The tweet led to an outpouring of dismay on Twitter, with many calling Hewitt out for the false parallel. Notably Media Matters editor Parker Molloy, who simply wrote “Are you really this stupid, Hugh?”
Vox also took the time to debunk Hewitt’s claim that other past presidents have exercised quid pro quo agreements similar to Trump’s withholding of military aid from Ukraine as leverage to secure a public investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden—Trump’s likely opponent in the 2020 presidential election—and his son, Hunter. Writing that explaining the absurd comparison “feels like an insult,” reporter Zack Beauchamp went on to outline in the simplest terms he could muster that activities done in the public interest—such as expanding national borders—by mutual agreement with a foreign power is acceptable policy. The difference is that using presidential power for personal political interests is wrong.
â Parker Molloy (@ParkerMolloy) October 23, 2019
Back on social media, Joanne Freeman, a history professor at Yale University, put it simply, explaining “The Louisiana Purchase isn’t a ‘do me a favor and I’ll give you money’ moment. It’s not an example of quid pro quo. The US bought land from the French.” While David Frum, a senior editor for The Atlantic, tweeted “To make the analogy accurate, Thomas Jefferson would have used the public money to buy Louisiana for himself personally.”
Many more Twitter users were quick to make fun of Hewitt and his simplistic interpretation of Trump’s Ukraine investigation and the Louisiana Purchase. Jonathan Franks, an advisor for The Montel Williams Show, wrote, “Come on now, Hugh. You would fail any 1L for a false premise like this.” SiriusXm broadcaster and comedian John Fugelsang also took a dig at Trump in a dig that sounded like a disappointing Hamilton sequel. “No, Hugh. If Jefferson secretly tried to delay the Louisiana Purchase to make Madison look bad, and it got ppl killed, this might make sense. Except the only things Trump has in common w/Jefferson is they both wear wigs & were never fans of getting a woman’s consent”
Others were quick to follow Molloy in simply calling Hewitt “dumb” or “stupid” including author Benjamin Dreyer, who wrote “Pretending to be as stupid as your acolytes is a far graver sin than simply being as stupid as your acolytes.”
â Jonathan Franks (@jonfranks) October 23, 2019
Washington Post journalist Daniel W. Drezner shared a clip from Adam Sandler comedy Billy Madison where an academic decathlon host tells Sandler, “Everyone in this room is now dumber.”
