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Former Trump Advisor Says What Trump Did With the Ukraine Call 'Is a Lot Worse' Than Nixon and Watergate
He's got a point.
President Donald Trump's Ukraine scandal just keeps getting worse.
As if asking the Ukrainian President to investigate his political rival wasn't enough, we've now learned that Trump did the same with the Australian Prime Minister and possibly others, with Attorney General William Barr's and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's approval. Also concerning Americans are Trump's calls to identify and even arrest the whistleblower whose complaint singlehandedly spurred impeachment proceedings against the President.
The scandal has grown so much that even a former Trump advisor says that Watergate comparisons don't do these developments justice.
That former advisor is J.W. Verret, who worked on Trump's pre-transition team and the pre-transition team of every Republican president for over a decade. He appeared on CNN Monday morning to discuss impeachment, and he didn't have much good news for Trump.
“People have made the analogy to the Nixon-era scandals and Nixon’s resignation, but this is a lot worse than that.”
Watch below:
Former Trump transition staffer @JWVerret, who called for Trump's impeachment earlier this year, says this situatio… https://t.co/VNK5cKaOBs— Brian Stelter (@Brian Stelter) 1569868651.0
He elaborated:
"Nixon was a patriot. Of all the crazy things he did, he never would have accepted help from a foreign power for his own personal interest in an election, particularly one that would compromise the U.S.' strategic interests. This is much worse and I think momentum continues toward impeachment."
Verret called the White House's attempts to conceal the Trump's actions and the contents of the call with the Ukrainian President "bumbling," while hailing the whistleblower as courageous. He came out in favor of Trump's impeachment this past April after the release of the Mueller Report revealed multiple counts of Trump's attempts to obstruct justice.
Not only are the facts justifying impeachment, but public opinion has finally begun to shift in favor of it.
The reactions to Verret's CNN appearance reflect that support as well.
@brianstelter @JWVerret @brikeilarcnn Trump is way worse than Nixon who was responsible for good legislation. Trump… https://t.co/2tSewwDEEF— Sheila D Robinson (@Sheila D Robinson) 1569878319.0
@brianstelter @KevinMKruse @JWVerret @brikeilarcnn DUH!— NastyMaryWieseman (@NastyMaryWieseman) 1569870142.0
@brianstelter @USNavyMomPA @JWVerret @brikeilarcnn Ya think? Anyone with half a brain could have come on CNN and sa… https://t.co/mYgf7mkOJe— 🇺🇸Jojo K🇺🇸 #Resist #Anyone Else 2020 (@🇺🇸Jojo K🇺🇸 #Resist #Anyone Else 2020) 1569869453.0
@brianstelter @JWVerret @brikeilarcnn Is it just my imagination ... or since impeachment wheels started rolling hav… https://t.co/Wt215XFetj— Raf (@Raf) 1569886557.0
@brianstelter @JWVerret @brikeilarcnn More whistles to be blowing, more corruption to be seen. Trump never, never… https://t.co/bLnnmGH1O9— Linda Lough (@Linda Lough) 1569890683.0
Others were skeptical about Verret's assertions regarding Nixon.
@brianstelter @JWVerret @brikeilarcnn I understand the point the interview subject was making, but Nixon DID litera… https://t.co/DGxryQLCTp— RevDJEsq (@RevDJEsq) 1569868968.0
@brianstelter @lrozen @JWVerret @brikeilarcnn I hate Trump as much as anyone but Verret says Nixon never would have… https://t.co/WkEMgkZsk4— Joseph Saltarelli (@Joseph Saltarelli) 1569869370.0
@brianstelter @JWVerret @brikeilarcnn He says Nixon would’ve never received help from a foreign power, but didn’t w… https://t.co/TcsHfCdIFf— Daniel Krieger (@Daniel Krieger) 1569869725.0
Nevertheless, it doesn't look like the long-held fear that impeachment would only strengthen Trump still applies. The president is treading water to convince the public that he's not a crook.