Jerry Nadler exposes a new Donald Trump scandal
The hate campaign stemming from “President” Donald Trump’s inappropriate tweet about Congresswoman Ilhan Omar is spiraling out of control. Yet he sees nothing wrong with his behavior and has, in fact, doubled down since others began calling him on it. Trump’s behavior has never been what most consider “normal,” but it has now gone far beyond abnormal and has caused an increase in threats against Congresswoman Ilhan Omar. In the fallout, we learned something interesting from Congressman Jerry Nadler.
As reported by Politico, Nadler said that Trump “has no moral authority” to discuss anything relating to the 9/11 attacks. Nadler’s comment not only refers to increased death threats against Omar but also to a situation that led Congress to change how funds were distributed to small businesses post-9/11. According to Nadler, “President” Trump stole (Nadler’s word, not mine) $150,000 by making a claim under grants issued by the Empire State Development Corporation to small business owners affected by the attacks. The problem? Trump’s business suffered no loss. Talk about despicable. But, “despicable” describes virtually everything Trump has ever done in his life, both before and since he became “president.”
When further questioned about Omar’s remarks during his appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Nadler said that he had no problem with her remarks. “She was talking about discrimination against Muslim Americans. And she just said that, after that happened, it was used as an excuse for lots of discrimination and for withdrawal of civil liberties.” Apparently, Nadler, like those of us with a brain, listened to the entire speech, which was made before a group created to combat discrimination, CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations). There was certainly backlash against Muslim Americans following 9/11. To simply assume they are all bad people is wrong. Again, as a black female, I know all too well how these blanket assumptions hurt minorities. Ah, the politics of fear.
This type of hate got Trump elected. During the 2016 campaign, Trump said he “would not rule out creating a registry of Muslims in the United States,” according to The New York Times. He further claimed to have seen “thousands” of Muslims “cheering” on rooftops in New Jersey following the attacks. Trump is good at “seeing” things that no one else sees, and this claim is no different.
Where this all ends up is anyone’s guess. We do know that continuing to support the politics of fear and hate will invariably lead us over the brink. If we don’t want to see this happen, we need to unify and show the world that the U.S. is still a place of power, a place where anyone is welcome, and a place that was built on the backs of immigrants, both willing and unwilling. Donald Trump’s actions are little more than domestic terrorism; it is very real, and it is very dangerous.
Shirley is a former entertainment writer and has worked in the legal field for over 25 years