Opinion | Trump's treachery on full display in Helsinki

Theotis Robinson Jr. | Columnist

Given the backdrop of the worst debacle yet in his presidency, Donald Trump has set the stage for the perfect sequel to his book “The Art of the Deal”--“The Art of the Surrender.”

In what many have described as a “Day of Infamy,” Trump draped himself in shame in Helsinki. Former CIA Director John Brennan described Trump’s statements while standing next to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin as being “nothing short of treasonous.” Some debate whether his words rise to treason. But there is no doubt that it was treachery.

“I just felt like the President’s comments made us look … like a pushover”

“When the president plays these moral equivalence games, he gives Putin a propaganda win he desperately needs.”

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“I am deeply troubled by President Trump’s defense of Putin against the intelligence agencies of the U.S. Russia poses a grave threat to our national security.”

“I never thought I would see the day when our American president would stand on the stage and place blame on the United States for Russian aggression. Shameful.”

“One of the most disgraceful performances by an American president in memory.”

Partisan attacks by Democrats? Hardly. These statements came from Republicans Sen. Bob Corker, Sen. Ben Sasse, Rep. Liz Cheney, Sen. Jeff Flake and Sen. John McCain, respectively.

There he was, standing on a stage with Putin, giving aid and comfort to the enemy, a man who admitted in that press conference that he wanted Trump to win the presidency. In response to a question from Jeff Mason of Reuters who asked Putin, “Did you want President Trump to win the election and did you direct any of your officials to help him do that?” Putin answered, “Yes, I did. Yes, I did.”

A day after Trump’s shamefully submissive appearance with Putin where he threw America under the bus, former Republican Sen. Dan Coats and Trump’s pick to head the Department of National Intelligence, stated that Putin’s “actions are persistent, they are pervasive and they are meant to undermine America’s democracy.” But one day later, after his pseudo walk-back of his comments regarding his lack of support for the findings of U.S. intelligence, when asked if Russia was still targeting the U.S., Trump said, with a straight face, “No.” Unbelievable! His surrender to Putin is complete.

Imagine if George W. Bush had sided with Osama bin Laden after the attack on 9/11. Imagine if John Kennedy had engaged in a “wink-wink, nod-nod” with Nikita Khrushchev after that dictator placed nuclear missiles 90 miles off our shore in Cuba. Imagine if Barack Obama had abdicated to Russian authority, as did Trump, in Helsinki. Republicans would have gone apocalyptic with torches and pitchforks at the gates of the White House. Impeachment couldn’t happen soon enough.

The United States was attacked at Pearl Harbor. We were attacked on 9/11. The difference was that we had presidents who put “America First.” Now we have a president who puts Russia -- and himself -- first. Trump says Putin didn’t respect Obama. But it is Trump he doesn’t respect.

The beauty of America’s system of governance is its “checks and balances” within its three branches: executive, legislative and judicial. When one branch fails, the others must step up. Problem is, Republicans in Congress refuse to act. Cowering in fear of Trump’s supporters, they will not hold him accountable. Partisanship, rather than principle, is their North Star.

They trade tax cuts for themselves and their benefactors, rollbacks of regulations designed to benefit their constituents, and a more politically right-wing judiciary is infinitely more important. Pusillanimous statements from Republican senators like Lamar Alexander -- whom I once endorsed for governor -- and Marco Rubio are the hallmark.

There is much speculation whether this display of cowardice and moral ambiguity by Trump will mark a turning point in his presidency. Possibly. We are closer to elections than we were after Charlottesville. There may be little support for politicians like Marsha Blackburn and Diane Black whose only calling is to serve as his sycophants. This cannot be a partisan game. Our democracy is at stake. With a white flag waving, “The Art of the Surrender” cannot be our final chapter.

Theotis Robinson Jr. is a freelance writer, former Knoxville City Council member and retired vice president of equity and diversity of the University of Tennessee. He may be reached at thewriteone7@comcast.net.