Republicans are “setting a dangerous precedent that threatens the republic itself” in supporting Donald Trump against efforts to impeach him, the former director of the US Office of Government Ethics has warned.
Walter Shaub claims all future presidents will “be able to point to Trump to justify soliciting foreign attacks on elections” and a raft of other accusations levelled at the current commander-in-chief.
Meanwhile, a confidential White House review has revealed the extensive and potentially embarrassing efforts taken to create after-the-fact justification for Mr Trump’s military aid decisions in Ukraine, and thus prevent the ongoing impeachment scandal.
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Trump is ‘the chosen one, sent by God to do great things,’ says energy secretary Rick Perry .
In the preview of an interview shown on Fox News on Sunday night, the adviser, who has drawn scrutiny for his role in the Ukraine scandal, also compared the US president to a number of biblical kings, Samuel Lovett reports.
“God’s used imperfect people all through history,” Mr Perry told the broadcaster. “King David wasn’t perfect, Saul wasn’t perfect, Solomon wasn’t perfect.”
Former government ethics boss says Trump sets ‘dangerous precedent’
Walter Shaud has warned Republicans that they are playing with fire in their defence of the president.
While the list of sins Mr Shaud accuses the president of requires the entire alphabet to list, and then some, he concludes by saying: “This is only what Trump did while the remote threat of Congressional oversight existed.”
Among his accusations are:
– Hosting foreign leaders at his private businesses
– Attacking states and private citizens frequently and in terms that demean the presidency
– Using the presidency to tout his private businesses and effectively encouraging a party, candidates, businesses and others to patronise his business
– Engaging in a documented campaign of obstruction of a Special Counsel’s investigation.
– Relentlessly attacking the free press
– Violating human rights and international law at our border
– Firing the heads of the government’s top law enforcement agencies for allowing investigations of the president
– Retaliating against whistleblowers and witnesses who testify before Congress
“If the Senate acquits him, he will know for certain there is nothing that could ever lead to Congress removing him from office. And what he does next will similarly set precedents,” Mr Shaub warned.
Ousted Navy chief hits out at Trump in resignation letter in ‘war crimes’ veteran row
The ousted chief of the US Navy has attacked Donald Trump in his resignation letter, telling the president they do not hold compatible views on “good order and discipline” in the military, Jon Sharman reports.
“The rule of law is what sets us apart from our adversaries,” Richard Spencer, the secretary of the navy, told the president as he was fired by Mark Esper, the defence secretary, on Sunday.
Mr Spencer had allegedly proposed a backroom deal with the White House designed to resolve a public spat over disgraced Navy Seal Edward Gallagher – without telling Mr Esper.
Mr Gallagher was accused of war crimes after allegedly shooting civilians, killing a teenage Isis captive and threatening to kill any colleagues who reported him, but was acquitted at a court martial.
Mr Trump has vehemently defended Mr Gallagher, and on Sunday announced on Twitter he would “retire peacefully with all of the honours that he has earned, including his Trident Pin – initially thought to be the main point in Spencer and Trump’s backroom deal, for which the former was fired.
Read more from Jon Sharman here:
Hello, and welcome to The Independent‘s live coverage of today’s events in Washington.
