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Ukraine affair: What Donald Trump is flourishing now

2019-09-30T06:17:21.011Z


"The Democrats lie and cheat": With wild attacks against his opponents, the US president wants to come back on the offensive. But this week threatens him new revelations.



It's all so well planned: Donald Trump wants to attend a ceremony on Monday at a military base in Virginia for the new Chief of the General Staff. So he prefers to present himself as "Commander in Chief" of the largest military power in the world.

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Issue 40/2019

The deal too much

Why the Ukraine Affair Donald Trump can cost the post

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The thoughts of the President should revolve around a completely different topic: The Ukraine affair, which Trump probably assumed would soon dissipate, is becoming a veritable threat to his presidency.

The Democrats have urged the State Department to forward all documents relating to the events to Congress. Already in the coming days, the competent committees want to interview the first witnesses. The Democratic Committee chairperson in the House of Representatives, Democrat Adam Schiff, said the panel had reached an agreement for a hearing with the whistleblower who got the whole affair rolling. Currently looking for the best date.

Already on Wednesday, the former US Ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch, could testify before the congress. She had been recalled early in the summer from her post, the exact background is unclear. The career diplomat may perhaps report more about the activities of Trump's personal lawyer Rudolph Giuliani in Ukraine.

What does Kurt Volker know?

Also this week, the former Ukraine Commissioner of the US government, the top diplomat Kurt Volker, testify. Volker resigned from office only last Friday after his name was mentioned in the whistleblower's report on the Ukraine affair.

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So far, the diplomat has not commented on the reasons for his resignation. But one may assume that he could provide new, important insights into the affair. According to the Whistleblower report, Volker is said to have spoken with the Ukrainian government in Kiev about US President Trump's request to launch an investigation into presidential candidate Joe Biden and his son Hunter.

Volker enjoys a good reputation in the diplomatic service and also among American allies. He was for a long time one of the most important confidants of the late Republican Senator John McCain, who often quarreled with Trump. If Volker testifies, he should probably with his knowledge - and with his own opinion - to the operations so probably hardly behind the mountain hold.

Sergei SUPINSKY / AFP

Kurt Volker is considered a respected diplomat with his own opinion

How serious Trump even the Ukraine affair is now, is clearly felt: At the weekend he fired dozens of Twitter messages in which he attacked the Democrats and liberal media sharply. Once again, it is clearly his goal to equate attacks on his person with attacks on his constituents, but also on America as a whole.

The Democrats would "lie and cheat" to "destabilize" the US, Trump claimed via Twitter. And in a video clip taken in the White House Rose Garden, he noted that the excitement surrounding his Ukraine policy was "the biggest scam" in US history. "Our country is at stake like never before." Turning directly to his followers, he said, "They want to stop me because I'm fighting for you, I'll never let that happen."

In addition, I do not want to accuse my accuser, who presented SECOND & THIRD HAND INFORMATION, but the person illegally gave this information, which was largely incorrect, to the "whistleblower." What this person SPYING on the US President? Big Consequences!

- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 29, 2019

Noteworthy too: Trump is visibly striving to portray the whistleblower and his possible informants in the White House as implausible, even false. He wanted to face the person who accused him. Just like his informants in the White House, Trump sounded. Their behavior is limited to espionage. And: That will have "big consequences".

According to a report by the broadcaster CBS, the whistleblower is now under the protection of unspecified US federal agencies. The authorities seem to fear for his life, the broadcaster said.

Video: Recording of Trump call - "Spies and betrayal, we used to do it differently"

Video

Evan Vucci / AP

Intimidate, taunt, discredit: So far, Trump had succeeded in such campaigns against his opponents. The big question is whether he will succeed again. A first survey shows that many Americans disapprove of Trump's behavior in the Ukraine affair. According to the survey conducted by ABC and the Ipsos Institute, 43 percent of Trump's attempts to use Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj for an investigation against the Bidens are "a very serious problem". Slightly more than half of respondents said Trump's behavior did not "surprise them".

Even with Fox News there is criticism

Meanwhile, the number of leading Republicans, who are Trump loudly on the side, quite manageable. It's the usual suspects: Trump's immigration adviser, Stephen Miller, his loyal Senate friend, Lindsey Graham, as well as Republic Representatives Jim Jordan, Devin Nunes, and Mark Meadows. They all do their best in TV interviews to defend the boss. From a "conspiracy" against Trump is then once again the speech, of an alleged "Deep State" in the security agencies, who wanted to overthrow Trump. And and and.

Apart from that, Republicans are currently dominated by booming silence.

Even in Trump's favorite Fox News, they are clearly not quite sure how to rate Trump and his behavior. That must be alarming for the president, because he needs the broadcaster to keep his electoral base at bay.

True, Trump's loyal Fox News allies, such as presenters Sean Hannity and Tucker Carlson, continue to follow him. But in many other programs are now Trump critics to speak. Former Judge Andrew Napolitano told Fox quite openly that Trump's behavior had broken the law. And moderator Chris Wallace stated dryly that anything Trump's defenders said about the case was simply "amazing and grossly misleading".

So much "lese majeste" was not long.

Source: spiegel

All news articles on 2019-09-30

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