Corruption? Who Cares?
The endless string of abominations by the Trump administration is so great that this one is essentially going unnoticed, but it is so grotesquely cynical that I cannot resist bringing it to your attention. From the Los Angeles Times, which does as good a job as any mainstream news source I know of in reporting on Latin America:
"Undermining the government" by uncovering evidence that the President has engaged in criminal corruption. Think now, does that concern bring to your mind anything else that is going on in the world today, where the President of a country might like to set a precedent that his own evidenceless claims of national security require crushing an inquiry into his illegal behavior? I know you can think of a comparable example if you just consider the problem hard enough.
As I said, just one more in the endless string of hateful acts perpetrated by our current administration, but one that I thought was worth mentioning, for the sheer nerve that it took to take this position.
"A robust anti-corruption agency, seen as a model for Latin America, was created 12 years ago in Guatemala with strong U.S. support, and notched up an enviable record.
The International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala has prosecuted and jailed a former president, vice president and hundreds of corrupt police officials, politicians and businessmen.
But Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales announced on Aug. 31 that he was shutting the acclaimed commission, citing vague national security concerns. The panel was investigating Morales for possible campaign fraud."
A President shutting down a corruption commission which just happened to be investigating him. Anyone want to take any bets on what the response of the Trump White House has been?
"Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo initially reacted with a tweet praising Guatemala’s relationship with Washington and thanking it for its “efforts in counter-narcotics and security.”
The State Department later said that Pompeo had called Morales to reiterate U.S. support for “Guatemalan sovereignty” and for a “reformed” anti-corruption commission, comments that critics saw as tacit approval of the Morales move.
U.S. officials privately justified Pompeo’s comment by saying that the commission’s crusading zeal could threaten Guatemala’s stability by undermining the government. Those concerns outweighed the fight against corruption, a senior State Department official said."
"Undermining the government" by uncovering evidence that the President has engaged in criminal corruption. Think now, does that concern bring to your mind anything else that is going on in the world today, where the President of a country might like to set a precedent that his own evidenceless claims of national security require crushing an inquiry into his illegal behavior? I know you can think of a comparable example if you just consider the problem hard enough.
As I said, just one more in the endless string of hateful acts perpetrated by our current administration, but one that I thought was worth mentioning, for the sheer nerve that it took to take this position.
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