Say what you will about President Trump’s lawyers, they do have a sense of humor. In their letter to special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, they argue that Trump cannot be subpoenaed because, among other reasons, a subpoena would be “a considerable burden for the President and his Office” and, besides, “having him testify demeans the Office of the President before the world.” Those are two of the great laugh lines of American history — up there with Richard Nixon’s “I am not a crook” and Bill Clinton’s “I did not have sexual relations with that woman.” Yes, Nixon was, and yes, Clinton did.
The contention that a subpoena would be “a considerable burden” for a busy man is belied only by the facts. The president, as he himself has tweeted, spends countless hours watching television, usually Fox News, sometimes joining one program or another so that he can add his own voice to the praise that he always gets. On the weekends, as we all know, he plays golf at one of several Trump golf courses. It has yet to be announced that the president canceled a round of golf so that he could study up on a particular national issue. That, like flying pigs, is not about to happen.
It is something of a cliche to compare pictures of presidents when they enter office and when they leave — the gray hair, the sunken eyes, etc. The implication is that the job is a tireless grind. Well, sure, the pressure is great, but the hours ain’t bad. Ronald Reagan was often in the family quarters by the afternoon, where he watched TV and worked out, and Dwight Eisenhower quipped he had more time to paint as president than after he retired, when his days were less structured. Trump, no workaholic, could surely find the time to deal with an investigation into his conduct in office. After all, that is his business, too.
As for presidential dignity, it’s hard to imagine how forcing Trump to testify would “demean the Office of the President” when he has already debased the office so much. All over the world, Trump is a joke, seen as buffoon, although a dangerous one. He is, after all, the president of the United States who referred to certain impoverished nations as “shithole countries.”
Trump is the very same man who has uttered or approved a cascade of lies regarding a purported affair with a porn actress, Stormy Daniels. He’s the man who, as a candidate, mocked a reporter’s physical disability and who, in shockingly bad taste, denigrated John McCain’s heroism. My favorite, because no person of dignity would permit it, was the first full Cabinet meeting in which Trump’s shoe was licked by everyone save Jim Mattis. This was undignified all around. Trump not only permitted it; he also reveled in it.
Trump can surely find the time to deal with Mueller’s investigation. As for loss of dignity, well, he’s been bankrupt before.
