The country is facing a historical moment as an investigation into Russian interference into the American democratic process has been allegedly obstructed by the President of the United States. If this is in fact so it is obstruction of justice, an impeachable offense.
All this is taking place in Donald Trump’s Presidency which is a thrill a minute. There is never enough time to fully analyze a Trump catastrophe as he rapidly catapults into the next one. So while everyone was digesting the stunning impact that, fired, Acting Attorney General Sally Yates had on revealing the incompetence of his Presidency, he fired FBI Director Comey thereby evincing even greater gasps of shock from a hardened body politic. The latter had been convinced, prior to that, there was nothing that el Presidente could ever do to surprise them again. Hopefully they have finally learned never to underestimate the ‘greatest President ever’s’ ability to outdo his latest outrageous act.
It is salutary to reflect the subject matter of Counsellor Yates’s testimony - Trump’s incomprehensible delay at firing his Security Advisor General Flynn who had been found to have fraternized with the Russians. To add insult to injury Obama had warned him, months before, not to hire Flynn in the first place. But this was all hastily put down, by the Trump echo chamber. They spun that as Obama had ‘a thing’ about Flynn and couldn’t get on with him, he fired him. Simultaneously they argued that it was Obama that issued Flynn with a security clearance to be Trump’s chief security advisor! Yates of course was a Clinton partisan so what could you expect from her was the explicit argument on her damning evidence to the Senate Intelligence Committee hearing.
TRUMP’S HILLARY EXPLANATION JUST DOESN’T CUT IT
It is difficult to comprehend the President’s political assessment of his axing of Comey, who was in the midst of investigating his campaign’s relationship with Russia. Trump claimed that the reason for his decision was Comey’s unfair treatment of Hillary. Trump believed he convinced everyone that it had nothing to do with his own possible collusion with the Russians as, in his letter of termination to Comey, he thanked the former Director for telling him no less than three times that he, The Donald, was not a target of an investigation. One can only assume that Comey had to do it thrice as The Donald needed constant reassurance. One can also be reassured that Comey who might be testifying again will, for sure, back off from his previous non committal stance on this subject. The President has to be more than mildly angered that Comey again and again refused to back him up on his still standing claim that Barack Obama wire tapped Trump Towers. Also Trump and company wanted Comey to focus on the leaks that have given this whole story legs rather than the Russian attack on the Presidential election.
IT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH RUSSIA - IT WAS BECAUSE OF HILLARY
The fact that since the word go, in spite of mounting evidence and general acceptance that the Russians were involved in subverting American Democracy, Trump has claimed, to this day, that it could have been the Chinese or some 400 pound man sitting on a bed that did the hacking. It is all Fake News! Now Comey was heading up the team that had concluded that it was the Russians in an investigation that Trump claimed was a waste of tax payer money and a massive “hoax”.
Not only did this have nothing to do with Russia, Trump claimed, it had everything to do with defending ‘crooked, lock her up Hillary’ whom Comey had done the dirt. Trump didn’t have to explain why he had previously congratulated the FBI Director for impugning Clinton’s character on her e mails and then for his courage for re opening his investigation into her e mails a few days before the election.
Everyone had to know that the electioneering comments were just politics. Trump was now no longer candidate Trump but had the gravitas of being President Trump, who had a responsibility to act on Comey’s “atrocities”. He did not believe that anyone would give a hoot about that self opinionated pompous ass Comey. The Democrats were just a bunch of hypocrites as they had been whining a few days before that Comey had given Trump the Presidency. Any rate he was only acting on the recommendation of his Attorney General, Jeff Sessons, who unrecused himself, especially, for this important task. He, the President, had acted within his lawful powers and even Vladimir Putin had agreed. The Russian Premier told CBS news in Moscow that Trump, “was acting according to his competence, in accordance with his law”. Putin confirmed that, “We had nothing to do with it”. Putin had been backed up earlier in the day by his Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov who just happened to be visiting Trump that day. When a reporter asked whether Comey was axed because of the Russian connection, Lavrov answered, “Are you are kidding?” He was accompanied by Russian Ambassador Kislyak who is central in the investigation as the contact man for the Trump campaign.
Did Trump not give a thought of the optics of meeting two Russian operatives who were allegedly directly involved in the attack of the integrity of the American way of life, the day after he had fired the investigator of the Russian interference?
