FORMER GOP REP. JUSTIN AMASH SAYS TRUMP 'SELLS TROOPS,' WHITE HOUSE 'MADE UP' IRAN THREAT
Amash--who left the Republican Party in July over fears of a "partisan death spiral" and became an independent--disputed the "imminent" threat posed by Soleimani. He condemned Trump's foreign policy actions in the Middle East and said the White House's claim that Iran or Soleimani threatened "four embassies" is likely "totally made up."
On Sunday, U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said he "didn't see" any specific evidence Iran planned to attack four embassies, despite Trump's claim an attack was "imminent." Amash promptly rebuked that assertion, tweeting:
"The administration didn't present evidence to Congress regarding even one embassy. The four embassies claim seems to be totally made up. And they have never presented evidence of imminence—a necessary condition to act without congressional approval—with respect to any of this."
So what's the excuse for dismissing stuff like this when it isn't partisan? Because it seems like basically any time anyone either accuses Trump of dishonesty or fraudulent motivation, there's a mindless knee jerk reaction to defend him - there's an endless supply of confabulation that supporters pull out of their butt to explain why anything bad is ever said about him and it's a confabulation that absolves him of any culpability.
You know what would be really refreshing is if a supporter were actually able to own up to the fact that Trump's tendency to pathologically lie and bully in a such an emotionally stunted/juvenile fashion warrants all the hate the world has for him - that they maybe like what he's accomplished, but could still own up to all of his rancid piece of shit character traits. That seems like something his supporters are largely incapable of doing.
This is the main reason he's perceived to be so dangerous: because his supporters en masse have put on these bizarre cult blinders that instantly turn any information that reflects badly on Trump into "fake news", no matter how much evidence there is to back it up. It's absolutely stunning to anyone who isn't wearing these blinders. And while all the hate for Trump may seem stunning to his supporters, the fact that it's instantly dismissed with an assumption that he doesn't truly merit that hate - that no matter what's said, supporters will do Olympic caliber mental gymnastics to
not see the evidence that merits the hate in order to dismiss it - kinda proves the point. Trump's directly observable behavior would have gotten him fired from most jobs by now, no matter how menial the level - and would have gotten him banned from this forum a few times over - and yet supporters are blind to how the hate is
warranted, and how
he does it to himself.
eta: I'm kind of hoping his legacy will end up being that Democrats feel more motivated than ever to get rid of electoral college the first chance they get, so that a minority can never raise such a shithead to this kind of position of power again. And if that happens, good luck ever getting another GOP POTUS. < Trump's possible biggest legacy.