Dem: Trump ‘needs psychological help’

A Democratic congresswoman from Florida is questioning President Trump’s mental stability.

Rep. Frederica Wilson said Monday’s revelation that Trump recently shared sensitive intelligence with Russian officials smacks of irony after a 2016 presidential campaign, through which he called for Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee, to be imprisoned for playing loose with confidential emails.

Wilson said Trump’s disclosure to the adversarial Russians “makes him guilty of the very accusations he made against [Clinton]” and suggested he see a doctor.

“I believe that the president is desperate for attention and needs psychological help,” she said in a statement.

{mosads}In a remarkable development to the months-long Trump-Russia saga, The Washington Post reported Monday evening that Trump last week had disclosed highly sensitive intelligence on Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorists to Russia’s foreign minister and ambassador during a meeting at the White House.

The intel had originated, the Post reported, from a U.S. partner that had not given the administration its approval to share the information with Russia, which the U.S. and its allies view as a destabilizing force in the Middle East due to Moscow’s support of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

The White House quickly refuted the story Monday evening, and Trump took to Twitter Tuesday morning to defend his “absolute right” to update Russian officials on the latest developments in the war against ISIS.

“As President I wanted to share with Russia (at an openly scheduled W.H. meeting) which I have the absolute right to do, facts pertaining to terrorism and airline flight safety,” Trump tweeted. “Humanitarian reasons, plus I want Russia to greatly step up their fight against ISIS & terrorism.”

Trump suggested the deeper problem facing national security stems from the U.S. officials leaking information to the press.

Coming on the heels of last week’s firing of FBI Director James Comey, the Post story has captivated Washington and thrown the administration — and its Republican supporters — on the defensive. It’s also frustrating GOP leaders concerned that the escalating distraction is impeding progress on the Republicans’ ambitious legislative agenda.

“I think we could do with a little less drama from the White House on a lot of things, so that we can focus on our agenda, which is deregulations, tax reform and repealing and replacing ObamaCare,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Tuesday morning.

Democrats, meanwhile, are using the new revelations as further justification for expanding the investigations into Trump’s Russia ties. Some are calling for the appointment of a special prosecutor, while others seem to prefer the creation of an outside, independent panel akin to the 9/11 Commission.

Pushing the latter, House Democrats on Wednesday will unveil a discharge petition designed to force a vote on legislation creating the independent panel. The strategy faces a high bar, requiring more than 20 Republicans to buck their leadership and sign on. But the Democrats are hoping, at least, to put vulnerable Republicans in the difficult position of explaining their defense of Trump amid the crescendo of Russia-related news.

Wilson noted Tuesday that Trump, as commander in chief, has every right “to declassify he wants.”

“[B]ut that doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to do,” she added. “Russia is not our friend and the sooner he realizes that, the better off our country will be.”

“He would be well-advised to set aside his Twitter account,” she added, “and focus on learning both how our government works and how to govern before something catastrophic happens as a result of his careless and cavalier approach to being president.”