Trump impeachment intimidation: Weaponized Twitter feed, die-hard fans who get the 'code'
2019-11-08   1047 words in total

New words of this article(27 words):
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intimidation  n．恐吓
perpetrator  n.犯罪者,作恶者
litigation  n.诉讼,起诉
billionaire  n.亿万富翁
scary  adj.引起惊慌的
tactic  n.策略,战略adj.按顺序的,排列的
semblance  n.外表,伪装
damaging  adj.有破坏性的,损害的,诽谤的
quid  咀嚼物；[英俚]一镑，二十先令
thug  n.暴徒,凶手
breach  n.违背,破坏,破裂,裂口vt.打破,突破
depravity  n．堕落，恶习
slingshot  n.弹弓
bigotry  n．顽固，偏狭
mob  n.(集合词)暴徒,乌合之众,(盗贼等的)一群v.成群暴动,聚众滋扰
questionable  adj.可疑的
ethical  adj.与伦理有关,民族的,民族特有的
spine  n.脊骨,书脊,地面隆起地带,中心,剌
candid  adj.无偏见的,公正的,坦白的,率直的
trash  n.无价值之物,无聊的作品,垃圾,废物
rabid  adj.狂暴的,激烈的,患有狂犬病的
understandable  adj.可以理解的,可懂的
complicit  adj.有同谋关系的,串通一气的[由 complicity 逆构]
primordial  adj.原始的
parasite  n.寄生虫,食客
dissection  n.解剖,切开
loser  n.失主,失败者,输者

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Michael J. Stern

Opinion columnist

I have the unfortunate distinction of recognizing witness intimidation恐吓 when I see it. During my years as a state and federal prosecutor, I watched solid cases dissolve as witnesses were intimidated into refusing to testify about horrible crimes.

In every instance of fearful silence, the threat came from the perpetrator犯罪者,作恶者 of the crime or someone closely connected to him. In my wildest nightmare, it never would have occurred to me that the man in charge of American law enforcement would be the source of intimidation恐吓 in an investigation by federal authorities. Enter the stuff that nightmares are made of … President Donald Trump.

Both in and out of the White House, Trump has a long history of using threats and intimidation恐吓 to silence his critics, expand his financial empire and keep himself out of prison.

Trump intimidation恐吓 tactics

Porn actress Stormy Daniels said in 2018 on "60 Minutes" that seven years earlier, a man in a parking lot approached her and warned: “Leave Trump alone. Forget the story,” referring to Daniels’ efforts to sell a story of her affair with Trump. Looking at Daniels’ daughter, she said, the man followed with: “That’s a beautiful little girl. It’d be a shame if something happened to her mom.”

In the run-up to the 2016 election, a dozen women accused Trump of sexual misconduct. He threatened to sue every one of them. The idea of being dragged through years of litigation诉讼,起诉 by a celebrity billionaire亿万富翁 is scary引起惊慌的 and goes a long way to secure silence.

Trump’s intimidation恐吓 tactics策略,战略按顺序的,排列的 did not stop at the White House door. With Trump at the center of simultaneous impeachment and criminal investigations, any semblance外表,伪装 of restraint has snapped beneath the sobering reality that Trump could lose both his presidency and his freedom.

After a whistleblower complaint detailed how Trump bartered U.S. financial aid to Ukraine in exchange for manufactured dirt on potential presidential rival Joe Biden, Trump suggested that the whistleblower’s source was a traitor who should be executed.

And this week, Trump threatened the release of damaging有破坏性的 损害的 诽谤的 information against Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, the decorated combat veteran who provided congressional testimony establishing a quid咀嚼物；[英俚]一镑，二十先令 pro quo in the Ukraine call that led to the impeachment inquiry into Trump.

A catalog of other threats against Trump’s personal and political enemies has already been publicly aired. It’s longer than the Beatles’ hit list.

