Confidential report: The German ambassador in Washington warns of Trump’s policies dangers
The new US administration under President-elect Donald Trump will tighten its grip on US law enforcement and the media, limit their independence and give big tech companies the power to participate in governance, Germany’s ambassador to the United States warned in a confidential document seen by Reuters.
The document, dated January 14 and signed by Ambassador Andreas Michaelis, describes Donald Trump’s expected policy in his second term in the White House as involving maximum disruption that will lead to a redefinition of the constitutional order and an extreme concentration of power in the hands of the president at the expense of Congress and the federal states.
“The basic principles of democracy and checks and balances will be severely undermined, the legislature, law enforcement and the media will be stripped of their independence and abused as a political arm, and big tech companies will be given the power to participate in governance,” the document adds.
The German ambassador’s document points to the importance of the judiciary, and in particular the US Supreme Court, in Trump’s agenda.
Ambassador Andreas Michaelis sees control of the Justice Department and the FBI as key to Trump’s success in achieving his political and personal goals.
He explained that Trump has multiple legal options to impose his agenda on the states, saying, “Even deploying military forces inside the country to carry out police activities would be possible in the event of a declaration of rebellion and invasion”.
The Trump team has yet to comment on the ambassador’s assessment, however, the German Foreign Ministry said Saturday evening, when asked about the document, that it generally doesn’t comment on internal matters, papers, analyses and ambassadorial reports, and that the United States is one of Germany’s most important allies.
The German Foreign Ministry added that American voters had elected Trump in a democratic election and that it will work closely with the new US administration in the interests of Germany and Europe.
