You might have noticed that in damn near every column I have written that mentions the orange mobster who is somehow once again disgracing our White House, I have dutifully referred to him as the “America-attacking Trump.”I have used this deadly accurate compound modifier steadfastly and very intentionally to describe this despicable man. I have done this strictly for the sake of accuracy and credibility.As a United States citizen first, a United States Navy veteran second, and a journalist third, I have found that the normalization of Trump’s hate for our country, our people, and our governing institutions to have been one of the most egregious and detestable things of all. He regularly spits on America, and that should always be the first thing mentioned about this rotten SOB in any telling of whatever the hell it is he is up to at the time.Whether openly asking for Russia’s help in the 2016 election, surrendering to Vladimir Putin in Helsinki two years later, stealing and then refusing to surrender classified documents, repeatedly denigrating our fallen, or ultimately conspiring to overthrow our votes and then the government on January 6, 2021, while his vice president and other members of Congress were hunted down, Trump has proven beyond a shadow of any doubt he is an enemy of the United States of America.Trump is an “America-attacker” as sure as I am typing this, and now we have learned his drunken, racist and misogynistic Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is one, too.I warned the minute Trump put forth the wildly unqualified Hegseth to somehow “lead” our troops, he was doing it for one reason and one reason only:“NOTHING Trump does with our military will be to protect the citizens of the United States of America. EVERYTHING Trump does with our military will be to protect himself from the citizens of the United States of America.”It’s both that simple and terrifying.By words and by deed it is clear as day that Trump has absolutely no respect for the country he violently assaulted, nor our men and women who wear the uniform, because like any authoritarian leader he sees them as servants to him, and not our country.As I typed in Warning Shot just months ago:“Hegseth is a terrible man, who does not believe women should serve in combat, because ‘it hasn’t made us more effective.’ This is no surprise coming from a man accused of sexually assaulting a woman in 2017, and then paying her off for her silence.“Hegseth was also flagged as a possible “Insider Threat” by members of his military unit because of a tattoo on his bicep that’s commonly associated with white supremacist groups.”Sexual abuser: checkRacist: checkTrump’s kind of guy: checkI added:“With this nomination, Trump is going out of his way to signal that he is no longer asking his hate groups to “‘stand back and stand by” but to “stand up and move in.’”On Sunday evening we learned from The New York Times that the wildly unqualified Hegseth shared classified information about imminent strikes in Yemen in yet another group chat that included his wife, brother and personal lawyer.It’s now fair to ask if there is anybody who Hegseth hasn’t shared our war plans with. And that is exactly the question that needs asking RIGHT NOW.This abominable lack of regard for the safety of our troops and nation, has now moved way past dereliction of duty, and into the neighborhood of treason. I see a lot of people have been calling for this full-time abomination to be removed. Well, I am calling for him to be arrested. God knows how many secrets this incompetent moron has leaked and how many of our troops and operatives are in danger right now.By definition, treason is the crime of betraying one’s own country BY ACTIONS THAT UNDERMINE its government or security.There needs to be full-scale investigation into Hegseth, and the damage he is doing to our troops and our country, because it is a five-alarm fire. We have never been here before.Predictably, the America-attacking Trump wasted no time defending his drunken lackey, and took aim at the leaks instead of the alleged high crime itself.In reporting in the Times:“The president told Mr. Hegseth that disgruntled “leakers” were to blame for the report and made clear that he had Mr. Hegseth’s back. The president also said he had plenty of experience dealing with leakers”.That is exactly how you would expect an America-attacking felon to handle this.Trump has littered his cabinet with unqualified stooges who will do his bidding, before America’s. With Hegseth’s appointment, he purposely outdid himself because when not if Trump has once again done something so egregious … so sickening … so anti-American … he will need a fawning weakling in the Department of Defense to roll over and play dead, so that he can use the troops to defend him and not America.I am telling you right now this day is coming. Trump, and his Supreme Court see his power as absolute. There is NOTHING that applies, or restricts him from doing whatever the hell it is he thinks needs doing in the interest of national security, which means his security. Just when in the hell will everybody finally realize this, and start acting accordingly?The America-attacking Trump hates this country. D. Earl Stephens is the author of “Toxic Tales: A Caustic Collection of Donald J. Trump’s Very Important Letters” and finished up a 30-year career in journalism as the Managing Editor of Stars and Stripes. You can find all his work here, and follow him on Bluesky here.
What happens to CNN is President Trump gets his way?
...
Read moreDetails