That Trump has revealed himself to be the thug暴徒,凶手 we feared him to be should not come as a surprise. The surprise is that he’s able to openly employ tactics策略,战略按顺序的,排列的 that would get any other politician shamed out of office before the close of the day’s news cycle.

In order to understand the vaccine that protects Trump from accountability, we have to accept what Hillary Clinton knew all along. There is a part of Trump’s base that is “deplorable.” No breach违背,破坏,破裂,裂口打破,突破 of ethics, crime or act of moral depravity堕落，恶习 will shake their blind support. I could craft an analogy using the words “cult,” “Jim Jones” and “Kool-Aid,” but it has been said before.

At some point, liberal America, of which I consider myself a part, must accept the uncomfortable truth that many of our fellow Americans dislike people who don’t look like them, pray like them and think like them. Trump understands that harsh reality. It was his immigration policy — I’ll keep those people who are not like you away from you — that was his slingshot弹弓 to the presidency.

Editorial Board:Don't reveal the whistleblower on Donald Trump's phone call

In a Monmouth University Poll released this week, 62% of Trump supporters said there was nothing he could do to lose their support. Nothing. This has allowed those Trump supporters to come out from the shadows and publicly express the bigotry顽固，偏狭 they had to contain before the most powerful man in the world said it was OK.

Trump recognizes this and maintains their loyalty through an IV drip of “killers and rapists,” “very fine people” and foreign “infestation.” In exchange, Trump has a personal army of followers who will attack those who are critical of him. Just ask the Democratic politicians who received pipe bombs last year from mega-Trump supporter Cesar Sayoc.

Threat to impeachment witnesses

This spring, Trump’s former personal attorney Michael Cohen testified in a House hearing that Trump uses “code,” like a mob(集合词)暴徒,乌合之众,(盗贼等的)一群成群暴动,聚众滋扰 boss, when he orders people to do things of questionable可疑的 ethical与伦理有关,民族的,民族特有的 or legal propriety.

Trump’s code language is understood by his closest followers, and it is what sends shivers down the spines脊骨,书脊,地面隆起地带,中心,剌 of witnesses cooperating in the impeachment probe. Marie Yovanovitch, the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, told House investigators she felt threatened when Trump referred to her as “bad news” in a publicly released summary of the Ukraine call. Yovanovitch also testified that she worried her job and pension were at risk by not toeing the Trump line.

The danger in threats posed by Trump and his base is that witnesses called to testify will not be candid无偏见的,公正的,坦白的,率直的 because they fear repercussions, or will not appear at all. And witnesses who have not tripped the public radar have little reason to voluntarily come forward and go through the agony that comes with having the president of the United States publicly trash无价值之物,无聊的作品,垃圾,废物 you to his 67 million Twitter followers, some of whom may target them for revenge.

Protect and defend:Trump has no right to confront the whistleblower

Attorneys for the Ukraine whistleblower have already received death threats against the whistleblower and themselves. It is the whistleblower’s complaint that will likely lead to Trump’s impeachment. Since far less has led Trump’s rabid狂暴的,激烈的,患有狂犬病的 supporters to violence, it’s understandable可以理解的,可懂的 why the whistleblower does not want his or her identity disclosed.

Yet Trump repeatedly attacks the media for protecting the whistleblower’s identity. Republican politicians like Rep. Jim Jordan and Sen. Rand Paul, who have called for a public outing of the whistleblower’s identity despite the danger he or she faces, are complicit有同谋关系的 串通一气的 in Trump’s intimidation恐吓 efforts.

The primordial原始的 soup from which Trump, his die-hard supporters and the current GOP have evolved makes it impossible to distinguish parasite寄生虫,食客 from host. Whatever historical dissection解剖 切开 will reveal in years to come, the biggest loser失主 失败者 输者 of the Trump era will be our search for the truth.

Michael J. Stern, a member of USA TODAY's Board of Contributors, was a federal prosecutor for 25 years in Detroit and Los Angeles. Follow him on Twitter: @MichaelJStern1