By Sid Schwab / Herald Columnist
The U.S. Agency for International Development is a “criminal organization,” says President Musk, so, illegally bypassing Congress, he’s ending it.
Cowed Republican members say nothing. USAID represents less than 1 percent of the federal budget. It’s the world’s largest provider of food to the hungry. It distributes schoolbooks and vaccines, promotes democracy and goodwill toward America. In ending it, Trump, ceder of the free world, passes leadership to our adversaries. It’s what happens when a “president” who knows little and cares less, hands our government to the world’s richest man, unelected, given no powers by Congress. A man who, like Trump, loves dictators and seems to enjoy hurting the powerless.
It’s not only Musk whom Trump loosed upon us. He’s putting in charge, if Republican senators forsake their duty, people who should never run important agencies, who’ll weaponize them for Trump, as opposed to President Biden’s non-weaponization about which Trump’s cadre of liars lied endlessly instead of legislating.
It’s not as bad as predicted, though. It’s worse. And, like the cliché about drinking from a firehose, it’s impossible to take it all in. Intentional, most likely. Having limited space, we’ll mention only a few transgressions with which we’re being hosed.
Most consequential is what’s happening at the Department of Justice and FBI. Those critical law enforcement agencies are becoming Soviet-style tools of repression; agents and prosecutors who did their constitutional duty are being replaced with ones who won’t. They’ll destroy the lives of innocent citizens while lessening America’s ability to confront terrorism — home-grown and foreign — endangering us all.
When federal crimes are suspected, the FBI investigates. If suspects lie or refuse to cooperate, this may include obtaining search warrants. When evidence of crime is uncovered, the DOJ prosecutes; if they make their case, a jury of citizens, chosen by both sides, convicts. It’s how American jurisprudence, till now, has worked. For Trump’s multiple crimes, those steps were followed. People who did their sworn duty are being fired; many will be “investigated.” It’s conceivable that Trump’s minions threaten jurors, too.
If approved, his disingenuous testimony to the contrary, Kashyap Patel will recast the FBI as KGB. (Maybe not the juror thing.) Nothing coming from Republican members of The World’s Greatest Deliberative Body suggests he’ll be rejected, so thorough is their surrender of integrity and respect for the law.
As Florida’s Attorney General, Pam Bondi’s refusal to prosecute Trump’s pre-presidential crimes, after which her campaign received a generous donation from him, means it’s naive to believe she won’t do the same with the DOJ. In fact: ABC News: tinyurl.com/nosurprise4u.
While the FBI and DOJ focus on serving Trump’s pathologies, what will happen to their central mission of protecting America from threats within and without, and prosecuting actual criminals? From the once and former “party of law and order,” their silence is profound. But expected.
A sampling of other transgressions deserving mention, for none of which is there space to do justice:
Like the abortive rollout of curtailing practically all government spending, which lasted about one day before Trump was made aware of the predictable consequences, his tariffs on Mexico and Canada went on hold before they happened. Trumpists, of course, assign it to Trump’s cosmic superpowers (New Republic: tinyurl.com/whocaved). Or was it that the markets crashed, his pals lost lots of money, and his benefactors screamed about the negative effects on their businesses?
Whatever the reason, Trump’s justifications changed approximately hourly. Which is uncharacteristic of well-reasoned, purposeful plans. No concession, the 10,000 touted troops Mexico will send to the border are fewer than it sent in previous years (CNN: tinyurl.com/moretroops4u). For the interested, here’s an expert’s discussion of the tariffic dangers: (YouTube: tinyurl.com/sobad4us)
Trump’s heartless, fact-free accusation and purely political response to the air tragedy over D.C. has been hashed aplenty. Was it intended to forestall mention of his scrapping the Aviation Safety Committee? In any case, his lack of empathy for the victims was the opposite of presidential. But pure Trump.
Whatever one thinks of gender pronoun use, Trump’s banning them from government communications seems to violate the First Amendment. Same with LGBTQ-related words. As opposed to, say, Facebook banning Trump, about which Trumpists continually connipted.
If briefly and clumsily, Trump banned distribution of life-saving HIV drugs (Snopes: tinyurl.com/nomeds4u). This harbings life (or death) under RFK Jr., who’s one step away from confirmation.
Removing security details from Milley, Bolton and other intended targets of assassination by Iran, is just short of doing it himself. But they weren’t nice to him.
Banning public communication from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will harm all Americans, even MAGAs. (tinyurl.com/noCDC4u). Same with shutting down the Consumer Financial Protection Agency. Samer with purging helpful information from other government sites. (tinyurl.com/infonomore)
His “turning on the water” in California accomplished only badness (Facebook: tinyurl.com/dumbwater).
When he builds his Gaza hotels, will the Mediterranean become “The Sea of Trump”?
Though incomplete, this list makes clear: Trump’s ego and donors are top priorities. Lawfulness is at the bottom. The public weal has no ranking at all.
Bought any eggs lately?
Email Sid Schwab at columnsid@gmail.com.
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