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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsTranscript Will Tell Whether President Blabbed Secrets To Russians
If Donald Trump disclosed highly classified state secrets to the Russian ambassador and foreign minister, he may be vulnerable to impeachment not because he broke the law, which evidently he did not, but because he committed an act that would be considered criminal and perhaps treasonous if perpetrated willfully by any other government official.
Trump is exempt from the criminal statutes governing disclosure of classified information because he can legally declassify anything at will. But whimsical and boastful misuse of that authority, in the presence of an adversary power, is an extremely serious offense that requires immediate Congressional investigation.
The president has put the nation at risk, not for the first time, and his apparent disdain for normal security and intelligence protocols represents an ongoing national emergency. It is an emergency that began within weeks of his inauguration, when he and his staff formulated their response to a February 12 North Korean missile test as diners at his Mar-a-Lago club watched agog from surrounding tables.
In the hours after the Washington Post revealed this latest breach which involved information about a terrorist plot by the Islamic State Trumps national security adviser H.R. McMaster publicly declared that the story, as reported is false. McMaster went on to deny specifically that the president had discussed intelligence sources or methods or any military operations that were not already publicly known.
http://www.nationalmemo.com/impeach-trump-transcript-president-blabbed-secrets-russians/
Johnny2X2X
(18,968 posts)They already come out and said they edited the transcript to omit this part of the disclosure.
This was worse than people realize, the setting was not right for any discussions like these, there were people with no security clearance in the room much less the Russians.
HAB911
(8,867 posts)a transcript should be a transcript. for the gov to edit should be a crime, which we know they have no compunction about doing
Link to tweet
karynnj
(59,495 posts)definitions and are what each Congressperson and Senator think.
I suspect that what will determine what they "think" may be when the public tips. The question is when will the almost half of the country listening just to RW radio and FOX have any concept that Trump has - as stated well in that article - completely stepped over the line - and not just once? His polling numbers have fallen, but at this point, he still has that core 35% plus (my estimate). He has been regularly below 40% in Gallup, which is certainly not biased in our direction.
HAB911
(8,867 posts)repubs begin losing elections, bigly
karynnj
(59,495 posts)The hard part, if they do not reach that point very soon, it will be too close to the elections to take that huge step of removing Trump. I would guess - and it is just a guess - that Republican powers are keeping an eye on whether Trump in offer is better for their chances, even if he becomes ever more a problem than being seen as the party that put him in office and followed him on things like voting for a healthcare bill that I think was measured as favored by something like 21% of the population. While that is better than the 17% in the earlier (arguably better in a relative sense) bill that narrowly failed. (I assume the difference may have come out of loyalty votes as it was measured after it passed the House.)
Consider that ANY Republican congressperson who voted to impeach would be in danger of a tough primary by the Trump base. Though they can't be more than about 35% overall - they are ALL Republican and unevenly divided over the country. Note that that might add up to more than 50% of the Republican primary voters being intensely angry Trump fans.