Monday, February 08, 2021

All the (Former) President's (Orthodox) Men

Trump Attorney, David Schoen (TOI)
I never heard of David Schoen. So when his name came up as the new attorney for Ex-President Trump after his initial team quit, I didn’t give it much thought. In fact I haven’t given much thought to the ex-President at all.  Just glad he’s gone. I’d just as soon forget about him and move on. 

Except that Democratic house and senate members refuse to let that happen. They want to punish him using the questionable tactic of removing an impeached President from office that is no longer there. They are determined to punish him that way. Knowing full well that it will not happen, they are nonetheless going to have that trial.  Which is why Trump needs an attorney. 

It turns out that David Schoen is an Orthodox Jew. I cannot get over how many Orthodox Jews Trump has chosen to work for him,. Both as private citizen and as President. He apparently has great confidence in their skills. 

A Kiddush HaShem was made yesterday by Mr. Schoen when he requested that the impeachment trial not be held on Shabbos. He explained that he would be unable to participate from sundown Friday night until about an hour after sundown Saturday night. Which House Majority Leader Chuck Shummer said he would accommodate.

This is one of the reasons I am so proud to be an American. We are not only given the freedom to practice our faith in any way we choose, we are respected for it. By both political parties. What a sea change from how certain politicians in office during the holocaust years behaved At no time in history has America lived up to it’s credo more than it does right now.

The question arises about the character of a man who will defend a man like the former President. A President whose words gave the extremist supporters who preplanned the attack on the Capital building the excuse they needed to execute their plan. The President’s rhetoric stirred up all his supporters that showed up that day to act. Even though he explicitly told them to do it peacefully, they only heard that portion of his address that said they had to fight hard or lose their country. 

Which is why he is on trial for inciting that insurrection. And which is also why he will not be convicted of it. 

Add to this the way Trump conducted himself during his Presidency, and it is difficult to see anyone defending him in a positive light. Or even anyone that served him while he was in office. Anyone that is or was a member of the Trump team,  might be looked at the same way a member of the Mafia a might be. 

I am in profound disagreement with that comparison. Guilt by association is never a fair way to judge anyone. Knowing that, I think those that make such comparisons try and find personal flaws in those individuals themselves to justify their negative opinions of them. Orthodox members of Trump’s Middle East team were disparaged in their own right in a variety of ways by the Trump haters. Saying that just because they were Orthodox Jews was not enough to make us proud of them. Insinuating that by simply working for Trump they showed their own deficient character.  That in any case their accomplishments were at best symbolic with little substance to show for their efforts. a

I do not see any of them that way. I am in fact very proud of the way that team handled their jobs. Which advanced the cause peace between Israel and the Arabs in unprecedented ways. They were even given credit for what they did by the jaundiced media. Who apparently had a moment of conscience and honesty that transcended their usual bias. I do not recall any of them talking disparagingly about that team. Only the hard core Trump haters seemed to do that. 

Not that I think they are lying. I think they really believe what they say about them. But I believe their views are tainted by an inherent bias against the man they served. 

This is why I consider what David Schoen did a Kiddush HaShem. He stood up for his beliefs. He was hired to defend the ex-President and will do his job to the best of his ability. Anyone who does not see him that way and instead taints him with guilt by virtue of his association with Trump is in indeed a victim of their own bias.