After a briefing by senior military leaders in Washington's Cabinet Room, on October 7, 2019, US President Donald Trump speaks. Army General Mark Milley watches. Mark Wilson/Getty Images
Numerous books detailing Trump's problems are being published.
If people spoke up, the sources of these books would have had a greater impact.
We will spare you the delayed crocodile tears.
Matt Walton, a former Republican and teacher in Virginia, is Matt Walton.
This column is an opinion piece. These thoughts are solely the author's.
Check out more stories from Insider's business page.
Carol Leonnig and Philip Rucker, "I Alone Can Fix it: Donald J. Trump’s Catastrophic Last Year".
John Bolton's "The Room Where it Happened: A White House Memoir".
Robert Woodward and Robert Costa, "Peril: Trump at the White House".
Jonathan Karl, "Front Row at Trump Show".
These books are all about the recent events that took place inside Trump's White House.
These books, including Woodward's "Peril" and Costa's "Peril", were released Tuesday. They share details about events that took place in the Trump administration, which many historians and people would call shocking, disturbing, and horrific.
These books are based on information from ex-administration officials. Many of them want to present themselves as defenders and guardians of democracy to protect America's president. It is regrettable that the former officials waited until Trump's departure to share their experiences and see the American people through interviews with the authors.
It doesn't make one brave to be accessible to an author after the fact for a book. It would have been more noble and better for the country to speak out directly to the media and congressional leaders. We needed more people in the administration who witnessed firsthand Trump's disregard for democracy and his disregard of the rule-of-law to be able to speak out and make it public. This would have prevented Trump from pursuing his worst impulses and resulted in a more ethical administration.
Continue the story
Brave new world
John Dean, the former White House Counsel to President Nixon, began his televised testimony before Senate Watergate Committee on June 25, 1973. Dean, who was a former White House Counsel to President Nixon, gave an open testimony under oath. He described what he saw and knew from the Nixon White House during Watergate. Dean was the Nixon administration's first official to accuse Nixon of being directly involved in Watergate and covering it up with press interviews.
Dean put the nation's interest above his own and made a brave step to openly share with Congress and the rest of the world the criminal and corrupt activities that were connected to the Oval Office.
Dean did the right thing that many Trump White House staffers should have done. Dean didn't wait for Nixon to be out of office before telling the stories about what he knew. He spoke out in public and even admitted to his involvement in Watergate, pleading guilty for obstruction of justice.
John Bolton, former Trump National Security Advisor, described in his book several events he witnessed. Bolton, unlike Dean, chose to be a coward and focus more on compensating than raising concerns through official channels about Trump's possible illegal and unethical conduct.
These books contain quotes from administration officials that portray a dangerous president, who is reckless, erratic and dangerously uninformed. The book by Woodward and Costa tells stories about how Joint Chiefs Chairman General Mark Milley was so concerned about Trump's actions that he took secret steps to stop him from ordering a military strike or launching nukes.
The public should be aware of the unethical, corrupt and illegal actions taken by government officials, just as the saying goes "justice delayed means justice denied." Knowing what's happening inside government is essential to maintaining democracy and the rule of law. It is not acceptable to delay public knowledge.
The American people should know what was going on in the White House under the Trump administration. America needs patriots who will put America above themselves and speak openly about what they see firsthand, rather than waiting to publish a book.
Business Insider has the original article.
