| President Donald Trump supplied a helpful reminder on Wednesday that he's entirely unfit for the office he holds by once again welcoming foreign interference in U.S. elections. He told George Stephanopoulos of ABC News that he'd accept dirt on his opponents offered by other governments and mocked the idea of telling the FBI about it. In fact, he specifically disagreed with FBI Director Christopher Wray's request to politicians that they tell the bureau about such things. Jonathan Chait accurately summarizes Trump's position: Trump continues to show every sign of hoping and expecting to benefit from foreign collusion in 2020. In May, he intended to send Rudy Giuliani to Ukraine to pressure the government to supply dirt on Joe Biden. He and his ally, Mitch McConnell, are blocking measures (including ones with bipartisan support) to help safeguard elections against foreign attacks and social-media propaganda. His message to Russia, or any other government that wants a close relationship with him, is obvious: Do anything you can to help me win. How bad is all this? Most of the comments I've seen condemning Trump's remarks – none, I should note, from Republicans in Congress, although perhaps I missed some – treat it as grievous misbehavior for a political candidate. True enough. But it's considerably worse coming from a sitting president. Trump's obligations in office extend far beyond following campaign laws. He's the country's commander in chief and top diplomat, and as such responsible for making clear to all foreign nations and other groups that messing with the internal affairs of the United States will have serious consequences. Instead, he's basically inviting everyone in.
As the political scientist Jennifer Victor says: "Democracy happens when people use a legitimate process to select leaders from among its citizens. If people from another country influence the selection of leaders, the sovereignty of the democracy is eroded. If foreigners affect an election, the results are comprised." The flip side is that the U.S. government is supposed to conduct foreign policy on behalf of the nation, not on behalf of the personal interests – political and private – of the president.
So what should happen now?
For one thing, it would be helpful for Wray to speak up and explain why Trump is wrong. If he doesn't do so on his own, perhaps the House Judiciary Committee could invite him to explain it to them. This would be an appropriate time, too, for former President George W. Bush to say something. (Whatever one thinks of Bush's terms in office, it's hard to imagine him inviting a foreign nation to disrupt our elections.) The same for any former FBI directors, secretaries of defense and state, and other heavyweights, especially Republicans.
But we all know the truth: This is really on the current Republicans who could do something about it. That includes the people at Fox News and other Republican-aligned media, who don't actually have to pretend that encouraging foreign nations to influence U.S. elections is exemplary behavior for a president. And it includes Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other congressional Republicans, who have the ability to put an end to this if they want. As long as they're all willing to join Trump in this kind of despicable behavior, there's no reason to expect him to stop.
1. Brendan Nyhan is right: Higher salaries for members of Congress is a good idea.
2. Susanna Wing at the Monkey Cage on violence in Mali.
3. Benjamin Wittes on how Democrats (and anti-Trump Republicans) should stop talking about prosecuting Trump.
4. Karen Tumulty was as unhappy with the John Dean hearing as I was.
5. And Jennifer Shutt on what the women of the Senate want.
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