Thursday, November 28, 2019
Fired Navy Secretary Spencer criticizes Trump in SEAL’s case
WASHINGTON (AP) — Richard Spencer, who was fired as Navy secretary
for his handling of a SEAL war crimes case championed by President
Donald Trump, wrote that the commander in chief “has very little
understanding” of how the American military works.
The
extraordinary accusation came in an opinion piece published on The
Washington Post’s website Wednesday evening, three days after he was
fired. Spencer called Trump’s intervention in the case of Navy Chief
Petty Officer Edward Gallagher “shocking” and unprecedented.
Spencer
was fired Sunday by Defense Secretary Mark Esper for working a private
deal with the White House to ensure that Gallagher be allowed to retire
without losing his SEAL status.
In his Post article, Spencer acknowledged his mistake but also asserted that Trump’s actions were detrimental to the military.
Spencer
said Trump had involved himself in the Gallagher case “almost from the
start,” by telephoning Spencer even before the SEAL’s court martial
started to ask that Gallagher be moved out of confinement at a Navy
brig. Spencer said he resisted Trump because the presiding judge had
decided that confinement was important. Nonetheless, Trump ordered
Spencer to transfer Gallagher from the brig to the equivalent of an
enlisted barracks.
Spencer
said he believes Trump’s interest in the case stemmed partly from the
way Gallagher’s defense lawyers and others “worked to keep it front and
center in the media.”
After Gallagher was acquitted of most charges but convicted of posing with the corpse
of an Islamic State extremist in Iraq, he submitted his request to
retire. In Spencer’s telling, that raised three questions for the Navy,
including whether Gallagher should be allowed to retire at his current
rank. The military jury had said he should be demoted.
Trump,
who had tweeted support for Gallagher and stated that his case had been
“handled very badly from the beginning,” short-circuited the Navy’s
administrative review of Gallagher’s status by ordering Spencer to
restore Gallagher’s rank.
“This
was a shocking and unprecedented intervention in a low-level review,”
Spencer wrote. “It was also a reminder that the president has very
little understanding of what it means to be in the military, to fight
ethically or to be governed by a uniform set of rules and practices.”
Last week, Trump tweeted that Gallagher must be allowed to keep his Trident pin,
the medal that designates a SEAL member. The Navy had planned to let an
administrative board review the question starting Monday, but
eventually Esper decided to stop that process and let Gallagher retire as a SEAL, as Trump had ordered.
Earlier
Wednesday, the Navy announced that it had canceled the peer-review
boards for three SEAL officers who supervised Gallagher during the Iraq
deployment that gave rise to the war crimes charges.
Acting
Navy Secretary Thomas Modly said the case was becoming a distraction
for the commando force, known for its quiet professionalism but recently
roiled with controversy.
The
decision was the latest twist in the Gallagher matter. Trump has made
no mention of the three SEAL officers also ordered to be reviewed. All
three had overseen Gallagher during his 2017 deployment to Iraq.
But
Modly said there were better ways to address any “failures in conduct,
performance, judgment, or professionalism exhibited by these officers.”
He
directed the chief of naval operations to end the review process for
Lt. Cmdr. Robert Breisch, Lt. Jacob Portier and Lt. Thomas MacNeil.
“The
United States Navy, and the Naval Special Warfare Community
specifically, have dangerous and important work to do,” Modly said in a
statement. “In my judgment, neither deserves the continued distraction
and negative attention that recent events have evoked.”
Modly
said his decision should not be interpreted as loosening the standards
he expects of SEALs. He said ongoing efforts will continue to address
problems within the SEAL community, which has had numerous allegations
of misconduct in recent months.
“Navy
uniformed leaders have my full confidence that they will continue to
address challenging cultural issues within the Naval Special Warfare
community, instill good order and discipline, and enforce the very
highest professional standards we expect from every member of that
community,” he said.
Portier
was Gallagher’s platoon commander and was charged with failing to
report the killing of the captive. He denied the charges and they were
dropped after the jury acquitted Gallagher of murder.
Portier’s
attorney, Jeremiah Sullivan, said Portier was happy to learn he would
be allowed to keep his trident, a pin designating SEAL status.
“Lt. Portier is extremely grateful for the unwavering support of President Trump,” Sullivan said.
