A disconcerting aspect of the recent confession of Donald Trump Jr. of working with Russian operatives is the seeming lack of concern by the American public.
Just another “boys will be boys” escapade.
That’s how inured we’ve become to all the damage wreaked by this president’s administration.
Somehow working with Russia to subvert a U.S. election has become ho-hum news. People downplay that such dealings — effective or not — put the country in the lap of an archenemy.
Folks, this is not politics as usual.
For example, in the 2000 presidential campaign a dossier containing insider information on George W. Bush, including a videotape of practice debates, was delivered to a staff member of opponent Al Gore’s campaign. Rather than risk the fallout of such incriminating evidence, Gore staffers delivered the package to the FBI posthaste.
In the case of “Debate-gate,” as it is known, the FBI tracked down the perpetrator. The woman was indicted, fined $500,000 and given a 10-year prison sentence, which was later reduced with a plea bargain to one year in prison.
So yes, opposing parties try to get compromising information about their opponents, but even then ethical lines are drawn. Using the help of a foreign adversary whose nuclear armaments are of equal strength and whose records on human rights rival those of Genghis Khan goes beyond the pale.
Earlier this month Russia opposed increasing sanctions requested by the United Nations against North Korea for its recent ICBM test. North Korea now has the capability to reach U.S. soil with a nuclear missile. Because all 15 members of the U.N. Security Council must agree to issue such sanctions, Russia’s refusal to go along speaks volumes about how it relishes putting the United States at a disadvantage.
THANKS TO Donald Jr. releasing emails of his discussions with Russian operatives on how to score “dirt” on Hillary Clinton, — “I love it!” — we now know for certain of the Trump campaign’s willingness to plumb the depths of morality to win the U.S. presidency.
As a nation, following that trajectory would be suicide.
— Susan Lynn
