Paul Ryan, Donald Trump, Mitch McConnell
We all thought the consequences of Trump’s careless description of Mexican immigrants as rapists would end his quest for presidency, we thought his attack on John McCain for being captured in the Vietnam war would batter his campaign beyond repair, we thought mocking a disabled reporter or lying and saying Muslims in New Jersey cheered as the twin towers collapsed, would finally bring him down, and because all of that wouldn’t do it, we were sure the tapes that surfaced where he bragged about sexually assaulting women would be the final nail in the coffin, but we were wrong.
He prevailed, of course, with the help of his colleagues who went to all ends of the earth to ensure that the “criminal” with the horrifyingly disqualifying emails would not step foot in the White House.
Here we are, months later and the scandals under the Trump administration have only intensified, which until recently, with the appointment of special counsel, Robert Mueller have forced us to question whether or not anything Trump says or does is grounds for impartial investigation or impeachment.
In the midst of firing FBI director, James Comey, one thing has become clearer: Trump’s agenda is based on annihilating all who dare to stand in the way of his quest for absolute power and obedience.
And Republicans let it happen.
All in the name of power and partisanship.
They allowed Russia’s interference in the U.S. election to be treated as water under the bridge, they were deafly silent on the obvious suspicion involving the firing of James Comey and like clock work, they remain silent on the reports that revealed Donald Trump divulged highly classified information to Russian officials and even reports that Trump asked Comey to drop the investigation involving Flynn.
While those dedicated to justice and preserving the integrity of the office have demanded an independent special prosecutor to review the evidence regarding Russia’s role in the election, most Republicans have either remained silent on the issue or expressed their disapproval of Trump’s actions while continuing to remain inactive.
Let’s be clear, Republicans know Trump aides colluded with Russia to interfere with last year’s election, they know Trump fired Comey in an effort to cover it up and they know that Trump’s disclosure of highly classified information is a serious threat to American national security. But, to Republicans, the desire to consolidate power and the fear of losing it, takes precedence over the stability of our republic.
Soon, a new scandal will emerge and again, Republicans will fall silent as the leader of our free world singlehandedly destroys what is left of this slowly crumpling democracy.
It is fair to assume that if Obama or Clinton had committed such heinous acts, Republicans would be up in arms, demanding a special prosecutor and calling for the president’s impeachment while stopping at nothing to ensure the president paid for such reckless leadership and severe mismanagement of the highest office in the country.
The Russian leak is a damning scandal. Damning enough to where it should mark the end of President Trump’s reign as president, our only hope is for a thorough investigation of Trump and Russia since we cannot depend on the leaders of the Republican party to have our backs.
Ultimately, aside from this investigation that may take years, Trump’s fate in office depends not on the severity of his scandals, but rather how Republican leaders in Congress respond to the scandals. And because members in the party want to slash healthcare, minimize social programs and cut taxes, they will not denounce Trump or call for his removal unless the investigation reveals information that makes such reaction inevitable.
Until then, Republicans will continue to make ritual statements about how worrisome Trump’s actions are without ever doing anything about it. They have abandoned any sort of integrity and have instead decided to accept the administration’s perpetual state of self-destruction in order to push forth their agenda.