BANANA REPUBLIC LA LA LAND
There are three things that The Donald does not seem to get as he orbits in his own la la land. (He really has not changed his world view that he can get away with anything whether it be shooting some - one on Fifth Avenue or grabbing any dolly's pussy.) The firing in of itself is not congruent with “Making America Great Again”. It is in line with the behavior of the banana Republics, “South of the Border”. You just don’t fire the police just because they are investigating crimes that you might be involved in. Of course there is a lot else he does that is in sync with those totalitarian entities - making money from your political position, appointing family in top political positions and letting them make money too, just for starters.
FIRING COMEY WON’T MAKE IT GO AWAY
Then there is the belief that this will all go away because he has fired the top cop. On the contrary he has upped the anti. Even the Conservative media have had a field day. Charles Krauthammer on the Fox News Channel had the following to add to the mix -“If this was so offensive to the Trump Administration , you would have spoken to Comey in the transition and said ‘we are going to let you go’. That’s when a president can easily make a decision to have a change. That is not unprecedented. But to fire him summarily without warning, in the middle of May about something that happened in July is almost inexplicable”. As the Fox News Half Time Report summed it up - “Trump picks a bad time for a melt down”.
The legislators have upped their call for an independent prosecutor or an independent enquiry. Seven of the Republican Senators have joined in, in one way or another. Even in the House of Representatives, a member of the Freedom Caucus, Justin Amash, has called for an Independent Investigation. Whatever Comey has dug up is still there. He will spill the beans in the classified briefings. Also the fact that just prior to his axing the reasons as to why he asked for more money for his investigation will be canvassed. The new nominee for FBI Chief will be vetted with a vengeance. There will be more and more leaks to the Press as to what is going on. The sub committees will subpoena The Donald’s taxes. As John Dean, who blew the whistle on Watergate opined it won’t go away.
DON’T FORGET HE HAS TO DELIVER TO THE BASE
Now The Donald has got to get his agenda going. Most importantly he has to get a Health Policy across even though he doesn’t give a hoot what that policy ultimately is. Then there is his tax policy. He maintained in his State of the Union address that he was going to send to Congress a trillion dollar infrastructure bill that would produce millions of jobs. Even his ever loving base is going to want to see results sooner or later.
The Republican leader of the Senate, Mitch McConnell, whose wife is a member of Trump’s cabinet, made a sporting attempt to justify the Administration decision and attempted to get on with the business of governing. The Democrats have threatened to go slow and all they have to do is to follow McConnell’s playbook. McConnell must know how easy it is to go slow on legislation. His whole mantra in the Obama years was to allow nothing that Obama suggested to see the light of day.
WHERE TO FROM HERE?
This story is moving rapidly. The Washington Post, with 30 sources, maintained that Trump grew furious with Comey as his investigation concentrated on the Russian attack on American democracy rather than on the leaks to the Press. Trump’s business dealings have also been brought into focus by investigators. The New York Times are reporting that Comey had confided to an associate that, “Trump was outside the realm of normal and even crazy”. The Wall Street Journal maintains that the Russian investigation had been ramped up by Comey. Instead of weekly briefings there were daily briefings. The Washington Post has just released a report that the newly appointed Deputy Attorney General has threatened to resign because his concerns about Comey’s handling of the Clinton e mail investigation was made the basis of the firing of Director Comey.
There have to be more leaks coming as the Trump administration unravels.
The Senate Intelligence Committee are subpoenaing Michael Flynn’s documents relevant to the investigation. The last time similar subpoenas were issued was in the 9/11 investigation. Flynn will in all probability refuse pleading the fifth amendment not to incriminate himself.
It has to be obvious that the Russian issue will not go away. As James Clapper, the former Director of the National Intelligence Agency, testified at the end of the devastating Senate Intelligence hearing, the Senators need to focus on the fact that the country and every value it stands for was and is under attack from the Russians.
Trump will have to appoint an FBI Director who will have to pass incredible scrutiny. Ironically Trump would have been better off with Comey. The latter was compromised and far easier to smear than who ever is subsequently appointed.
This whole episode has hardly improved the 2018 Republican electoral position. It is highly unlikely that impeachment proceedings would be instituted with a Republican House so Trump’s ultimate fate is dependent on the outcome of the 2018 elections..
The Russian affair together with Health Care is now the subject of Republican Town Hall meetings of those Congressmen who have the guts to hold them.
All this means that Trump is in deep trouble and it is reported that he has appointed legal representatives. But there is a long way to go. At the end of the day Trump has fired the FBI Director who was investigating his campaign. That could represent obstruction of justice which was the principle reason for the Nixon impeachment.
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