By Patricia H Kushlis
Normally – at least since WWI – an official US Presidential visit to London takes on the trappings of a festive occasion, a time to spread good cheer and camaraderie across the Pond. Or in more troubled times, for the representatives of the two countries to discuss difficult and complex issues that affect them both: To shore up the British-American alliance and present a united front to the world.
Not this time. Just days before the Trumps descent upon the Royals, he was taken off balance by a nine minute very public made-for-television recap of the Mueller report by its chief author. Mueller’s words did not clear Trump of obstruction of justice and did not state that he and/or his nearest and dearest advisors had not conspired with Moscow to rig the 2016 elections. What it said was that there were numerous accounts of likely obstruction but that because of a Department of Justice ruling, Mueller could or would not indict him. That was Congress’ job.
What it also said was that simply because the investigation could not connect the conspiracy dots it did not mean that the dots do and did not exist. Instead, that Mueller had been refused interviews with chief witnesses and that the written statement from Trump – likely written by his lawyers – was inadequate. Mueller’s recap concluded with a strong warning to the US that the Russian 2016 elections interference was real and substantial and that this country needed to be preparing to better defend against worse foreign (aka Russian) cyberattacks in the future.
Then less than a day later, a story broke about a planned coverup by US government officials of the USS John McCain at the Yokosuka Naval Base near Tokyo to spare Trump the vision of the destroyer’s name during his visit to the port. The story, broken in the Wall Street Journal indicated the coverup had, in fact, happened, but the Journal had jumped the gun. The Navy brass in Japan and at Indo-Pacific Headquarters in Honolulu had nixed the hair-brained camouflage idea just in time. Trump’s visit occurred but the sailors from the McCain were prevented from attending his talk which took place way below deck of another ship in port. This decision, in effect, spared the world from having to endure a much-videoed on deck Trump publicity stunt aka George W Bush after the supposed end of hostilities in Iraq, with the US military used as a backdrop.
What the Navy missed scotching was the fake MAGA patches with Trump’s face on them sported by a contingent of Marines who did take part in the ceremony below deck. This is not, repeat, not kosher regardless and the Navy needs to deal with this bit of over enthusiasm if it hasn’t already.
After the USS McCain story had been circulating widely on the Internet and in the media, another East Asia one broke which reported that North Korean diplomats who had earlier been negotiating with Pompeo over a potential nuclear deal – or non-proliferation deal as it were – had been executed by Kim Jong Un, its fearless despot with whom Trump considers or considered his BFF, or best friend. The reason for the four dead seems to have been their failure to deliver a Summit to Kim on his terms. Apparently, the chief negotiator originally reported dead has now resurfaced.
With friends like this who needs enemies.
By the time Trump had returned to his golf game in the US and to pick up a change of clothes and maybe a new wig in preparation for his European swing, the advance media reporting had already focused on his London visit which actually began this morning. This gives the reporters from Asia a bit of a respite.
Yet before his Heathrow arrival, Trump had already hurled insults at the UK’s newest princess and the newest royal baby still less than a month old, the popular Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, and even the beleaguered Theresa May who had issued the invitation in 2017. Mistake. But then she didn’t ask me.
At about the same time as his latest round of insults, Trump blundered into British internal politics by strongly backing his buddies Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage for leadership positions and loudly supported Brexit despite its divisive effect on UK politics not to mention the standard admonition that representatives of foreign governments should keep out of another country’s domestic politics especially in the public square.
Meanwhile, it’s clear that the British government despite its chaotic state, has done its utmost to minimize the Trump family visit whether for security or other reasons. Trump may think that a helicopter ride from Heathrow to Buckingham Palace is a classy way to go, but in reality, it does three things:
- it minimizes the visibility of hostile demonstrators – on camera and as well as to himself – after all his approval rating among the Brits stands at a meager 21% as opposed to that of the far more popular Obama’s 72% when he was president;
- it protects Trump from a terrorist or other kind of less lethal attack - like milkshakes or fish guts - which might mess up his hair;
- and it minimizes the amount of steps required. Of obvious consideration in Trump world.
Smart move.
Tomorrow, of course, is another day. It is one devoted to government niceties, social events and a meeting as well as huge anti-Trump protests scheduled in various cities throughout the country including London, Manchester and Belfast complete with Baby Trump gracing the London skies.
Trump can move on to other political targets to scorn.
Before I sign off, it’s time to return to the US and a whopper of an investigative report by New York Times reporters Michael Forsythe, Eric Lipton, Keith Bradsher and Sui-Lee Wee which broke Sunday online. The report focuses on thorny ethics questions bedeviling US Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, the latest of Trump’s subpar and apparently corrupt cabinet officials.
But there’s so much more there, there. On the one hand the reporters question various conflicts of interest which bedevil Chao’s appointment to the cabinet position in the first place but then they then go well beyond the headline.
In a nutshell, or in the blink of a Twitter moment, the Times describes how Chao’s family bought her a husband, the then up-and-possibly-coming politician upon whom they showered cash by the millions since Chao’s first meeting with the younger Mitch McConnell in 1989. But even more significantly, the report chronicles the Chaos’ close relationship to the Beijing government and how over the years, their small shipping company was helped along by favorable loans from Chinese financial institutions backed by Beijing. Or, to put it crassly, it looks as if million dollar gifts from Beijing ran through the Chao family and its business to Mitch McConnell, the current GOP scion of the Senate and now likely the Senate’s richest member. There’s no way he could have run his expensive campaigns without this continuing cash infusion from abroad.
And here I had thought the paltry $1.25 million reportedly from the Russians to Mitch was a significant conflict of interest. As it turns out, the Kremlin is way behind the buy-an-American-politician-curve in comparison with the Chinese.
Democrats, listen up. The Times just delivered this expose to you on a silver platter. Run with it.