Donald Trump’s New Strategy: Publicly Suggest Foreign Governments Investigate Political Rivals

Well, all of those Trump defenders who questioned the Intelligence Community whistleblower can be quiet now because Donald Trump just publicly suggested what was once private. Watch starting at 1:38:

Trump said President Zelenskyy should start an investigation into the Bidens and “China should start an investigation into the Bidens because what happened in China is just about as bad as Ukraine.”

Twitter was abuzz with reaction:

Law professor Orin Kerr said:

Christian Post political writer Napp Nazworth asked:

Congressman Justin Amash wrote:

This from Zack Hunt is pretty funny and inspired my headline:

In sum, the new strategy seems to be to dare the nation to do something about it. He seems to be saying to his base that he will do whatever he wants and thus far, they seem to be going along with it. My question is about Republican office holders. Will they see the problem here? This is setting the tone for any future presidency. If the GOP does not act in some manner, there will be no obvious limits. Will soliciting foreign help in our elections be the new normal? Will foreign governments fight their battles via our candidates? This is not a sustainable position.

27 thoughts on “Donald Trump’s New Strategy: Publicly Suggest Foreign Governments Investigate Political Rivals”

  1. This year’s Netflix documentary-series, The Family, reveals the White-Nationalist Evangelical obsession with authoritarian patriarchy. It’s especially well-made, as it features Evangelicals in their very own words and actions. And it includes interview footage of Dr. Throckmorton as well. His contribution is helpful in that it accounts for how the voices of the few began speaking out about the importation of toxic homophobia overseas and consequent human rights violations.

    You are correct: Trump’s followers are anti-democracy, anti-American authoritarian theocrats. And now their White Evangelical leaders are issuing frothing-at-the-mouth calls for mass murder through Civil War if Trump is held accountable for his crimes.

  3. “My question is about Republican office holders. Will they see the problem here?”

    If they didn’t see a problem with the phone call, they aren’t going to see a problem with Trump’s latest statement either.

    In the phone call, he used the power of his office to attempt to coerce the Ukraine to do what he wanted. Here, he is “just asking.”

    1. Actually, most republican office holders DO see the problem (no one who can repeatedly be re-elected can be that stupid). The question is will they do anything about it? or worse, will they continue to try to cover it up?

      1. It will be an entirely political calculation. If they see Trump’s base support slipping below 40%, they will begin to believe supporting impeachment is safe, but if that 40% holds, they’re not going to do anything, because Trump will unleash his anger on them and they will pick up a challenger from the right.

        1. My concern is that the inquiry will also be a political calculation for too many democrats as well.

  4. Remember when George Papadopoulos had too much to drink and told the Australian diplomat that Russia had thousands of Hillary’s emails? The diplomat only told the FBI when Wikileaks published the emails after Trump called for Russia to release them (if they had them).

    In a letter to Australia’s PM, Lindsey Graham rewrote the history of that event. He claimed that the US Intelligence Community (IC) directed the diplomat to get information from Papadopoulos and relay the info back to the US.

    Joe Hockey, the Australian ambassador, replied to Graham:

    “In your letter you made mention of the role of an Australian diplomat. We reject your characterisation of his role… we will work closely with the Attorney General to resolve any misunderstandings in this matter.”

    Australia -1. USA – 0

  5. What if a President committed an impeachable offense on TV from the South Lawn and no one in his party cared?
    I worry we may be about to find out

    And… we have: https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/2019/10/03/ron-johnson-ok-trump-asking-china-investigate-bidens/3855795002/
    “[WI Senator] Ron Johnson OK with President Trump asking China to investigate 2020 political rival”

    The Trumpification of the GOP is complete. There is no Republican with an ounce of patriotism or a twinge of morality.

    1. Actually Mark Sanford (currently a primary challenger to Trump) as said he believes the phone call was an impeachable offense. I suspect there are others as well.

      1. The problem is, there are countless Republicans currently holding office in Trump’s cabinet and throughout his administration who are about to go down for criminal behavior. And in the civic sphere, which Republican would dare disturb White Evangelical fear-mongering calls for Civil War if Trump is held accountable?

        Truth and accountability are deeply offensive to them. No wonder they want nothing to do with Jesus.

      4. Granted there haven’t yet been any prominent christian “leaders” saying what Trump did was wrong. A sad day when politicians are showing more moral integrity than religious “leaders.”

        1. And now you can add Romney to the list.

          By all appearances, the President’s brazen and unprecedented appeal to China and to Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden is wrong and appalling.— Mitt Romney (@MittRomney) October 4, 2019

  6. As White Evangelical Trump continues to break the law and work directly against the United States on live TV, it is noteworthy that Trump’s White Evangelical followers are elevating their lies, deception, obfuscations, and frothing-at-the-mouth fear-mongering such as calls for mass murder through Civil War.

    Such vile hatred is acceptable in their homes and churches, so they naturally think their deplorable theology is acceptable in the civic sphere. They are watching their hegemony begin to crumble in real time, and neither their lies, their obfuscations, nor their lust for more death will stop truth from being revealed.

  7. The spectacle of a president shamelessly committing crimes on live TV is something I never expected to see. And I know I’m not alone in that.

    This does put the onus on Republicans, who increasingly resort to childlike equivalencies and “I know you are but what am I?” argumentation. Every time, they deny the president did anything wrong to the press, only to have the accusations confirmed. To the point Trump saves everyone the trouble of legwork and just admits it, and then dares us all to do something. The Republican Party has proven itself devoid of principle or even any sense of public service. They make the kind of arguments people usually abandon between the second and third grades.

    There are two choices now: Either honor your oath and follow the Constitution, or submit to President Ozymandias. Choose number two, and you have no business working for the people.

    1. Dr. Throckmorton’s comment section was spammed again yesterday with the predictable failed attempts to distract, derail, and obfuscate through their whataboutery and false equivalencies. So Trump’s followers have doubled down on their deplorable behavior for the world to see. Their own actions and words archived in countless DISQUS comment sections reveal all we need to know about their idolatrous, self-serving theology.

      1. Trumpalo comments are always dumpster fires of irrelevancies and infantile rage.

        Kind of like Trump himself.

        1. Yesterday’s rise of the Evangelical Trolls reminds me of all those Evangelical Trolls who popped up to defend Mark Driscoll just as Mars Hill was about to crumble under Driscoll’s corruption.

        2. Yesterday’s rise of the Evangelical Trolls reminds me of all those Evangelical Trolls who popped up to defend Mark Driscoll just as Mars Hill was about to crumble under Driscoll’s corruption.

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