The Atlantic

Now We Know What Kind of Authoritarian Trump Aspires to Be

Over the past week, Trump has showed his commitment to creating Kyiv-on-the-Potomac.
Source: Joshua Roberts / AP

Donald Trump’s obsession with Ukrainian corruption turned out to be genuine: He wanted it thoroughly investigated—for the sake of its emulation. The diplomats who testified in front in Adam Schiff’s committee explained and exposed the Ukrainian justice system. Their descriptions may have been intended as an indictment of kleptocracy, but the president apparently regarded them as an instructional video on selective prosecution, the subversion of a neutral judiciary, and the punishment of whistle-blowers who expose

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