When my home state of Massachusetts sends its representatives to Congress, we aren’t sending our best.
It was enough to see Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s presidential run crumble under the weight of its own wokeness. But now, Rep. Ayanna Pressley’s shocking new remarks make it clear for all to see. The Massachusetts Democrat and freshman congresswoman has accused President Trump not just of mishandling the coronavirus pandemic but of botching it so badly that his negligence is akin to “war crimes.” Think of it as an extension of Democrats’ increasingly over-the-top rhetoric in the era of Trump.
“As far as I’m concerned, what’s happening with this administration, it’s akin to war crimes,” Pressley said during an interview this week. “And so we find ourselves in the position of playing catch-up in the midst of a pandemic. … The last place that you want to be in the midst of any public health crisis, certainly of a pandemic, is working from behind.”
“Criminal negligence, science denials, a sluggish response.”
Freshman Democrat @AyannaPressley claims @realDonaldtrump is guilty of war crimes.
https://t.co/hnknhJQ7Sa— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) April 21, 2020
There is no word to describe this outlandish claim other than unhinged. Pressley has clearly lost touch with both reality and rationality. Her family should intervene out of concern for her well-being, as the “Squad” member clearly is not well.
Yes, there are certainly valid criticisms to be made of Trump’s handling of the coronavirus. None of them decisively made the crisis significantly worse. He didn’t take it seriously enough at the beginning. He made glaring errors in his first national address about it. And of course, Trump has a penchant for pettiness that doesn’t exactly help bring the country together in a crisis.
But “war crimes”? Give me a break. This is not only an exaggeration, but it’s also based on hindsight.
The coronavirus pandemic is unprecedented in modern history. Neither Pressley nor anyone else saw it coming. And Trump is far from the only government official to make mistakes while handling this completely unforeseen disaster. Democrats such as New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and Gov. Andrew Cuomo have made error after error, and like Trump, they both downplayed the virus at first. And of course, let’s not forget the liberal media: Many of the same networks and publications bashing Trump on the daily downplayed the threat time and time again.
None of this amounts to “war crimes.” Journalists make mistakes, and government officials as a rule aren’t exactly known for their competence. To put errors in governance and judgment in the same category as calculated genocide or chemical warfare is hyperbolic beyond belief.
Pressley and her fellow left-wing Democrats should certainly criticize the Trump administration’s handling of the coronavirus, but don’t be silly. Over-the-top, baseless accusations of “war crimes” discredit whatever validity there might otherwise be to their complaints.
