2019-10-14 Bloomberg Businessweek-Europe Edition

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◼ BLOOMBERG OPINION

● Thepresidentis violatinghisoathofofficein plainsight.Congresscan’tacceptthat.ByMichaelR.Bloomberg

SARAH

SILBIGER/BLOOMBERG

OnecouldbeforgivenforthinkingthatPresidentDonald

Trumpwantstobeimpeached.

OnOct.4,onlivetelevisioninfrontoftheWhiteHouse,

hereiteratedhiscallforUkrainetoinvestigateformerVice

PresidentJoeBiden,hisleadingrivalinthe 2020 election.

HetheninvitedChinatodothesame—“becausewhathap-

penedinChinawasjustaboutasbadaswhathappened

withUkraine.”

TrumphasneverspecifiedwhathethinksBidendid.He

has,however,engagedina globe-spanningefforttogetoth-

erstofindout.It bearsrepeatingthatfederallawprohibits

solicitinganythingofvaluefromforeignerstoaidanelection

campaign.Butmoretothepoint:Thepresidentismak-

ingit abundantlyclearthatheintendstokeepabusinghis

powertoadvancehispersonalinterests.Congresscan’t,and

shouldn’t,acceptthat.

Theroughtranscriptofthephonecallrevealingthat

TrumphadcajoledthepresidentofUkrainetodigupdirt

onBiden—possiblyinreturnformilitaryaidthatTrumphad

heldup—wasdisturbing.Buttheinformationthathascome

outsince,fromboththewhistleblowerandthosedirectly

involvedinthesituation,is farworse.

It’snowclearthephonecallwaspartofa broadercam-

paign.Trumpalsodispatchedhispersonallawyertodiscuss

BidenwiththeUkrainians,removeda careerdiplomatwho

raisedquestionsaboutthescheme,thenenlistedtwoState

DepartmentenvoystopressureUkraine’spresidenttocom-

mittoinvestigatingBideninreturnforanaudiencewith

Trump—andperhaps,again,formilitaryaid.

AnexchangeoftextmessagesbetweenGordonSondland,

anambassadortaskedwithcarryingoutthepresident’splan,

andBillTaylor,a diplomatattheU.S.EmbassyinUkrainewho

raisedconcernsaboutit,makesthedynamicplainenough:

[9/1/19,12:08:57p.m.]BillTaylor:Arewenowsayingthatsecurity

assistanceandWHmeetingareconditionedoninvestigations?

[9/1/19,12:42:29p.m.]GordonSondland:Callme

Trumphasbarelybotheredtoestablishaninnocentexpla-

nationfortheseacts.Giventhefacts,it’shardtoimagineone.

If hethoughtBiden’sconductconstituteda crime,hecould

haveallowedhisJusticeDepartmenttohandleit.If hediscov-

ereda previouslyunexpressedinterestinfightingcorruption

overseas,hecouldhavedirectedtheStateDepartment to

makethata priority.

It wouldbefairgametoaskwhetherBiden’s son Hunter

undulybenefitedfromhisfather’spositionin his business

dealings,assomehavealleged.Butundernocircumstances

wouldit beappropriateforthepresidenttosend his lawyer

ona freelancemissiontoaskothergovernments to investigate

inreturnforpersonalfavors.

EvenTrump’sstalwartalliesarestrugglingwith this one:

They’vebeenreducedtoquibblingwithsemantics or mus-

ingaboutbureaucraticconspiraciestoframethe president.

Impeachmentis neversomethingtobecelebrated. It risks

doinggravedamagetopublicconfidenceingovernment and

worseningAmerica’salreadypolarizedpolitics. An election

thatcastTrumpfromofficewouldbethesoundest and most

enduringrebuketothispresidency.

Nevertheless,Congresscannotstandbywhile any presi-

dentviolateshisoathofoffice,abuseshispower for personal

gain,andsolicitsforeigninterferenceinAmerican elections.

Eveninanadministrationwherethereigningethical standard

is “nottechnicallyillegal,”thisflagrantmisconduct stands out.

MoreRepublicansshouldfollowSenatorMitt Romney’s

leadandstateunequivocallythatthiskind of conduct

is“wrongandappalling”—andfurther,that it cannot be

countenanced. <BW>

Trump Won’t Stop His

Abuses of Power