Attorneys for Breisch and MacNeil did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
___
Watson reported from San Diego.
Furious, China summons US ambassador over Hong Kong bills
BEIJING
(AP) — China reacted furiously Thursday to President Donald Trump’s
signing two bills aimed at supporting human rights in Hong Kong,
summoning the U.S. ambassador to protest and warning the move would
undermine cooperation with Washington.
Hong
Kong, a former British colony that was granted special autonomy when
China took control in 1997, has been rocked by six months of sometimes
violent pro-democracy demonstrations.
Trump’s
approval of the bills was not unexpected. Neither was the reaction from
Beijing, given China’s adamant rejections of any commentary on what it
considers an internal issue.
Nevertheless, the clash comes at a sensitive time and could upset already thorny trade negotiations between the two nations.
Chinese
Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng told U.S. Ambassador Terry Branstad
that the move constituted “serious interference in China’s internal
affairs and a serious violation of international law,” a foreign
ministry statement said.
Le
called it a “nakedly hegemonic act.” He urged the U.S. not to implement
the bills to prevent greater damage to U.S.-China relations, the
ministry said.
In
a statement about the meeting, the U.S. Embassy in Beijing said “the
Chinese Communist Party must honor its promises to the Hong Kong
people.”
The
U.S. “believes that Hong Kong’s autonomy, its adherence to the rule of
law, and its commitment to protecting civil liberties are key to
preserving its special status under U.S. law,” it said.
The
U.S. laws, which passed both chambers of Congress almost unanimously,
mandate sanctions on Chinese and Hong Kong officials who carry out human
rights abuses in Hong Kong, require an annual review of Hong Kong’s
favorable trade status and prohibit the export to Hong Kong police of
certain nonlethal munitions.
“I
signed these bills out of respect for President Xi, China, and the
people of Hong Kong,” Trump said in a statement. “They are being enacted
in the hope that Leaders and Representatives of China and Hong Kong
will be able to amicably settle their differences leading to long term
peace and prosperity for all.”
In
Hong Kong, thousands of pro-democracy activists crowded a public square
on Thursday night for a “Thanksgiving” rally to thank the United States
for passing the laws and vowed to “march on” in their fight.
Prominent
activist Joshua Wong, who was among those who lobbied for the U.S.
laws, said it was remarkable that human rights had triumphed over the
U.S.-China trade talks. Wong told the rally the next aim is to expand
global support by getting Britain and other Western nations to follow
suit.
Since the
Hong Kong protests began in June, Beijing has responded to expressions
of support for the demonstrators from the U.S. and other countries by
accusing them of orchestrating the unrest to contain China’s
development. The central government has blamed foreign “black hands”
bent on destroying the city.
C.Y.
Leung, a former chief executive of Hong Kong, said at a talk at the
Foreign Correspondents Club of Hong Kong that he doubts the U.S. or
supporters of the bills “ever had the interest of Hong Kong in mind.”
He suggested Hong Kong was being used as a “proxy” for China and the legislation was a way to hit back at Beijing.
While
China has repeatedly threatened unspecified “countermeasures,” it’s
unclear exactly how it will respond. Speaking on Fox News, Trump called
the protests a “complicating factor” in trade negotiations with Beijing.
At
a daily briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang
responded to a question about how Trump’s endorsement of the legislation
might affect the trade talks by saying it would undermine “cooperation
in important areas.”
Asked
Thursday if the U.S. legislation would affect trade talks with
Washington, a Chinese Commerce Ministry spokesman said he had no new
information to share.
Recently
both sides expressed confidence they were making headway on a
preliminary agreement to avert a further escalation in a tariff war that
has hammered manufacturers in both nations.
___
Associated Press writers Eileen Ng in Hong Kong and Elaine Kurtenbach in Beijing contributed to this report.
Ken Cuccinelli, acting DHS deputy, forced to leave bar after being assailed by Martin O'Malley
Acting deputy Homeland Security Secretary Ken Cuccinelli was
reportedly forced to leave an event on Thanksgiving eve after former
Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley blasted him for carrying out the Trump
administration's immigration policies.
The incident allegedly took place at the Dubliner, an Irish pub on Capitol Hill where Cuccinelli and O’Malley were said to be attending an event with fellow graduates of Gonzaga College High School, according to the Washington Post, which first reported the encounter.
