In a desperate attempt to defend President Trump amid growing support for impeachment, right-wing pastor E.W. Jackson created an absurd straw man argument on his radio program yesterday.
During Trump’s call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in July, right after Zelensky said that his country was ready to buy more military equipment from the United States, Trump replied, “I would like you to do us a favor though.” Trump then began pressing Zelensky to work with Rudy Giuliani and Attorney General William Barr to investigate Joe Biden and his son, Hunter.
In Jackson’s telling, Trump is now potentially on the verge of being impeached simply for using the phrase “do me a favor.”
“You know what they’re hanging their hat on? The president said, ‘Do me a favor and look into that,'” Jackson said. “I like the fact that he’s an ordinary guy who talks in ordinary ways. How many of you that are listening to me have used the phrase, ‘Do me a favor’? You mean to tell me now this common vernacular that is used simply to say, ‘Would you do something for me?’ or ‘Would you consider something?’ is now supposed to be some sort of constitutional violation that is worthy of impeachment?”
“Do me a favor; oh, that’s a quid pro quo, it means I’m going to do you a favor. No, it doesn’t mean that at all,” Jackson continued. “It doesn’t mean that at all. What it means is, ‘Here is something I want you to consider.’ I use it a lot, ‘Do me a favor and look into this,’ or ‘Do me a favor and go over and get that.’ I mean, really? We’re going to impeach the president because he said, ‘Do me a favor’?”
“I think the left is trying to precipitate a civil war,” Jackson warned.
