A Mile of Inches: The Normalization of a Criminal Presidency
“The question is not whether the president did it,” said retiring Republican Lamar Alexander late Thursday night, “but whether the United States Senate or the American people should decide what to do about what he did.”
The breathtaking statement released by Alexander capped off a bewildering stance that President Donald Trump had acted inappropriately in withholding financial assistance to Ukraine in exchange for political favors but that no further investigation was necessary. Alexander, considered a possible vote in favor of witnesses, had twisted himself in a logical pretzel that will undoubtedly live on through history.
To say Alexander’s stance is illogical is…an understatement. He has no admitted publicly he believes Trump committed a crime and abused his power, but by standing with his Republican colleagues in giving the president a pass, he is setting a precedent for future executives. From here on out, Trump will have a greenlight to abuse his office and attempt to undermine our elections using tax dollars and the pull and sway of American foreign policy. That’s an established tenet of American diplomacy from here on out, and any attempt to impeach a president for that behavior will be met with the Alexander Standard.
That means, from today onward, until November 2020 and possibly January 2025, and who knows, maybe longer, Donald Trump can use his office to pressure other nations to hurt his political rivals. Undoubtedly that will reshape American foreign policy, our standing in the world, the truth other nations have in our affairs and our promises, and, most disturbingly, the sovereignty of our elections. Alexander and the Republicans who will now surely vote to acquit Trump and legitimize his crimes, have shamelessly given carte blanche to any president with the requisite number of senators in their favor, to equate their own political interest with the interests of the United States of America.
It doesn’t end there, obviously. Trump’s defense, now that he’s sure to be acquitted, have set many other precedents, including the stonewalling of Congress, the blanket refusal of subpoenas, respect of checks and balances and Congress’s power to conduct oversight, and, with Alan Dershowitz’s argument that a president can literally do anything they want, the beginnings of a presidential power grab the likes of which we’ve never seen.
We’re entering uncharted territory here. The day after Trump felt he beat the Mueller Report he shook down the new president of Ukraine in an attempt to rig the 2020 Election. Backed by a Republican Senate that sees politics as a zero-sum game and cares little about longterm consequences, Trump will be invigorated. There’s no end to what he’s capable of, what lines he might cross. He’s openly called for foreign interference in our elections. He’s told everyone who would listen that he would accept foreign interference. He’s dreamed freely and frequently about reining in the press and squashing the civil liberties of his opponents. He’s faced with a hell of a fight heading into November and his back remains against the wall.
Lamar Alexander and his fellow Republicans have now told Trump he’s free to do as he pleases and do anything to retain power. It starts today, and there’s no telling where it ends.