LETTER: Letter writer failed to include facts
As a registered Whig, I wholeheartedly agree with Scott Henson’s Oct. 17 call for scrapping binary, partisan politics. However, his claim that President Donald J. Trump transcends partisanship and has no personal agenda was bizarre and made possible only because he failed to include facts.
Heaps of evidence increasingly show that Trump uses the Oval Office for personal gain.
The ongoing congressional investigation into Trump’s interactions with Ukraine provides damaging evidence that our president has weaponized foreign policy for personal gain related to destroying a political rival. White House chief-of-staff Mick Mulvaney has publicly admitted that congressionally budgeted foreign aid was blocked as part of a quid pro quo. Available testimony and statements from Trump’s ambassador Gordon Sondland, a longtime Republican donor, corroborate this.
This alarming reality is further corroborated by available testimony from former ambassadors Marie Yovanovitch and William B. Taylor. Presidents Bush and Obama both entrusted Taylor with diplomatic roles. Yet, Taylor publicly described Trump’s attempts to withhold foreign aid in exchange for dirt on Joe Biden as “crazy.”
In response to mounting evidence that Trump abuses his office, the White House offers no information to justify the president’s shocking behavior. Instead, they deflect and distract.
The Trump administration seeks to cover up his behavior by shamelessly hiding behind executive privilege. They are also crafting legal arguments to overturn the 1974 Nixon Era legal precedent in Haldeman v. Sirica. One wonders, what are they hiding?
Additionally, the White House is attempting to rewrite our Constitution by finding a federal court that will recognize “presidential immunity” to prevent sitting presidents from being charged with any crime at the federal, state, or municipal levels. Together these actions indicate an administration willing to sacrifice the constitutional order our president swore to uphold and defend.
While I agree with Henson that it’s time to move past partisan politics, this should never mean turning a blind eye to abuse of foreign policy and federal funds for personal gain.
Trump’s decisions undermine national security; they endanger soldiers and civilians living overseas who know our president could sacrifice us for a personal political advantage at any time.
Samuel J. Richards
Shanghai, China
The letter-writer is a Washington County native currently working in China.