Oppressive foreign leaders are taking a 'guilty pleasure' in watching Trump's scandals

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Undemocratic leaders around the world are taking a "guilty pleasure" in watching events unfold in the United States, Politico writes. "There's a credibility issue when it comes to the rule of law, particularly with the firing of [former FBI Director James] Comey," explained the Washington director of Human Rights Watch, Sarah Margon.

But that's not all:

In addition to firing Comey ... the examples cited by critics include: Trump's scathing criticisms of federal judges who have ruled against his policies; his family's entanglement of business and political interests; his baseless charges of massive voter fraud; his accusation that President Barack Obama wiretapped him; and his routine branding of negative media stories as "fake news." [Politico]

The finger-pointing has already begun. One recent Chinese delegation claimed Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner resembled a "princeling" in their own country who mixed business and politics. In another example, when "Capitol Hill aides warned officials from another repressive foreign government that they could pay a political price for human rights abuses, their visitors scoffed," Politico writes. "President Donald Trump had just called their leader, they said, and told him he was doing a great job."

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A diplomat from another "undemocratic nation" told Politico that with the events unfolding in the U.S., "now you guys can't lecture everyone else anymore."

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.