Trump’s Influence Continues To Shape Congressional Policies

One thing that’s changed during the years Donald Trump has roamed the American political landscape is how the unheard of becomes commonplace.

A fresh example of this is the spectacle of U.K. foreign minister, and former prime minister, David Cameron trekking to Florida to ask for the former President’s help in getting congressional Republicans to agree to a Ukraine aid bill.

Why would a high-ranking British official make such a plea of a former president? Because, as American audiences know firsthand, Trump drives Republican policy even when he doesn’t hold office:

House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, long declined to call a vote on the funding as he tried to prevent a rebellion from Republican hard-liners who could sink the legislation and even try to oust him as speaker. The Senate has already approved the aid.

Trump is seen as the key to unlocking the Republican opposition, providing the context for Cameron’s visit. Facing an electoral rematch against President Joe Biden in November, Trump is skeptical about providing military support to Ukraine and has suggested giving loans instead of direct funding.

It has the look and feel of Bonasera asking Don Corleone for justice. But it’s the reality of where Republican politics are these days, and how they affect events far removed from the well of the House.

Worse, all of this adds further support to the charge – from inside the GOP caucus – that some members are repeating Russian propaganda about Ukraine, and much more:

…Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Tex.) — none other than the GOP chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee — flat-out said that Russian propaganda has “infected a good chunk of my party’s base.”

McCaul suggested conservative media was to blame.

“There are some more nighttime entertainment shows that seem to spin, like, I see the Russian propaganda in some of it — and it’s almost identical [to what they’re saying on Russian state television] — on our airwaves,” McCaul said.

He also cited “these people that read various conspiracy-theory outlets that are just not accurate, and they actually model Russian propaganda.”

Or they indulge in Potemkin village-like excursions to Russian stores. And find a willing crowd of Putin fanboys and authoritarian-curious pols eager to pronounce it good.

None of this ends well – for the GOP, Ukraine and the West writ large. But it will pay big dividends to the new czar of all the Russias.

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.

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Norman Leahy

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Norman Leahy has written about national and Virginia politics for more than 30 years with outlets ranging from The Washington Post to BearingDrift.com. A consulting writer, editor, recovering think tank executive and campaign operative, Norman lives in Virginia.

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