CNN's large impeachment panel took a brief break on Tuesday from impeachment for breaking news when President Trump announced his Israeli-Palestinian peace plan. Of course, the panel had to tie it back to impeachment with John King saying that, just as impeachment is about alleged election interference, here was Trump trying to help Benjamin Netanyahu.
Global affairs analyst Susan Glasser was the first to try to tie the so-called "Deal of the Century" to impeachment and was more interested in optics than details, "Let's just say, as a long-time observer of this, can we just take a moment to say, wow, you have the impeached president of the United States in the middle of his trial and the indicted prime minister of Israel on the day he’s indicted unveiling this. So, that's what going be remembered about this even if it doesn't lead to progress one way or another."
That is when King jumped into add, "And an impeachment that’s in part about alleged foreign election interference and the president of the United States trying to help Benjamin Netanyahu in what he rightly called the longest election in history."
King did not provide any evidence for that assertion as Jake Tapper then took the conversation back to impeachment.
Even if Tapper hadn't changed the subject, the evidence for King's assertion does not exist. In Trump's speech at the White House, which CNN just aired less than five minutes previously, Trump mentioned that he Netanyahu's chief rival Benny Gantz, who Trump described as "the general," endorsed the plan. The only reason it was announced now is because the initial plan of waiting for the Israeli election to conclude proved to not work because the way the Israeli electoral system works has led the country into its third election in less than a year.
Further there is the double standard. If Trump being friendly with Netanyahu is to be equated with helping him, does not mean Obama tried to hurt him? Then there is the 2015 Israeli election where a State Department grant was used to help oust Netanyahu. Outside of Israel, Obama infamously tried to scare the Brits into voting Remain on Brexit with his "back of the queue" line and even writing an op-ed on the subject.
Here is a transcript for the January 28 show:
CNN
CNN Special Coverage
12:19 PM ET
SUSAN GLASSER: Again, politics here is the obvious backup. Let's just say, as a long-time observer of this, can we just take a moment to say, wow, you have the impeached president of the United States in the middle of his trial and the indicted prime minister of Israel on the day he’s indicted unveiling this. So, that's what going be remembered about this even if it doesn't lead to progress one way or another.
JOHN KING: And an impeachment that’s in part about alleged foreign election interference and the president of the United States trying to help Benjamin Netanyahu in what he rightly called the longest election in history.
