Trump put presidential powers to work for partisan politics

Published September 25, 2019 11:20pm ET



On Wednesday, to his credit, President Trump released a rough transcript of his July phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. He says it exonerates him of any wrongdoing. Democrats say, rather, that it reveals impeachable offenses, and they are pressing ahead with impeachment.

In truth, the only thing the transcript reveals clearly is that Trump doesn’t understand the necessary proprieties of his job. He is still treating the presidency as if it were his own business, dwelling on minor matters and wielding power to advance his own interests, rather than attending first to the national interest. That is regrettable, which is a long way from saying it should lead to impeachment.

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