Imagine that you are an American citizen and have been accused of wrongdoing. Let’s say you are under investigation, and lawmakers are charged with bringing people in to provide testimony regarding your alleged misdeeds. You, in response, tell two witnesses to not show up; you tell them to refuse to testify. They do not show up. Moreover, a third person, the one who was allowed to show up by you, was instructed to stonewall the proceedings. This is what happened when Corey Lewandowski, President Donald Trump’s former campaign manager, was called to testify before a Congressional impeachment inquiry.
Lewandowski, especially during the first part of the inquiry, openly stonewalled the proceedings, obviously playing games. His opening statement was like a cheerleader routine for Donald Trump. He repeatedly requested clarity regarding questions and then provided less than adequate answers. He was blatantly uncooperative. At one point, he actually made the statement, in response to a question posited by Barry H. Berke, a well-regarded, white-collar defense attorney who was questioning him, “I have no obligation to have a candid conversation with the media whatsoever, just like they have no obligation to cover me honestly, and they do it inaccurately all the time.” Basically, he was saying that he had no obligation to tell the truth to the press and, by extension, to the American people!
The hearing was painful to watch by anyone who was seeking to find the truth. Ultimately, however, Lewandowski was revealed as a liar, even though evidently it was obvious that Trump, through Lewandowski, was thumbing his nose at Congress. In fact, after Lewandowski’s opening statement, Trump tweeted from Air Force One: “Such a beautiful Opening Statement by Corey Lewandowski! Thank you Corey!”
In addition to this debacle, Trump has been repeatedly hounded by various and sundry accusations regarding wrongdoing on multiple levels. The most recent scandal involves damning allegations from a very credible whistleblower that Trump had a very inappropriate conversation with a foreign leader asking for assistance in acquiring information about presidential hopeful Joe Biden. This is like déjà vu, in that this is precisely what Trump was accused of doing in 2016 regarding Hillary Clinton, his campaign opponent at that time. The reported leader that Trump allegedly had the conversation with was head of the Ukraine, with whom he allegedly had a pending multi-million dollar business arrangement.
President Trump is a master manipulator who is beginning to resemble Teflon. It is clear that he is a pathological liar. His acolytes don’t mind this, however. It seems that Donald Trump is trying to actually deconstruct the planet! He is making threatening economic moves with China; he is saber-rattling with Iran due to a devastating fire in a Saudi oil field; he is a climate change denier and is pulling back regulations that could help save the planet. His fiery rhetoric has been accused of fomenting rage among itchy-fingered white supremacists wielding assault rifles. Even though this is the case, no one is brave enough to really challenge him. The Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, has now called for impeachment. Other Democrats are slowly and reluctantly getting on board, but currently, even though there was an impeachment hearing, Trump seems to have some type of invisible hold on both Democrats AND Republicans.
Ultimately, there is something horribly wrong in America. These are strange times; we have never, ever, been in a situation such as the one that we find ourselves in today, It is no secret that Trump admires authoritarian leadership. He also seems to have no respect for the rule of law. People who oppose Trump are hoping that the upcoming 2020 presidential election will result in his removal from office. This situation is far from guaranteed, however, due to Trump’s genius in pitting people against each other, which is even impacting the Black community where there are actually a number of Trump supporters. For those who are not able to see beyond the obvious manipulation, we only have this to say, “Caveat Emptor,” may the buyer BEWARE! A Luta Continua.
