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May has been the worst month for America’s global humiliation, and we are barely half way through [1]
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Date: 2023-05-15
French daily newspaper Le Figaro: New revelations are embarrassing for an American Supreme Court judge.
Multiple events in the USA this month have dismayed, disturbed and disgusted the watching world, as is evident from headlines in virtually all countries.
Congressman George Santos was charged last Tuesday with 13 counts of financial crimes, including fraud, money laundering and theft of public funds. These major crimes could land him twenty years in prison. Yet his Republican Party colleagues are perfectly happy for him to remain as a member in good standing and continue working on legislation.
This contrasts with Australia’s experience in 2012 when federal Government backbencher Craig Thomson was investigated for alleged fraud. He was immediately forced to resign from Labor’s parliamentary ranks. After leaving Parliament, Thompson was found guilty of taking modest amounts of money from a trade union, which he had returned, and fined a token A$25,000 [US$16,700]. For this, Thomson was expelled from the party.
French news outlet Sudinfo: Elected Republican George Santos accused of multiple falsehoods indicted by federal law enforcement agency
The Straits Times in Singapore headlined its news report, ‘Republican leaders stand behind embattled US Representative George Santos after his indictment’.
Even the Italians were dismayed that such serious charges did not require Santos to stand aside, as shown in Il Post and Il Giornale. Other major news outlets to cover this prominently include The Irish Times, The China Daily, The London Times, Germany’s Die Welt, The New Zealand Herald, the Sydney Morning Herald, and Le Figaro in France.
This is one of eight scandals which have riveted the global community already this month. And we are only at the half way mark. All have been reported with consternation by the world’s media.
Convicted violent sex offender is still leader
Also last Tuesday, former President Donald Trump was found guilty of sexually assaulting a woman in 1996, and then defaming her. Trump must pay E. Jean Carroll five million dollars as compensation. Trump has appealed, but has virtually no chance of succeeding.
Again, Republican Party leaders have taken no steps to remove Trump as effective party leader and frontrunner for the 2024 presidential election.
French journal Le Parisien: Convicted of sexual assault, is Donald Trump weakened as a 2024 presidential candidate?
Judicial system openly mocked
The next day Trump attacked the judge and the jury’s decision in a televised election rally broadcast by cable TV station CNN:
“We had a horrible Clinton-appointed judge. He was horrible. He allowed her to put everything in. He allowed us to put nothing in. This is a fake story.”
Mexico’s El Informador: After jury convicted him of sexual abuse and defamation, Trump called the judgment "disgraceful".
Trump also continued to attack E. Jean Carroll:
“This woman, I don’t know her. I never met her ... and I swear, I have no idea who the hell – she’s a whack job.”
Vox described Trump’s performance on CNN as ‘an endless parade of lies and moral obscenities’.
Americans applaud as Trump humiliates his rape victim
The most venomous condemnations of Trump’s CNN appearance were not of Donald Trump, but of his Republican Party audience. To the astonishment of most of the media in the USA and beyond, they clapped and cheered at all Trump’s cruel and malicious attacks, including against his rape victim.
Insurrection confirmed
Four members of the militantly pro-Trump Proud Boys were convicted on 4th May of seditious conspiracy. This confirms the Capitol invasion on 6th January 2021 was indeed a violent insurrection – a truth which both Donald Trump and Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp continue to deny.
Netherlands news outlet NRC: Leader and three members of neo-fascist militia Proud Boys convicted of role in storming the Capitol
Supreme Court judge corruption allegations
Supreme Court judge since 1991 Clarence Thomas has been caught accepting undeclared gifts amounting to millions of dollars over recent decades from billionaire Harlan Crow and others. Despite his denials, Thomas has voted on decisions in which Crow’s companies have had direct interests.
On the face of it, this is glaring corruption, masked by the fact that the Supreme Court does not have any code of ethics and is shielded from congressional oversight by the doctrine of the separation of powers.
Spanish language journal Noticias Telemundo: Judge Clarence Thomas and his family sold houses to the same Republican millionaire from whom he accepted lavish gifts
Why these matter to the world
These developments – and others listed in the original article – are critical because the USA is still a powerful global force.
The watching world is hoping America’s right wing political establishment – which is where virtually all the malignancy lies – can sort things soon.
A great start will be the mainstream media refusing to give Trump platforms such as last Wednesday’s CNN event. This is a forlorn hope, of course, as the soaring ratings vindicated CNN’s decision totally.
The banner is still aloft over what used to be the home of the brave. It will recover its starry spangle when Trump and his white supremacist movement of anger, hatred and malice are gone forever.
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This is an abbreviated version of an article published today in Independent Australia. The original article is available here in full for free:
independentaustralia.net/...
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