Progar discusses a NY Times Op-Ed piece.
Much of the reaction to the recent anonymous NY Times Op-Ed piece has been negative with criticism coming from Republicans and Democrats. I believe that given the current climate, this person could not have done anything but what he or she did.
I assume that this person is intelligent, dedicated to our country and has passed multiple security clearances. Even in the best of times, serving at a high level in our federal government is likely an enormously stressful job. These are clearly not the best of times to be serving in federal government. This person has likely voiced concerns to his or her superior, and those concerns have been ignored, minimized or outright negated.
Could the person have gone to Congress? The House Intelligence Committee (now an oxymoron) is run by Devin Nunes, a truly unethical politician. Nunes and other Republicans are more interested in investigating whistle blowers than investigating Trump and his cronies. The Senate Intelligence Committee is moving at a snail’s pace. Therefore, approaching Congress seems quite pointless.
Confronted with repeated ethical and legal transgressions from President Trump and his associates, an ineffectual Republican-led Congress and numerous resignations, none of which have impacted the course of the administration, the anonymous author was left with little choice. This person may truly fear the consequences if Trump and his loyalists are the only ones left. A line may have been crossed where one’s concerns become so great and all other options have been shown to be ineffective, that you seek another solution.
I reside in New Jersey’s third congressional district and our district’s representative is Republican Tom MacArthur, a key player in the tax overhaul that re-allocated wealth to the upper one percent and gutted health care for millions of Americans. I will speak on Tuesday, Nov. 6 through my vote and I will actively campaign for Andy Kim, a Democrat, as only a Democrat controlled Congress will exert any checks and balances on the corrupt Trump administration.
To conclude, I am giving the author the benefit of the doubt. He or she may have reached the conclusion that writing an Op-Ed in the NY Times, which would be seen by millions of people, while still maintaining his or her job and safeguarding our country as best as he or she could, was worth the risk. This may have been the best he or she could do, for themselves and our country, at the present moment.
Patrick Progar
