President Trump plays a variety of roles in American life. He is the \u201cBully-in-Chief\u201d especially when it comes to his use of Twitter. It\u2019s his most effective tool, one that allows him to communicate to his base, unfettered by the restraints of the law, staff, media, or anyone else. With the \u201cbig stick\u201d of his Twitter account, he keeps his political allies in line, and his opponents at bay. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It seems silly, that \u201cgrown ass\u201d men and women are intimidated by a \u201ctweet\u201d. These are the most powerful folks in our nation, Congressmen, Senators, and Cabinet Secretaries. But they will say and do almost anything to avoid the \u201ctwitter beating\u201d of their leader. It is fear that the Trump base will receive 240 characters of marching orders, directing them to march right over the target.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And Trump plays the \u201cdark\u201d model for many.\u00a0\u00a0He can say and do almost anything.\u00a0\u00a0His is that secret voice in some people\u2019s minds, the voice that no one lets be heard for fear of offending or looking ignorant.\u00a0\u00a0But the President has no such inhibitions.\u00a0\u00a0He says whatever comes to his tongue, regardless of how inappropriate or hateful it might be.\u00a0\u00a0And many admire that freedom.\u00a0\u00a0It\u2019s part of the \u201csecret\u201d Trump base, the \u201cun-pollable\u201d dark support that the Trump Campaign depends upon.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But his greatest super-power, the \u201ccard\u201d he plays over and over again, is Trump as Victim-in-Chief. He is always the victim: of the media, Democrats, the Courts, and the \u201cDeep State\u201d. In fact, the Trump machine created the concept of the \u201cDeep State\u201d. They needed a \u201cdark force\u201d to fight against, someone to blame for all of Trump\u2019s failures. What better enemy than some amorphous agglomerations of letters: NSA, CIA, FBI, DIA, and NSC. The intelligence agencies are secret and silent, doing their jobs in the shadows. They are unable to defend themselves in the public square, unwilling to reveal themselves to parry the tweets and accusations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And so the President can rail against them without response, claiming bias and prejudice against his \u201coutsider\u201d insurgency. It gives him an excuse for failure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And the President as Victim has found an even greater role, that as the poor, abused defender of Article II of the Constitution against the Pelosi-led Congress. He\u2019s managed to turn a straightforward impeachment process into \u201cthe Salem Witch Trials\u201d, with Mr. Trump himself starring as one of the witches. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the beginnings of a normal Court proceeding, the suspect has few rights.\u00a0\u00a0The prosecution investigates, presents to a Grand Jury, and returns indictments without the defense given any chance to make a stand.\u00a0\u00a0It is only after the indictment is filed, and the Court begins proceedings, that the Defense is allowed to demand recognition and make their case.\u00a0\u00a0That\u2019s when they get their \u201cday in court\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Impeachment process is similar, the bringing of charges against a President for trial in the Senate. The trial phase allows for the President to make a case and be represented by counsel and witnesses of his choosing. But in the Impeachment phase, much like the Grand Jury phase, there is no \u201cright\u201d to representation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not that this President didn\u2019t have fierce defenders. The Republicans in the House stood up against the process and for Mr. Trump over and over again. From the beginning of the Intelligence Committee investigation, everyone from Minority Leader McCarthy to Ohio Congressman Jim Jordan screamed about the \u201cunfairness of the process\u201d. But, of course, the process was exactly fair: the Intelligence Committee did the investigation, serving the role of the \u201cprosecution\u201d, then presented their findings to the Judiciary Committee, who served as a Grand Jury. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Judiciary Committee than presented their recommendations to the full House of Representatives. And the President\u2019s men protested every step of the way, from Jordan\u2019s litany of four points, to Doug Collins \u201cclock and a calendar\u201d. The President had representation that a defendant in a criminal case could only dream of. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But the President was portrayed as a poor victim of Democratic abuse. They claimed he was denied \u201cdue process\u201d and lack of representation, when in fact Republicans fiercely represented him. They never made a serious claim against the facts that the Committees put forth, only against the \u201cprocess\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The President has every right to his \u201cday in court\u201d. It\u2019s coming, if Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will allow it. The \u201cdue process\u201d and factual presentations can and should be made on the floor of the US Senate, in a trial of Presidential removal. Now is the appropriate time for a full airing of the case, and for the President to defend himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But it\u2019s not likely to happen. Mr. Trump, and the Republicans in the Senate don\u2019t want due process, fairness, or the truth. They want to be victims, to claim persecution. That way they don\u2019t have to defend the indefensible: the President\u2019s actions. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"