Donald Trump Failed To Enact A Likely ‘Extortion Scheme,’ Columnist Says

In a Monday piece for Salon, columnist Amanda Marcotte claimed that Donald Trump’s veto threat against the recently passed Mitch McConnell-supported coronavirus aid package was likely a failed “extortion scheme.”

“Trump believes, incorrectly, that McConnell and other Senate Republicans know how to steal the election, but are holding out on him,” she wrote.

According to Marcotte, the U.S. leader hoped that his veto threat — which might have harmed the Georgia Senate runoffs and, in turn, McConnell’s power in the upper chamber — would push the Senate Majority Leader to reveal the “secrets to election theft.”

“But, being bad at this, Trump didn’t consider certain flaws in the plan, starting with the fact that McConnell simply has no way to steal the election for him and extortion will not change that fact.”

Ultimately, CNN reported that Trump signed the McConnell-supported $900 billion coronavirus package. According to the president, he only ratified the bill after getting a commitment from the upper chamber that it will consider legislation that will increase the stimulus checks from $600 to $2,000 — a value the head of state and progressive lawmakers have publicly supported.

Elsewhere, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi claimed that Trump signed the legislation into law after he was lobbied by allies like Sen. Lindsey Graham and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.

According to Marcotte, Trump signed the bill due to the failure of his alleged plan to extort money.

“No, Trump likely only moved because it became evident that his extortion scheme had blown up spectacularly in his face, alienating the very people he (falsely) believes will be able to stop Biden’s election certification on January 6.”

In the end, the columnist noted that Trump has yet to receive any of his demands. In the process, she said, he opposed his allies and gave Democrats the opportunity to both embarrass him and leverage his veto threat to pressure Republicans to pass a bigger COVID-19 package.

Trump was previously accused of extortion for his call with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, who he pressured to announce investigations into Joe Biden and his family in return for foreign aid. The conversation sparked the impeachment probe, the commander-in-chief’s impeachment, and his eventual acquittal by the upper chamber.

In an op-ed for USA Today, columnist Tom Nichols argued that an extortion scheme was at the center of Trump’s impeachment. He accused the president of using his personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, and other behind-the-scenes figures to hold Ukraine and its citizens hostage until Zelensky announced investigations to the world. The head of state’s opponents speculated that the plan was an attempt to harm his Democratic opponent ahead of the presidential referendum.