Unwarranted, uncalled for, unfair.
That’s how Congressman John Faso described the recent criticisms of President Donald Trump.
Running for re-election in the 19th Congressional District, Mr. Faso said last week’s news and revelations––talk of invoking the 25th Amendment, reports of journalist Bob Woodward’s new book, and the critical op-ed column in the New York Times––are harmful to the country.
At the same time, however, Congressman Faso disapproved of the President’s angry response to the sharp attacks against him.
Congressional Democrats believe the President is unfit for office, they’ve talked of using the 25th Amendment to remove President Trump from the White House. The anonymous Times op-ed columnist, said to be a Trump staffer, wrote that Cabinet members had the same discussion.
Such talk isn’t warranted, Congressman Faso said, because the 25th Amendment requires high standards to remove a President from office.
“It’s an extraordinary step,” Mr. Faso said. “You need overwhelming evidence. It can’t be because you just don’t like him.”
Invoking the amendment would only deepen the divide between the parties and heighten “the very strong feelings on both sides,” the Congressman added.
Published last Wednesday, the Times op-ed column, “I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration,” described the President as unstable and that aides are thwarting some of his worst decisions.
Staffers “have gone to great lengths to keep bad decisions contained to the West Wing,” one sentence reads.
The column is a disservice, Congressman Faso responded, adding that “if the person had such strong feelings, he should identify himself and resign.”
Although the Congressman didn’t touch on the contents of the column, he questioned the anonymity of the writer.
“It raises more questions than it answers,” Mr. Faso said.
Mr. Woodward, a Washington Post editor, was to release his book, “Fear,” on Tuesday. It reportedly describes the Trump White House as “crazytown.”
Mr. Woodward, who teamed with Carl Bernstein in the earthshaking Watergate investigation, has won numerous journalism awards and is considered one of the country’s foremost authorities on politics.
Although admitting that Mr. Woodward is an accomplished journalist, Congressman Faso said his work “gets into fanciful accounts.
“Yes, he’s successful, but much of what he writes tends to be sensational,” Mr. Faso said. “And not just this one.”
Congressman Faso doesn’t always back the President. Since he first took office in January 2017, Mr. Faso said he supports President Trump when he agrees with him and won’t support him when he doesn’t.
Even though he responded to the President’s critics this week, Mr. Faso wasn’t happy with President Trump’s comebacks to the attacks, which news reports cited as “volcanic.”
“He’d be better off focusing on the improving economy and getting trade agreements done,” the Congressman said.
“When he speaks out on this, he only adds fuel to the fire.”