Those Who Cast Their Lots With Trump Need To Worry

There is something rotten in the state of Germany. It is Richard Grenell. Not to be confused with to be confused with Grendel, he is the United States ambassador to Germany. In an interview on Brietbart, he indicated his new understanding of his position is to make political statements, interfering with foreign elections, by saying that his job is for the sake of collecting and empowering a particular political brand of thought (“conservativism” in the lines of Donald Trump).  After his bold statement, he also hastened to meet with and show support to Benjamin Netanyahu, demonstrating the unusual pull and connections he is making overseas. His interest is not in representing the United States, but the political interests of his own party affiliation alone. As Politico reported, Jeanne Shaheen suggested that he might have to be recalled due to his unethical actions:

“[Ambassadors] should not meddle in local or regional politics by backing political parties, candidates or causes,” Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) said in a statement. “If Ambassador Grenell is unwilling to refrain from political statements, he should be recalled immediately. The United States does not accept foreign meddling in our elections, and we shouldn’t have an ambassador attempting to intrude in another country’s political affairs.[1]

This was the kind of political action which Senator Chris Murphy wanted to make sure Grenell would not engage. When he interviewed Grenell, Murphy was assured by Grenell that he would “stay out of politics.” That this was the expected answer, and the one which Grenell gave, indicates how the ambassador knew what the position entailed before violating his authority by actively interfering with the European political scene. Anne Applebaum, in a June 4^th Washington Post article, suggested it would be as if a Chinese Ambassador had decided to embolden Marxists while serving as an ambassador in Washington D.C.: if a Chinese ambassador said such a thing, they would be immediately expelled.

Germany is certainly concerned and wants answers from Grenell; Rolf Muetzenich suggested Grenell came not to represent the United States, but a world-wide “right-wing” movement. DW Editor-in-Chief Ines Pohl sees this is another example of the United States not only interfering with Europe, but actively seeking to divide, indeed, to weaken it for financial and political gain. This can be seen in the way Grenell almost works as an enforcer; as Rick Noack in the Washington Post noted, when Trump indicated the United States would leave the Iranian Nuclear Deal, Grenell told Germany: “German companies doing business in Iran should wind down operations immediately.”

The dishonesty used by Grenell to gain power, and the use of that power in Europe to destroy it from within, both demonstrates the continued danger of the Trump administration on the world scene as well as the unrighteous ways Trump’s followers use to embrace such power. His words and actions already show how he misrepresented himself to Congress. “An evil man is ensnared in his transgression” (Prov. 29:6a RSV).  Christians, like others of good will, must denounce what he has said and done if they want to be true to their faith.  We are called to judge others, not through rash nationalistic politics, not through horrible right-wing nationalism, but with justice and love. “You shall do no injustice in judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor”  (Lev. 19:15 RSV). The poor, the dispossessed, immigrants are constantly opposed by the same right-wing ideologues which Grenell is seeking to empower.  The righteous will show respect to foreigners, seeing that their human rights are the same as everyone else: “The stranger who sojourns with you shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God” (Lev. 19:34 RSV).

We can see, by what Grenell has said and done, he has cast his lot with the unrighteous, willingly to sell himself out for short-lived power and success. There will be a terrible cost for him as he faces all the harm the Trump administration has caused in the world. “When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous, but dismay to evildoer” (Prov. 21:25 RSV).  The time of Trump’s reign will be short. It will come to an end. Then the march for justice will come forth; those who shared their lots with Trump will need to worry.

[IMG=Richard Grenell at the UN Security Council by Richard Grenell [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons]

[1] Candice Norwood, “Dem senator: Recall ambassador to Germany if political statements continue,” Politico 06-04-2018,

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