By Pat Bagley, Salt Lake Tribune |
Apparently
it wasn’t enough for Trump to ignore bounties placed on the heads of our soldiers in Afghanistan (yeah,
remember that one?) simply because he has a dictator-man-crush on Vladimir
Putin.
Now Trump has caved (again) to the NRA and firearms industry because, well, he’s as weak as they come.
Now Trump has caved (again) to the NRA and firearms industry because, well, he’s as weak as they come.
Michael B.
Williams spent nearly two years helping to run a trade group focused on
expanding sales of firearm silencers by American manufacturers.
But try as he
might, he could not achieve one of the industry’s main goals: overturning a ban
on sales to private foreign buyers enacted by the State Department to protect
American troops in Afghanistan and elsewhere.
Then Mr.
Williams joined the Trump administration.
As a White House
lawyer, he pushed to overturn the prohibition, raising the issue with
influential administration officials and creating pressure within the State
Department, according to current and former government officials.
And how did
Williams do?
He accomplished his mission, of course. On Friday, the State Department revoked the ban, which will, it turns out, “pave[...] the way for as much as $250 million a year in possible new overseas sales for companies that Mr. Williams had championed as general counsel of the American Suppressor Association.”
He accomplished his mission, of course. On Friday, the State Department revoked the ban, which will, it turns out, “pave[...] the way for as much as $250 million a year in possible new overseas sales for companies that Mr. Williams had championed as general counsel of the American Suppressor Association.”
Hey, thanks for
draining the deep-state swamp and replacing it with a swamp that’s more to your
liking!
Oh, and because
the asshole doesn’t fall far from the tree, Donald Trump Jr. had a tangential
role in this, too:
Mr. Williams’s
work, though lower-profile, has nevertheless been a boon to another crucial
political constituency: the gun lobby, which plays a leading role
in Republican get-out-the-vote efforts and views eliminating
silencer restrictions as an emerging issue.
It’s a subject that has been embraced by the president’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr. — an ally of Mr. Williams’s former trade group — as well as by other powerful gun industry groups.
It’s a subject that has been embraced by the president’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr. — an ally of Mr. Williams’s former trade group — as well as by other powerful gun industry groups.
Is there no one
Donald Trump wouldn’t betray for a buck? When will military personnel
notice that Trump doesn’t have their back — or any other part of their body,
mind, or soul, for that matter?
He can lie all he wants about the Veterans Choice Act, but I can only assume soldiers will know when they’ve been shot.
He can lie all he wants about the Veterans Choice Act, but I can only assume soldiers will know when they’ve been shot.
Of course, this
decision has not come without controversy. According to The Times,
“Pentagon officials had warned against lifting [the ban]. The officials feared
that American troops who came under silenced gunfire might struggle to locate
their attackers and return fire.”
Ah, but
that’s their problem, isn’t it? After all, Trumps don’t do
combat. They sneak up on defenseless animals with their rifles — and wouldn’t
it be cool if Don Jr. and Eric could cap an elephant without the poor, dumb
animal ever knowing they’re coming?