Path: ...!Xl.tags.giganews.com!local-1.nntp.ord.giganews.com!news.giganews.com.POSTED!not-for-mail
NNTP-Posting-Date: Mon, 22 Apr 2024 17:51:51 +0000
Subject: Re: Donald Trump: The worst traitor in American history
From: Phil3487@yahoo-dot-com.no-spam.invalid (The_LA_Flash)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.tv
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-15
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
User-Agent: newsSync 664052358
References: <v03avu$c1v8$4@dont-email.me>
Message-ID: <wa-dnSP7JrAqPrv7nZ2dnZfqn_udnZ2d@giganews.com>
Date: Mon, 22 Apr 2024 17:51:51 +0000
Lines: 223
X-Usenet-Provider: http://www.giganews.com
X-Trace: sv3-sRcqfRjNhVp3MBPUV9GKm5wvVKRSP50MVeYdX3GldTgtuojKehdGX9RSlIv9+YNlNqNcKTFapyqGnua!D1gHcIdCJKnLd4hV9fw+Fh/YYr6uqGlTTH35Vq3uEKreJzDZH7rmgxXImY71v7awEx7pEEzQbgFB!yQ==
X-Complaints-To: abuse@giganews.com
X-DMCA-Notifications: http://www.giganews.com/info/dmca.html
X-Abuse-and-DMCA-Info: Please be sure to forward a copy of ALL headers
X-Abuse-and-DMCA-Info: Otherwise we will be unable to process your complaint properly
X-Postfilter: 1.3.40
Bytes: 8854
X-Original-Lines: 1


 > 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
========== REMAINDER OF ARTICLE TRUNCATED ==========