Thread: The party of Trump has a corruption problem. Will voters care at all?

The party of Trump has a corruption problem. Will voters care at all?

First Read is your briefing from "Meet the Press" and the NBC Political Unit on the day's most important political stories and why they matter.

by Chuck Todd and Carrie Dann / Aug.09.2018 / 9:14 AM ET

WASHINGTON — Yesterday’s indictment of Trump ally Rep. Chris Collins on insider trading charges was yet another gut punch for Republicans after some bad news inside the numbers from Tuesday night’s primaries.

And that hasn’t been the only potential ethical issue for a sitting member of Congress that’s given the GOP headaches this week. A special prosecutor is now probing allegations of forged signatures and ballot shenanigans by Republican Rep. Scott Taylor’s campaign in Virginia’s contested 2nd congressional district — which isn’t exactly the kind of headline you want in a district that’s viewed as very competitive in November.

Of course, those are hardly the first candidates this cycle tarred with questions about unscrupulous dealings. Republican Rep. Duncan Hunter also remains under federal criminal investigation into his use of campaign funds. On the Democratic side, Bob Menendez is having a bumpier ride to reelection than expected after being dogged by lingering questions about his dropped corruption trial.

Here’s our question: Are voters going to care about any of this? Or has Trump successfully convinced them that no amount of self-enrichment is unusual in politics, for himself or anyone else in Washington? After all, the public knew well before he was elected that Trump’s business world wasn’t exactly full of Boy Scouts (a term which is not a flattering one for Trump, as we learned this week.)

And the drumbeat of ethical questions about the White House has become so steady it’s almost numbing. Just consider these stories about the Trump administration from the past six weeks:

E.P.A. administrator Scott Pruitt was forced to resign after a parade of ethical controversies made him the subject of more than a dozen federal inquiries.

Forbes reported that Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross is accused of siphoning more than $120 million from various business associates.

ProPublica broke the story that three Mar-a-Lago members (who have never served in government or the military) have been steering VA policy from afar.

The Washington Post reported that Donald Trump’s hotel in New York City received a huge increase in revenue after members of the Saudi crown prince’s entourage booked rooms there.

The Kushner family unloaded its troubled Manhattan tower to a company that is also waiting for administration approval of another major business acquisition.

Trump lost his second bid to dismiss the ongoing emoluments clause lawsuit alleging self-dealing at his Washington D.C. hotel.

And of course, the ongoing trial of former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort has included allegations that he and/or aide Rick Gates falsified financial records, embezzled money, and possibly siphoned money from Trump’s inaugural committee.

Perhaps the brazenness of all of this (the head of Marvel? Seriously?) might eventually make the issue of corruption salient to voters. Maybe Trump will remain immune to it, but his invulnerability won’t extend to “regular” politicians like Collins. Or maybe the notion of Washington corruption is so baked in for voters that very little of it will actually matter in November.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/fir...re-all-n899106

Will voters care in November, you ask,Chuck? No, I don't think so, not at all, not one bit.

Originally Posted by Judy

Will voters care in November, you ask,Chuck? No, I don't think so, not at all, not one bit.

Sad day for the United States of America when voters do not care about corruption!

Voters care about real corruption, voters don't care about Chuck Todd's version of corruption. At least I don't think so.