]

15. He will do

whatever he must to win the next election. I rule nothing out.

[Blue_true]

17. Yes, he is a longtime total loser. nt

[Harker]

8. We still have credibity on the 'world stage'?

That's pretty hard to believe.

Periodically having morons and psychotics in the WH gives us all the long term credibility of a drug dealer.

[Blue_true]

10. The world is funny.

Look what happened after Bush left, nations once again looked forward to working with us.

[Duppers]

14. Good analogy except

Some dealers are better people than tRump.

[zentrum]

11. Then Bolton should have

.....effing stepped up.

He should have testified, even without a subpoena.

He should have been the whistle blower.

If they are all so concerned, it's time to start taking risks with their careers.

Damn!

[NJCher]

13. republicans never think outside the moment

they are like little babies who scream for food when they're hungry and like animals who run away when they know they have to have their ear drops or whatever other medicine is being dispensed.

So Bolton will have his day in court: the commentators will be all over it because it proves what they did was a horrendous mistake. There will be intense discussion over it.

Meanwhile, Bolton will be cleaning up $$-wise from all the publicity. This is probably just what he envisioned.

Once the brouhaha is over with, will Americans forget? I say no because trump will continue as he always has, making stupid mistakes and causing peoples' deaths with absolutely no concern whatsoever. This is an especially dangerous time to have an incompetent like trump in office because of the virus from China.

I can just imagine his version of "way to go, Brownie."

[Lock him up.]

16. Bolton will be called to testify to the House...

He will be blocked (of course) but we'll see if he'll defy the Obstruction.