WSJ Says Trump Shouldn't Be Impeached Because "He Was Too Inept to Execute" Ukraine Quid Pro Quo

[babylonsister]

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2019/10/wall-street-journal-editorial-trump-impeach-too-inept-ukraine-quid-pro-quo.html

Wall Street Journal Says Trump Shouldn’t Be Impeached Because “He Was Too Inept to Execute” Ukraine Quid Pro Quo
By Elliot Hannon
Oct 24, 20199:58 AM


One of the great periodic defenses of the current president is that he’s too inept, too ill-informed, too bad at his job to commit the many crimes swimming through his head that he’d like to commit. The Wall Street Journal editorial board added to this mind-numbing line of defense with a staff editorial arguing Trump’s attempt to engineer a quid pro quo with the Ukrainian president to aid his reelection campaign isn’t actually that bad because the American president is, quite literally, “too inept to execute it.”

The WSJ’s rationale was fashioned in response to the damning testimony this week of former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bill Taylor. The Journal pounces on Taylor’s testimony that not everyone in the White House thought committing impeachable offenses was a good idea, therefore it “may turn out” that Trump was incapable of executing those likely crimes.

Intriguingly, Mr. Taylor says in his statement that many people in the Administration opposed the Giuliani effort, including some in senior positions at the White House. This matters because it may turn out that while Mr. Trump wanted a quid-pro-quo policy ultimatum toward Ukraine, he was too inept to execute it. Impeachment for incompetence would disqualify most of the government, and most Presidents at some point or another in office.

“Intriguingly?” Intriguing. It’s a staggering leap from Sentence 1 to Sentence 2 by the Journal. Yeah, sure, Donald Trump attempted to rob the gas station convenience store, but as the security camera footage clearly shows, he got distracted by the hot dog warmer and forgot the stolen cash at the condiment station. And, well yes, he did attempt to shoot the overnight cashier in the process but didn’t realize the glass was bulletproof. No harm no foul, your honor; please empty America’s prisons.

[berni_mccoy]

1. Fortunately, ignorance of the law is not a viable legal defense.

[Mike 03]

2. This wasn't just a one-off opinion piece; it was the WSJ Editorial Board!

OMG. They deserve a Twitter storm for this stupidity.

[shockey80]

3. Attempted bribery is a crime. It's still bribery.

Their argument is foolish.

[Turbineguy]

4. That makes a lot of sense.

He was made president because he was unfit, so he is just doing what he was elected to do.

What's up is down.

[Cracklin Charlie]

7. They are "dumb-washing" his behavior.

Probably because they think it worked for Don, Jr.

Like...he’s too dumb to have committed this crime.

They want to hurry up and impeach/try him before all his bad behavior hits the fan and splatters on everyone.

[global1]

5. So How Does The WSJ Justify Keeping An Inept Person In Position As A ......

most powerful leader of the world?

Doesn't having an inept person in such an important position endanger the U.S. let alone the world?

It doesn't give me a secure feeling that we're being led by someone that is inept.

How would you feel flying on a plane that has an inept pilot at its controls?

This WSJ OpEd is as inept as Trump. How stupid on their part to even print such nonsense.

[Andy823]

12. Exactly

If he is too stupid to do a simple "Quid Pro Quo" then he is way too stupid to be the president.

[Maru Kitteh]

13. Their argument is that all of government, and every president is inept

Why not just go ahead and let the baby play with the matches and rubbing alcohol? There's already shit stains and Kool-Aid on the carpet anyways.

[Cracklin Charlie]

6. This is why they are rushing the impeachment vote.

Before everyone finds out exactly how “ept” his behavior was in the Ukraine matter.

He was running a shakedown operation on allied country in the name of the US government! Knowingly. Willingly.

Best to wait for the facts to come to light.

[TruckFump]

8. LM(fat)AO

So, stupidity is a defense...for the mental genius????

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

9. Fuck the Wall Street Urinal

[lapfog_1]

10. If all criminals were smart, we wouldn't catch them so often

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-35785834

[triron]

11. WTF!

[MFM008]

14. Murdoch owned

[dalton99a]

15. People in jail on attempted murder and conspiracy charges should be freed

because they were inept

[gratuitous]

21. Yeah, I'm sure there are guys sitting in the jug right now

Guys who bumbled their way into an arrest when they dropped the gun or inadvertently showed their victim that the pistol in their pocket was really their empty hand. Would the Wall Street Journal advocate for them for the Innocence Project? Just because Trump's not very polished as a criminal doesn't mean he shouldn't do the time for his life of crime.

[Happy Hoosier]

16. I checked up on this....

The crime of extortion occurs when the transaction is proposed, even in the victim doesn't receive the extortionate message.

In short, it doesn't matter if they knew.

[harumph]

17. Lack of capability in executing a crime is not a defense.

Any stooge proposing such a idea should just do the proper thing and drown themselves.

[Enoki33]

18. The editorial board of the Wall Street Journal is wrong, and what's more,

l think they know it, and for whatever political reason have chosen to publish this foolishness. tRump is a cunning and remorseless serial criminal who has either disregarded or bought his way around laws he deemed inconvenient. His self interest and long term survival shows a capability to plan interconnected plots. His great weakness is his inability to manage details due to his overpowering ego and belief in his invincibility. His present dangerous and erratic behavior is probably not a true reflection of his planning ability of past years. Just a layman’s opinion.

[Jarqui]

19. I do not think "quid pro quo" is accurate

"quid pro quo" = a favor for a favor or something for something

Ukraine was already supposed to get something - $400 mil in support to help fight off the invading Russians The US government had already approved it.

Trump illegally blocked it until Ukraine did him a personal favor: investigate for dirt on the Bidens and on Hillary's 2016 server.

A definition of bribery:

crime of bribery is a person giving or offering a public official or public employee something of value in return for some official action (or in exchange for the public official not doing something he or she is legally obligated to do), benefitting the defendant.

That gets us closer to what occurred. Trump offered to bribe the President of the Ukraine to do something he would not have otherwise done - dirt on the Bidens and Hillary's server to benefit Trump personally - in exchange for Trump not holding up the money required by the President of Ukraine to prevent the Russians from taking away more of his country and allowing a meeting between the two.

But the one that comes closest to me is attempted Extortion "the practice of trying to obtain something, especially money, through force or threats." Trump threatened to withhold Ukraine's money for their security unless the President of Ukraine agreed publicly to investigate the Bidens and Hillary's server.

Trump attempted to extort the President of the Ukraine for his own personal gain. More Americans will identify with extortion or bribery than "quid pro quo". Extortion and bribery are the terms that should be jack hammered in the media by the Committees investigating.

[D_Master81]

20. So he's too dumb?

Their argument is he’s too dumb to pull off a crime but he’s totally fit to run the country??? GTFO here with that BS!

[Kid Berwyn]

22. Rupert Murdoch has no friends.

Otherwise, he’d know he’s obvious.

[chowder66]

23. They are assuming we know everything Trump and his cronies are up to.

Trump has been able to enlist numerous capable and incapable people who are willing to burn out their careers and risk further punishment.

Obviously he tries everything until something sticks which it does time and time again. He's not in prison, he's fucking president.

I bet we haven't even scratched the surface of his cons.