Trump’s tweets defy reason

The strategic offensive principle of war provides that “[t]he best defense is a good offense.” The attack via Twitter by President Donald Trump against his predecessor is, however, beyond reason.

In tweets a week ago, President Trump accused former President Barack Obama of orchestrating a “Nixon/Watergate” plot to wiretap Trump Tower shortly before the November 2016 election. While citing no evidence and providing none later in the day, Trump likened the alleged surveillance to “McCarthyism” and labeled Obama a “[b]ad (or sick) guy!” A spokesperson for Obama, of course, denied the accusation.

At this stage, we the public cannot know what is really at issue. Trump senior staff had, however, been circulating a commentary by conservative talk show host Mark Levin on Breitbart suggesting that Obama used “police state” tactics to monitor the Trump campaign last fall. The Levin remarks were based on previous news accounts. These included reports of denial last June by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of a request to monitor communications involving Trump campaign staff and of a narrower FISA request in October regarding a computer server in Trump Tower suspected of links to Russian banks.

What we do know is that Trump has declared war on major segments of both mainstream media and U.S. intelligence services over allegations of contacts by Trump campaign personnel with senior Russian intelligence officials. The scandal has already taken down National Security Adviser Mike Flynn and tainted Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Now Trump has escalated the conflict by launching an assault using means totally outside of normal governmental channels and legal procedures.

Even critics had to acknowledge with his first speech to Congress that Trump was at least trying to act presidential. A few days later, we are back to this madness!

This story was originally published July 1, 2017 at 4:29 PM with the headline "Trump’s tweets defy reason."