In his first two years since taking office, President Donald Trump has uttered approximately 6,820 attested lies or misleading statements. He thus qualifies as a chronic liar, making his word meaningless.
That being the case, why is House Speaker Nancy Pelosi even negotiating with him? Whatever he says one day he could contradict the next. Instead, she should negotiate with Mitch McConnell, who controls the Senate. McConnell so far has refused to let his fellow senators vote on reopening the federal government, on grounds that Trump would veto any bill overturning his shutdown.
But Congress has the power to override a presidential veto, and in this instance many Republicans might well join their fellow Democrats to end Trump’s vindictive shutdown.
That leaves it all up to McConnell to rescue this once-proud nation from its downward trajectory. If he refuses, Sens. Mike Lee and Mitt Romney and their GOP colleagues should take appropriate action and replace him with someone who has the country’s best interests at heart.
Tom Huckin, Salt Lake City