Andrew McCabe is a former official with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He is also a CNN contributor who has become one the harshest professional critics of the Trump Administration, especially when it comes to national security and the threat Trump and his accomplices pose to it. On Tuesday, impeachment was the order of the day, of course, as it is most times these days. McCabe used his air time on CNN to rail against the latest defense coming from elected Republicans with regards to President Donald Trump: bribery.
By now, everyone has heard of the infamous call between Trump and the President of Ukraine. Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-TX) insisted in a video of part of the proceedings that Trump must not be guilty of anything because the word “bribery” never escaped the lips of either Lt. Colonel Alexander Vindman or State Department official Jennifer Williams in their sworn statements to Congress regarding the call. McCabe said of the situation, from his professional experience:
“Over the course of many years investigating organized crime, and listening to many conversations in which organized crime figures would try to bend inferiors or victims to their will, no one ever says, ‘I’m going to offer you a quid pro quo,’ or ‘Here’s how I’ll walk you through the terms of our bribery.’ What you have, the person with the power uses that power to coerce the subservient person to do or produce whatever it is they want.”
McCabe then went on to remind viewers that Trump held all the cards in this situation, since it is largely the aid of the United States that stands between the Russian plot to take over the tiny, nearly defenseless nation and Ukraine’s sovereignty. Those are pretty high stakes, and Trump knows it. Therefore it was the perfect situation to take advantage of being in a position of power. Then again, that is what bullies tend to do. They wield their power over those who need them, and over those who are unable to take care of themselves.
Perhaps the worst part of the Donald Trump presidency has been the bullying, the cruelty, the ruthlessness. The reputation of the United States as a giving nation is forever gone. Now, we are the worst of the worst – corrupt and willing to do anything for political gain and power. The hardest thing for the next decent person who takes office to do will be to restore the reputation of the United States and to repair relationships and rebuild trust with our allies. Let us just hope it is not too late.
Watch the clip below:
