How Dangerous Is Trump To America As A Foreign Asset?

Yesterday, in his Atlantic column, David Frum delved into a sordid piece of British history that led to the Founding Fathers including the power of impeachment in the Constitution. The recently restored Charles II of Great Britain, in need of money he couldn't get from Parliament, accepted bribes from the French Sun King, Louis XIV, in return for Dunkirk, then a British base on the coast of France (and for Charles' pledge to convert to Catholicism). "Foreign corruption inducing treason," wrote Frum, "was the core impeachable offense in the eyes of the authors of the Constitution." Trump, having never read the Constitution nor bothered studying American history, commits crimes against the Constitution daily and is undoubtably guilty of treason and should be impeached, tried removed from office and them face the most severe criminal consequences for his actions.

Frum, though, uses his intro to go in another direction: the current whistleblower report about promises Trump has made to some unnamed foreign potentate, likely either Putin, Netanyahu or bin Salman. (For example, did bin Salman transfer a billion dollars to Trump for his personal promise to attack Iran, the top priority of both Saudi and Israeli foreign policy?) Frum isn't as speculative:

Which is why a whistle-blower report filed with the inspector general for the intelligence community, reportedly concerning an improper “promise” by President Donald Trump to a foreign leader, has jolted Congress.

...Trump has been engaged in improper contacts with foreign governments for years, and built deep business relationships with foreign nationals. Russian assistance helped elect him. Money from wealthy Russians reportedly helped keep his businesses alive from 2006 to 2016. Since 2016, more and more foreign money has flowed Trump’s way. Trump literally has a hotel open on Pennsylvania Avenue to accept payments—there’s a big carpet in front, his name on the door, nothing even remotely clandestine about the flow of corruption. That corruption seeks returns. Again and again, Trump has acted in ways that align with the interests of foreign states, raising questions about his motives.

Exactly what was promised in this particular conversation, and to whom, America and the world wait to hear. Perhaps there exists a reasonable explanation for a conversation that the Trump administration is trying hard to keep from public view. But the basic grammar of all Trump scandals has been visible from the beginning: many secrets, no mysteries.

What's this all about? If you've been under a rock this week, Congress and a Trumpified intelligence community are fighting over a whistleblower complaint that Trump secretly made "a promise" to a foreign leader that, according to the Washington Post was regarded as so troubling that it prompted an official in the U.S. intelligence community to file a formal whistleblower complaint with the inspector general for the intelligence community... It was not immediately clear which foreign leader Trump was speaking with or what he pledged to deliver."

CNN reported that "the revelations have unleashed a new firestorm in the nation's capital over Trump's perplexing foreign policy dealings and the administration's across-the-board efforts to frustrate Congress' constitutionally authorized role of oversight of the executive branch. But they will also open debate about the extent of the President's powers, which give him expansive latitude in national security."

The drama centers on the refusal of acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire to hand over the whistleblower's complaint to Congress. The stalling had already prompted speculation that Trump or senior aides could be involved.

After a standoff with House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff, Maguire agreed Wednesday to testify next week, in a public hearing about the affair. There is no indication that he will hand over the report-- especially in an open hearing.

Schiff had sent rumors into overdrive on Sunday when he said Maguire had cited a "higher authority" in refusing to hand over the complaint and referred to "privileged communications."

...The reports will trigger a controversy about Trump's handling of intelligence and his opaque conversations with foreign leaders.

A political duel will also rage about the whistleblower's decision to make the complaint. On one hand, the President's sweeping powers in foreign policy conferred by the Constitution and a democratic mandate give him wide latitude to say whatever he likes to a foreign leader. American presidents have been making promises to their counterparts on the world stage for generations. It's a practice that might be said to be part of their job.

...Maguire's conduct appears to be the latest manifestation of the administration's multi-front strategy to thwart Congress' oversight efforts.

If an inspector general in a government department finds misconduct or uncovers information that rises to a high level of wrongdoing defined as "urgent and credible" under whistleblowing legislation, the legal recourse is to involve Congress.

The controversy came to a head only a day after Trump's former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski put on an aggressive display in a House Judiciary Committee hearing that prompted the White House to preview a sweeping executive privilege claim even though he never worked for the federal government.

The White House has sought to prevent testimony from many other current and former executive branch officials, leading to a string of looming court clashes that in themselves fulfill Trump's goal of slowing Democratic investigations.

Maguire is a retired Navy admiral who formerly led the National Counterterrorism Center. He was chosen by Trump following a succession drama after the permanent director-- former Sen. Dan Coats, who was never seen as close to the President-- announced he would step down in July. Trump passed over the office's No. 2, Sue Gordon. Sources told CNN at the time she was not seen as the kind of loyalist Trump wanted in the role.

At the time, Maguire was seen as a force for stability. Trump's first pick to replace Coats, Rep. John Ratcliffe, stepped down after controversy over the Texas Republican's qualifications and amid concern he would be a political appointee who would first be loyal to the President, not his duty as director of national intelligence.