“Martin O’Malley just drove Ken Cuccinelli out of the Dubliner in DC w/ a passion-laced and shame-invoking tirade on behalf of immigrant refugee children!!!” Siobhan Arnold, who's identified as a Villanova University media relations associate and was reportedly at the bar, tweeted late Wednesday.
Speaking to the Post, Arnold said O’Malley used Cuccinelli’s grandparents in a bid to shame him, a remark which she said Cuccinelli barely responded to.
“O’Malley was shouting,” Arnold told the Post. “I don’t think Cuccinelli was responding. I think he’s like, ‘Time to go. Just got here and I’m leaving.’ He pretty much retreated.”
O’Malley, the former Democratic governor of Maryland from 2006 to 2014, and a 2016 presidential candidate who withdrew his White House bid after an early defeat in the Iowa caucuses, defended his actions to the Post.
“We all let him know how we felt about him putting refugee immigrant kids in cages -- certainly not what we were taught by the Jesuits at Gonzaga,” O’Malley said in a text to the Post, adding that Cuccinelli is “the son of immigrant grandparents who cages children for a fascist president.”
A DHS spokesman did not immediately respond to Fox News’ request for comment.
Cuccinelli has been known as one of the Trump administration's most vocal immigration hardliners. He was appointed acting deputy DHS secretary earlier this month under new acting Secretary Chad Wolf, after serving as acting U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services director. Cuccinelli, along with acting Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Mark Morgan, had been one of the favorites among immigration hawks to lead the department.
But Cuccinelli is not the first Trump administration official to be harassed for his work involving enforcement of President Trump’s immigration policies.
Former Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen was repeatedly heckled for her role in the administration, and was forced, last year, to cut a working dinner short at a Mexican restaurant in Washington after protesters harassed her, shouting “shame!” Former White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders was also forced to leave a Virginia restaurant during the same time period. Those incidents took place after Trump signed an executive order to stop the administration’s controversial family separation policy.
The president has repeatedly said that the administration has no plans to reinstate that policy and has sought to place blame on former President Barack Obama instead.
“Obama separated the children, just so you understand. President Obama separated the children,” Trump said in April. “The cages that were shown, very inappropriate, they were built by President Obama and the Obama administration –not by Trump."
He added: “The press knows it, you know it, we all know it. I’m the one that stopped it.”
Initial images of cages with children inside that spread on social media last year indeed were from the Obama administration. The photos, taken in 2014 by The Associated Press, were wrongly described as illustrating imprisonment under the Trump administration.
But while family separations happened under Obama, it became more widespread during the border crisis that occurred during the early part of the Trump administration.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The incident allegedly took place at the Dubliner, an Irish pub on Capitol Hill where Cuccinelli and O’Malley were said to be attending an event with fellow graduates of Gonzaga College High School, according to the Washington Post, which first reported the encounter.
“Martin O’Malley just drove Ken Cuccinelli out of the Dubliner in DC w/ a passion-laced and shame-invoking tirade on behalf of immigrant refugee children!!!” Siobhan Arnold, who's identified as a Villanova University media relations associate and was reportedly at the bar, tweeted late Wednesday.
Speaking to the Post, Arnold said O’Malley used Cuccinelli’s grandparents in a bid to shame him, a remark which she said Cuccinelli barely responded to.
“O’Malley was shouting,” Arnold told the Post. “I don’t think Cuccinelli was responding. I think he’s like, ‘Time to go. Just got here and I’m leaving.’ He pretty much retreated.”
O’Malley, the former Democratic governor of Maryland from 2006 to 2014, and a 2016 presidential candidate who withdrew his White House bid after an early defeat in the Iowa caucuses, defended his actions to the Post.
“We all let him know how we felt about him putting refugee immigrant kids in cages -- certainly not what we were taught by the Jesuits at Gonzaga,” O’Malley said in a text to the Post, adding that Cuccinelli is “the son of immigrant grandparents who cages children for a fascist president.”
A DHS spokesman did not immediately respond to Fox News’ request for comment.
