Mashari Althaydi

By : Mashari Althaydi

According to the US President Donald Trump, his waning, weird predecessor, the confused and confusing Barack Obama, saint of the left-wing global liberal lobby, has committed a political crime by wiretapping his phones during the presidential campaign. Trump accused Obama of tapping his phones at the Trump Tower during October 2016.

In addition to Trump’s Twitter messages, the White House on Sunday ordered the Congress to figure out whether the former administration of Obama violated its “executive jurisdictions” during the 2016 presidential campaign while investigating Russian meddling in the electoral process.

Obama has not commented on these claims yet but his team did in a cold, indecisive manner that is neither cynical nor aggressive – just like the habit of Obama, the orator, and his supporters from among journalists and artists.

Has Obama really done that? If the wiretapping did in fact happen, did Obama know or was it something that some of employees were behind? We do not know the details so far but it is difficult for President Trump to take a risk and make these accusations and come up with these details especially that his team is now talking about assigning lawyers to follow up on the case.

Trump said this wiretapping is similar to the famous Watergate Scandal when Republican President Richard Nixon, or his team, spied on the Democratic Party Headquarters. This led to Nixon leaving power or was “ousted” if one goes by the Arabic political discourse.

The point is not to engage in battles that are not ours. These are domestic American disputes and all we should care about is our interests in Washington

Mashari Althayidi

Exaggerating the battle?

Is Trump exaggerating in his battle against Obama and against Obama’s supporters, particularly against the liberal and leftist American media such as the New York Times and CNN, and, of course, Hollywood and its outspoken celebrities?

Facts on the ground suggest that left-wing media outlets have attacked Trump with all their power and targeted his administration even before it was formed. In brief, they declared war against him, and in war, everything is fair.

Trump said what’s happening to him resembles Mccarthyism, but this time it’s not happening at the hands of the Republicans like what happened in the 1940s and 1950s but at the hands of liberal Democrats. Yesterday’s victim is thus today’s tyrant.

Trump is surprised that criticism against him and his men over accusations of contacts with the Russians has intensified but he bitterly and confidently responded via this Twitter message: “I don’t know Putin, have no deals in Russia, and the haters are going crazy – yet Obama can make a deal with Iran, #1 in terror, no problem!”

The point of my article is not to commend or attack Trump or his stance toward the Russians – a stance which is not clear so far. The point is not to engage in battles that are not ours. These are domestic American disputes and all we should care about is our interests in Washington.

Saudi journalist Mashari Althaydi presents Al Arabiya News Channel’s “views on the news” daily show “Maraya.” He has previously held the position of a managing senior editor for Saudi Arabia & Gulf region at pan-Arab newspaper Asharq al-Awsat. Althaydi has published several papers on political Islam and social history of Saudi Arabia. He appears as a guest on several radio and television programs to discuss the ideologies of extremist groups and terrorists. He tweets under @MAlthaydy.

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