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Tuesday on MS NOW\u2019s \u201cThe Last Word,\u201d Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) said President Donald Trump was turning the\u00a0United States into \u201ca gas station run by gangsters that have an army.\u201d<\/p>\n
Whitehouse said, \u201cI think it reflects two things that are spiraling here, one is that the corruption out of this Oval Office is so extreme right now that you\u2019d have to be blind, even as a staff person, not to be aware of it. The various crypto schemes and the ways in which the Trump family is making money, who knows what deals they\u2019re trying to cut with the Russians in those negotiations? All of that creates a real danger to staff people. And the second part of this is that Trump really seems to be, psychologically, mentally compensating a bit. And his decisions get more dangerous, they get more rash. And that I think frightens staff also, that he\u2019ll ask them to do things that are plainly illegal. And so these two pressures of all the corruption and of his mental decompensation, I think, probably are creating a lot of pressure around the staff.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added, \u201cAnd that\u2019s why he has to constantly reassure them, don\u2019t worry, I\u2019ll pardon you, I\u2019ll pardon you, which I don\u2019t think has been a conversation in past Oval Offices, it\u2019s almost stunning, but it\u2019s there. You know, John McCain was a friend of mine, and he used to say about Russia, Russia is a gas station run by gangsters that have an army. And this whole operation being run by Trump is basically trying to turn our beloved country, our sea to shining sea, good with brotherhood country into a gas station run by gangsters that has an army. And if I were on his team, I would be wanting to, build every defense that I could. Because I do think that he\u2019s getting his people into real danger.\u201d<\/p>\n
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