One of the most interesting aspects of the newly launched impeachment inquiry is that each side – Donald Trump and Democrats in the House of Representatives – appear to be working off the same set of facts.
The reality is simple: The president of the United States pressured a foreign power to give him dirt on a political opponent in exchange for military aid – and the administration sought to cover it up.
Stunningly, Trump hasn’t denied any of this criminal behavior. In fact, the White House released a transcript that confirms the alarming facts laid out in the whistleblower complaint.
The difference between the president and the majority of the country that is disturbed by his behavior is that Trump believes there is nothing wrong with extorting a foreign country for political purposes. Like a broken record, he keeps calling his interactions with the president of Ukraine “perfect.”
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As MSNBC national security analyst Ned Price pointed out on Tuesday, the president’s “warped mind” has led him to believe that he’s the victim here and that his conduct is completely appropriate.
“I think Trump may not be able to distinguish truth from fact, but I also don’t think he can’t distinguish right from wrong,” Price said.
Video:
MSNBC national security analyst @nedprice says Donald Trump is incapable of distinguishing right from wrong. #ctl #p2 pic.twitter.com/uJvF0UR4Oo
— PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) October 2, 2019
Price said:
I think it’s two things. I think Trump may not be able to distinguish truth from fact, but I also don’t think he can distinguish right from wrong. I think when President Trump says it was a perfect phone call, in his own warped mind, he may actually believe it. He put it out over the objections of secretary of state Mike Pompeo, over the objections of his treasury secretary. … He may actually think that’s appropriate. He may not have this developed sense of propriety of right and wrong that is now catching up with him.
Trump lacks the ability to feel shame
It’s disturbing whenever a president of the United States abuses his office for personal gain, particularly that’s particularly true when that behavior goes against the interests of the country he’s supposed to be serving.
What’s different in the case of Trump – as opposed to somebody like Richard Nixon – is that he lacks shame. He is intellectually incapable of distinguishing right from wrong.
Luckily, Democrats in Congress and a growing number of Americans are recognizing that Trump has committed high crimes and misdemeanors and should face impeachment – regardless of what the voices in Trump’s head are telling him.
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Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.
