The Rot

If there is anything more symbolic of the rot at the heart of Donald Trump as both President and human being, it is his tendency to see everything through the prism of himself.  A good example of this is how he views the essential nature of guilt.

From a young age, we are taught (hopefully) that wrong doings come with consequences.  (Of course, the Trump family has long evaded their responsibilities and the consequences.)  But "guilty" is what you are when we hold you accountable for your misdeeds.

For Trump, guilt isn't a state of being, it's a tool.  And someone's "guilt" isn't a consequence of their deeds so much as a category of usefulness to Trump. Brett Kavanaugh's innocence or guilt isn't important, it's his use to Trump. Kavanaugh doesn't mean anything to Trump besides feeding his base, getting a "win" and pissing of the libtards.

Now cometh the Saudi scandal.  It seems pretty clear that Saudi Arabia is funneling money to Trump and Kushner.  (If Robert Mueller knows this...now would be a good time to finally spring a leak.)  Saudi Arabia is a bulwark against Iran.  The complexity of that relationship is a mystery to Trump.  The historical accident of allying with Saudi Arabia rather than Iran is not something Trump is capable of analyzing and changing.   Instead, Saudis give him money; Iran is bad.  So, the apparent fact that Saudi security forces kidnapped and murdered an American resident is completely irrelevant to Trump.

What's more, it's completely irrelevant to his Deplorables.  Given the presumption of guilt that Trump imposes on the press at his Volkssturm rallies, why shouldn't the Saudis kill a journalist, as long as they can get away with it?  The moral bankruptcy of Trump's utilitarian calculus means that Hillary Clinton is guilty of...something (Benghazi, email something something, Pizzagate), but Wilbur Ross, Brett Kavanaugh, the Saudis, Scott Pruitt, Greg Gianforte, and so on and so on are all innocent men falsely accused.

He doesn't care about your concepts of guilt or innocence.  He cares if you express loyalty to the Trump Crime Family.  The Saudis did at the Glowing Orb, so they are "innocent."  Who cares if they are innocent as long as they are "innocent."

Thanks, Republicans.