Did you know you engage in “quid pro quo” every day? As you drive away from Starbucks with a latte in hand, you’re leaving the scene of your latest quid pro quo. When you tell your kids you will ground them if they don’t do their homework, you’re committing quid pro quo. When cover someone’s shift at work so they’ll work for you Saturday night, that’s blatant quid pro quo.
Literally, it’s Latin for “something for something.” It’s an exchange. You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours. It’s part of literally every negotiation between any two countries ever. Without quid pro quo, there would be no treaties, no trade agreements, and wars would always go on indefinitely. It’s not a bad thing.
When something inappropriate is offered as part of quid pro quo dealings, that’s when politicians get into trouble. Accepting gifts from lobbyists in exchange for favorable votes is an example of illegal quid pro quo. Or, as House Democrats are trying to prove, if a President holds back aid to a foreign government unless they investigate a political foe so dirt can be found on them for an upcoming election, that is bad quid pro quo.
Yesterday, acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney famously told the press to “get over it” when it comes to quid pro quo. His words were careless, not because they weren’t true but because in the current political atmosphere, his acknowledgement there was quid pro quo over the ongoing 2016 election corruption investigation muddies the waters. Democrats and the media have painted the common action of quid pro quo between two governments as negative by conflating their impeachment inquiry topic – Ukraine investigating the Bidens – with the other aspect of the phone call between President Trump and President Zelensky, the CrowdStrike’s involvement with the DNC hack in 2016.
The first is truly impeachable. The second is part of everyday business between two countries. Mulvaney admitted to the second, which is neither illegal nor impeachable. But the media pounced by conflating the two.
Democrats and mainstream media are trying to redefine quid pro quo as a negative thing worthy of impeachment. They’re doing this by confusing the language behind the action with the topic of the impeachment inquiry. Unfortunately, they’re doing this to an American public that is easy to confuse and easier to distract.
We’re witnessing a disingenuous attempt to make Americans believe quid pro quo in and of itself is bad. This is ludicrous, or course, but they’ll do or say anything to make President Trump look bad.
We are currently forming the American Conservative Movement. If you are interested in learning more, we will be sending out information in a few weeks.
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