General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsNewseeek: Could Trump be criminally liable for his deadly mishandling of the coronavirus?
https://www.newsweek.com/could-trump-criminally-liable-his-deadly-mishandling-coronavirus-opinion-1498146Trump also ignored multiple warnings that cutting pandemic defense would expose Americans to the "significant probability of a large and lethal modern-day pandemic," that that U.S. capacity wasn't "sufficient to fight many types of infectious disease outbreaks," and that unless he invested more in biodefense now, we'd pay much more in "human and economic costs" later.
Undeterred, Trump's fiscal year 2019 White House budget proposal cut funding for the Department of Health and Human Services, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and a $30 million emergency response fund.
Trump fired Homeland Security Adviser Tom Bossert, who advocated strengthening our pandemic defenses. Trump's National Security Council adviser disbanded our entire pandemic response team and never replaced it. When the World Health Organization (WHO) urged global testing and sent test kits to 120 countries, the CDC failed to request any.
The results were catastrophic. Large-scale testing needed to identify hot spots and implement early quarantines never materialized. The U.S. suffered acute shortages of test kits, and many of the kits the CDC did produce were unusable. The CDC briefly posted 472 test results on its website, then removed the figure because it paled in comparison to other countries.
Ventilators and the drugs needed to use them, as well as nasal swabs for testing, are running out. Protective equipment is so scarce, health care professionals have to wash and reuse masks. States compete against one another and the Federal Emergency Management Agency for supplies, bidding up prices, because the federal government failed to centralize procurement and distribution.
In 2009, H1N1 influenza triggered the largest federal distribution ever, sending respirators, protective masks, gowns and gloves to the states. Yet Trump told governors that the federal government is "not a shipping clerk" and that states should procure their own supplies. That's an unconscionable abdication of responsibility. The Defense Production Act authorizes the president to force production and distribution of materials needed in a crisis precisely because it's a federal responsibility.
For over seven decades, the U.S. played a leading global role in fighting infectious diseases, including Ebola, tuberculosis, malaria, yellow fever, AIDS, avian influenza and Zika, as well as in developing the 67-member Global Health Security Agenda. Trump disgracefully abandoned that leadership role.
. . .
The definition of involuntary or negligent manslaughter encompasses unintended killing through negligence, as well as knowledge that one's actions pose a risk to life. Irresponsible actions or failure to perform a duty can constitute the crime. Do Trump's actions and omissions rise to that level? Ask the families of the 28,000 Americans and counting who have died.
Mme. Defarge
(8,028 posts)onetexan
(13,037 posts)Boomerproud
(7,952 posts)45s next tweetstorm.
Bayard
(22,062 posts)Looks like plain old premeditated murder.
usaf-vet
(6,181 posts)Then don't forget killing off SS recipients leaves more money in the SS fund for them to steal.
procon
(15,805 posts)There is no scenario where Trump can legitimately pretend that he was unaware of the mortality rate and could use, "unintended killing through negligence", as an excuse to avoid taking responsibility for his decisions.
Trump, through his deliberate inaction killed Americans. Even when he was repeatedly informed by his own experts in his administration, by state governors and the leaders of other countries, he still failed to take a leadership role and protect the whole county.
He knew early on what was coming and he cowered in fear like the weakling he always has been. The charges Trump warrants rise far beyond negligent manslaughter. Trump used the power of his office to deliberately hamper states efforts to get the vital medical equipment they needed. He might as well have pulled the plug on granny himself, and that sure seems like murder.
ffr
(22,669 posts)It's a weird time to be alive, to witness a holocaust in your own country occurring in real time.
OMGWTF
(3,952 posts)hermetic
(8,308 posts)lawyers putting together class action lawsuits against him and his cohorts for those who have died.
yaesu
(8,020 posts)that comes out of his whopper trap. He even claims he saved billions of lives.
uponit7771
(90,335 posts)FakeNoose
(32,634 posts)Proof of treason is right there in his own actions.
Whether he can be convicted of manslaughter remains to be seen.
But on the charge of treason, I'm good!
NRaleighLiberal
(60,014 posts)SMoss
(112 posts)Spain may indite MF45 for crimes against humanity as they did Pinoce from Chile, and Cheney. Cheney can't leave the USA. Pinoce got stuck in London where he went for a medical treatment. Spain served him with a warrant.
Joinfortmill
(14,417 posts)Blue Owl
(50,355 posts)Yes. Hell yes.
scarletwoman
(31,893 posts)And kudos to Newsweek for publishing it.
I would love to see this as widely circulated as possible. Those of you on Facebook - how about it?