Cuccinelli has been known as one of the Trump administration's most vocal immigration hardliners. He was appointed acting deputy DHS secretary earlier this month under new acting Secretary Chad Wolf, after serving as acting U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services director. Cuccinelli, along with acting Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Mark Morgan, had been one of the favorites among immigration hawks to lead the department.
But Cuccinelli is not the first Trump administration official to be harassed for his work involving enforcement of President Trump’s immigration policies.
Former Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen was repeatedly heckled for her role in the administration, and was forced, last year, to cut a working dinner short at a Mexican restaurant in Washington after protesters harassed her, shouting “shame!” Former White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders was also forced to leave a Virginia restaurant during the same time period. Those incidents took place after Trump signed an executive order to stop the administration’s controversial family separation policy.
The president has repeatedly said that the administration has no plans to reinstate that policy and has sought to place blame on former President Barack Obama instead.
“Obama separated the children, just so you understand. President Obama separated the children,” Trump said in April. “The cages that were shown, very inappropriate, they were built by President Obama and the Obama administration –not by Trump."
He added: “The press knows it, you know it, we all know it. I’m the one that stopped it.”
Initial images of cages with children inside that spread on social media last year indeed were from the Obama administration. The photos, taken in 2014 by The Associated Press, were wrongly described as illustrating imprisonment under the Trump administration.
But while family separations happened under Obama, it became more widespread during the border crisis that occurred during the early part of the Trump administration.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Hong Kong protesters praise Trump, Congress for law; Beijing calls move sinister
Pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong cheered President Trump and members of Congress for passing two laws that support the months-long uprising
that has crippled the city while Beijing's anger over the legislation
was on full display, calling the move a "nakedly hegemonic act" before
summoning the top American diplomat in the country in protest.
The protests in Hong Kong started in June in response to, in part, an extradition bill that would have sent alleged criminals to China to stand trial. The bill never went forward, but the protests remained and only grew in size and violence since June.
Trump signed the bills, which were approved by near-unanimous consent in the House and Senate, even as he expressed some concerns about complicating the effort to work out a trade deal with China's President Xi Jinping.
Up until Wednesday's announcement, Trump did not indicate whether or not he would sign the bill. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo refused to answer a reporter's question about the president's leanings as recent as Tuesday.
The Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, which was sponsored by Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., requires that the U.S. conducts yearly reviews into Hong Kong’s autonomy from Beijing. If ever found unsatisfactory, the city's special status for U.S. trading could be tossed.
"I signed these bills out of respect for President Xi, China, and the people of Hong Kong," Trump said in a statement. "They are being enacted in the hope that Leaders and Representatives of China and Hong Kong will be able to amicably settle their differences leading to long term peace and prosperity for all."
The statement did little to calm Beijing. The Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement that the bill will only "strengthen the resolve of the Chinese people, including the Hong Kong people, and raise the sinister intentions and hegemonic nature of the U.S."
The statement continued, "The US side ignored facts, turned black to white, and blatantly gave encouragement to violent criminals who smashed and burned, harmed innocent city residents, trampled on the rule of law and endangered social order."
The statement, which was obtained by Reuters, said the U.S. plot "is doomed" and threatened vague "countermeasures."
The Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office called the U.S. the "largest black hand causing chaos in Hong Kong."
Carrie Lam's administration said it "strongly opposes and regrets" the laws, according to London’s Independent newspaper. Her office said "Democracy is alive and well" there and pointed to the recent elections that overwhelmingly favored antigovernment candidates.
Protesters, however, cheered the bill and, according to the New York Times, see the measure as a warning to Beijing and Hong Kong.
"I hope it can act as a warning to Hong Kong and Beijing officials, pro-Beijing people and the police," Nelson Lam, 32, told the Times. "I think if they know that what they do may lead to sanctions, then they will become restrained when dealing with protests. We just want our autonomy back. We are not their foe."
The Associated Press contributed to this report
The protests in Hong Kong started in June in response to, in part, an extradition bill that would have sent alleged criminals to China to stand trial. The bill never went forward, but the protests remained and only grew in size and violence since June.
Trump signed the bills, which were approved by near-unanimous consent in the House and Senate, even as he expressed some concerns about complicating the effort to work out a trade deal with China's President Xi Jinping.
Up until Wednesday's announcement, Trump did not indicate whether or not he would sign the bill. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo refused to answer a reporter's question about the president's leanings as recent as Tuesday.
The Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, which was sponsored by Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., requires that the U.S. conducts yearly reviews into Hong Kong’s autonomy from Beijing. If ever found unsatisfactory, the city's special status for U.S. trading could be tossed.
"I signed these bills out of respect for President Xi, China, and the people of Hong Kong," Trump said in a statement. "They are being enacted in the hope that Leaders and Representatives of China and Hong Kong will be able to amicably settle their differences leading to long term peace and prosperity for all."
The statement did little to calm Beijing. The Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement that the bill will only "strengthen the resolve of the Chinese people, including the Hong Kong people, and raise the sinister intentions and hegemonic nature of the U.S."
The statement continued, "The US side ignored facts, turned black to white, and blatantly gave encouragement to violent criminals who smashed and burned, harmed innocent city residents, trampled on the rule of law and endangered social order."
The statement, which was obtained by Reuters, said the U.S. plot "is doomed" and threatened vague "countermeasures."
The Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office called the U.S. the "largest black hand causing chaos in Hong Kong."
Carrie Lam's administration said it "strongly opposes and regrets" the laws, according to London’s Independent newspaper. Her office said "Democracy is alive and well" there and pointed to the recent elections that overwhelmingly favored antigovernment candidates.
Protesters, however, cheered the bill and, according to the New York Times, see the measure as a warning to Beijing and Hong Kong.
"I hope it can act as a warning to Hong Kong and Beijing officials, pro-Beijing people and the police," Nelson Lam, 32, told the Times. "I think if they know that what they do may lead to sanctions, then they will become restrained when dealing with protests. We just want our autonomy back. We are not their foe."
The Associated Press contributed to this report
Wednesday, November 27, 2019
Impeachment fight leaves voters cold in contested Wisconsin
RACINE, Wis. (AP) —
There’s not a lot that Republicans and Democrats in this political
battlefield agree on, but the impeachment probe into President Donald
Trump may have surfaced one: The public hearings aren’t moving the
needle.
“Everything
they say, it’s so repetitive. To me, it’s like they’re beating their
heads against the wall,” said Harry Rose, a 78-year-old retired factory
worker and Trump supporter in Racine County, a swing county in the swing
state of Wisconsin.
Nicole Morrison, a 36-year-old nurse who can’t see herself voting for Trump in 2020, had a similar review.
“There’s
so much information that sometimes it’s hard to decide which is the
truth and which is just rumors,” she said. “So I just don’t pay
attention to it.”
After
30 hours of televised hearings, a dozen witnesses, at least a couple of
major revelations and scores of tweeted rebuttals, voters in Wisconsin
and nationwide aren’t changing their minds about removing the president.
If they came into the inquiry defensive of Trump, they likely still
are. And if they were inclined to think the president abused his power,
they didn’t need televised hearings to prove it.
“For
the most part, most Americans already have pretty solidified views of
the president,” said Josh Schwerin, senior strategist for the Democratic
super PAC Priorities USA. “There’s a small segment of the population
that can be moved, and they’re not paying as close attention to the
day-to-day ins and outs of the impeachment hearings.”
It’s
a disappointing — if not unexpected — response for Democrats, who hoped
to use the hearings to sway public opinion. Without that backing, it’s
virtually impossible to imagine Republican senators voting to convict
Trump.
It’s
also a reaction that leaves the political impact of this dramatic
chapter in American history remarkably uncertain. If the division on the
question holds, and independents remain disengaged, it is possible that
impeachment and Senate trial may ultimately play little role in Trump’s
reelection bid next year.
Two
polls released this week showed the public remains roughly evenly
divided over whether Trump should be impeached and removed from office.
Although there was a one-time increase in support after the inquiry
launched, polls have since remained stable.
A
CNN survey conducted over the weekend showed 50% of Americans believe
Trump should be impeached and removed from office, roughly the same as
in late October and in late September. Meanwhile, Trump’s job approval
has remained steady. A Quinnipiac University survey of registered voters
nationwide also conducted this past weekend found a similar split on
whether Trump should be impeached and removed, and just 13% of those who
have an opinion say they might change their mind.
