Guest op-ed by Robert Leonard @ NYTimes.com, Oct. 14  (...author of “Deep Midwest: Midwestern Explorations.”)

KNOXVILLE, Iowa — To understand what many Iowans are thinking about President Trump and the impeachment investigation, first you have to know about Carson King.

During a recent Iowa-Iowa State football game, Mr. King, 24, held a sign requesting donations so he could buy more beer (specifically, Busch Light). To his surprise, the donations piled up. Given the amount, he decided to donate the funds — which ultimately totaled $3 million — to the University ofowa’s children’s hospital.

Working on a profile of Mr. King, a reporter for The Des Moines Register discovered, in his social media history, a couple of racially inappropriate jokes from when he was 16. Mr. King publicly apologized before The Register had even printed the profile.

The episode produced a rare moment of unity among Iowans — against The Register. The backlash was harsh. For many people, the article reinforced a conservative trope: The liberal media was trying to bring a good man down.

Which is why I bring it up in the context of President Trump. It’s through the emotional lens of the King affair that many people in Iowa are viewing the Ukraine affair. As the dust has settled on the King kerfuffle but remains swirling around Mr. Trump’s troubles, many conservatives here think the “loony libs” are the ones self-destructing [....]