Sep 29, 2023 2 min read

Trump is morally depraved, a threat to democracy

In his letter to the editor in the Sept. 19 edition, Jason Camilletti makes a seemingly heartfelt case for less division, and asks for people to not assume malicious intent.

This call, although laudable, misses a key point – the division is not just because of “a different letter next to their name…” This implies equal accountability by the two main political parties, which is just not true. One party is led by Donald Trump, who is morally depraved and a threat to our democracy.

Here are some facts:

In May, a jury ruled that Trump was liable for sexually abusing E. Jean Carroll. Carroll was awarded $5 million for sexual assault and for defamation. It was mostly a quirk in New York law that prevented the jury from ruling that Trump raped Carroll, and instead ruled that he “merely” sexually abused her. Of course Trump denies doing anything wrong.

New reporting has outlined how Trump has shown contempt for veterans, including a disabled veteran, on multiple occasions. How long until he denies this?

And he is a threat to democracy. How else is one to refer to someone who lies about an election result, attempts a coup, incites an insurrection, and has said he wanted the Constitution suspended so he could be reinstated as president?

Yet Trump remains the Republican front runner. Perhaps an explanation lies in the adage, “Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.”

Camilletti might be correct after all, but probably not for the reason he intended.

John Moretti

Claysville