In
Wisconsin, views on impeachment appear to be slightly more negative. A
Marquette University Law School poll of Wisconsin registered voters that
was conducted during the first week of the impeachment hearings showed
47% of registered voters approve of the job Trump is doing, and more
expressed opposition than support for impeachment and removal, 53% to
40%, figures largely unchanged from October.
The
poll was conducted before U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon
Sondland and former top aide Fiona Hill offered testimony that largely
corroborated allegations that Trump tried to pressure a foreign
government into investigating his political rival Joe Biden.
The
entrenched divisions are clear even in Racine County, a place with a
history of shifting political winds. The county voted for Democrat
Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012, and then swung to support Trump in 2016.
The
county, just south of Milwaukee, is divided between the
Democratic-leaning electorate in and surrounding Racine, and the more
conservative electorate in the rural and suburban areas. Most of the
county’s residents worked white-collar jobs in 2019, like administrative
services and sales, and the median household income was just under
$65,000, slightly above the state average.
If
Democrats hope to win it back, they’ll have to persuade voters like
Jo-Ann Knutson to come back. The 70-year-old retiree lives in downtown
Racine and voted for Trump in 2016 because she didn’t like Democrat
Hillary Clinton. She’s been watching the impeachment hearings, but she’s
still not sure what to think.
Trump
“is not my favorite person, and I don’t care for how he talks about
people, but I have not made a firm decision because I don’t think all of
the facts are out yet,” she said.
Knutson
remembered watching the impeachment proceedings for President Richard
Nixon, when she said “you were sure” because there were taped recordings
and other firsthand evidence of wrongdoing. Now, she thinks Democrats’
case is based on overheard conversations — and she believes there’s
still a possibility Trump could be exonerated, she said.
Knutson said she has “no clue” who she’ll vote for next year.
Morrison,
the nurse, also says she’s undecided, though she typically leans
Democratic. Impeachment isn’t swaying her, though, because she says she
can’t trust what she hears about the president anymore.
“I
feel like we’ve been hearing since the second that he was elected
president he needs to be impeached,” she said. “So why waste my time to
listen to it?”
Democrats
will also have to reach some of their key constituencies that stayed
home in 2016 — minorities and young voters. And there’s some sign in
Racine that the impeachment proceedings could have the opposite effect,
if they further cement a sense of disillusionment with Washington.
Darius
Nunn, the 40-year-old owner of Clarity Cutz, a barbershop that largely
serves the city’s black community, sometimes puts the news on the
television in his shop, “but when it begins to get heated, we turn on
some basketball.”
On
a recent day, the barbershop’s TV showed a Chris Brown concert. Nunn
said his clients are interested in what’s going on in Washington but
doubtful that Trump will experience any consequences for his actions —
and he could see them staying home again next November.
“A
lot of people (in 2016), they didn’t have any faith in the voting
system,” he said. “To the urban community ... the disenfranchised
people, they don’t believe in the system at all. There’s justice for few
when there should be justice for all.”
Republicans,
meanwhile, will need to maintain their coalition of white working-class
voters and suburban moderates to hold onto a swing state like
Wisconsin. That means persuading those voters to focus on the economy.
There
are signs of success for Republicans on that front. Several Republicans
across Racine County said that though they didn’t like Trump’s tone and
were tired of the controversies, they were happy with the economy — and
expected nothing less from the president to begin with.
“He’s
probably guilty of something. … I thought he might run into problems
because it’s just the way he is,” said Scott Davis, a 67-year-old
landscaper from Sturtevant, a manufacturing town that’s a key base for
Republican votes in the county.
But
Davis said his business has flourished, and he lauded Trump’s handling
of the economy. Controversies or not, Davis said he sees no reason not
to support the president in 2020.
“In
a lot of ways, (Trump’s) not suited to be president, but he’s done a
lot of good for the country,” Davis said. “I would probably vote for him
again, just because of the economy.”
David
Titus, a 68-year-old retired banker from just outside Racine, said
Trump “runs his mouth too much,” but he’s still satisfied with the
president’s performance.
“I like what he’s done. I don’t like the way he’s doing it,” he said.
Titus
predicted, however, that the impeachment proceedings could backfire. He
said he’s heard from others who are fed up of the fighting and just
want the president to be allowed to do his job.
“I think the longer it goes, the worse it gets for the Democrats,” he said.
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