It is fair to say that Trump’s oversea trip, which ended with a sonic boom in Helsinki, evinced a political earthquake in America. If it was aimed at making America Great Again it failed. It served more to reinforce the believers that Putin has “the goods” on Trump than anything else - a terrifying allegation that should spur all patriots to get to the truth. The major American impact of the visit, the world order having been turned upside down, was on the Republican Party representatives in Congress who were at sixes and sevens as to how to respond.
The almost universal negative response to the Trump performance seemed to unhinge the ostensible leader of the free world even further. He had already defined himself a “stable genius” and a “great president”. He has continued his theme that Americans were stupid and foolish and that those who criticized his press conference with Putin were of “low intellect”.
He belatedly attempted damage control which has never been his strong suit only to further muddy the waters. However, after several back and forths, he left no doubt as to how he really felt on the issue, when he tweeted: “Our relationship with Russia has NEVER been worse thanks to many years of U. S. foolishness and stupidity and now the Rigged Witch Hunt.” Then to gasps of shock and amazement Trump agreed to consider handing over the former American Ambassador to Russia for questioning. Not for the first time this week a Trump Department criticized the President when the State Department rejected this demand out of hand.
Ambassador McFaul and eleven others apparently were being targeted as a quid pro quo to Mueller’s comprehensive indictment against the twelve Russian hackers. To show how crazy this equivalency would be, the Russian Prosecutorial team were involved in the election interference! Whereas the US Justice Department, which includes Mueller, is an independent institution Putin controls it all in Russia. Having initially praised the interrogation idea to the skies in Helsinki. “an incredible offer”, Trump ultimately backed off nixing it apologetically claiming that it was a sincere contribution by Putin. Obviously the POTUS was spurred on by the Senate 98 - 0 vote in condemning the move
The most damning revelation of this ongoing saga was a New York Times story that President Trump was given conclusive evidence, weeks before his inauguration, that Putin had personally ordered the interference in the election in order to ensure his victory.
Meanwhile the President is still clarifying, denying, walking back and the like as to whether Russia influenced the election in his favor…… He is however clear on the fact that it is the media that are to blame as they want America to go to war with Russia. All this echoes his years long smear campaign that Obama was born in Kenya when he grudgingly admitted that he was born in the USA.
IT’S THE RUSSIAN THING STUPID
The “Russian Thing” has dogged the reality TV star from Day One and Jay H. Ell believes his ever increasing erratic behavior is part of his last ditch stand as the Mueller noose tightens. He could not have backed Putin’s “strong” denials at a worse time as his sojourn was bookended by two detailed indictments of high ranking Russian Intelligence agents, twelve of whom had hacked inter alia the DNC and Hillary’s campaign chairman. The other agent charged is a Russian student who has been connected to Russian intelligence. She is now under arrest. It is alleged that she infiltrated the NRA and appears to have colluded with person or persons as yet not named. Just in case that wasn’t bad enough his Campaign Manager’s trial was due to start the next week and Mueller’s team had five surprise witnesses who were in fact “co conspirators”.
In all this the Republicans were reeling as to how to respond.
THE REPUBLICAN DILEMA
The many constituencies of what now constitutes the Republican Party predictably had widely diverse responses to their leader’s performance. From what is known of the forty percent base there is very little defection. He is still the gospel. This is the crowd that the POTUS plays too, whom he magically contends will keep in him office by re electing him in 2020. On the other end of the GOP spectrum - the former Establishment, the intellectuals, the pundits and the former heads of the Intelligence services there is open warfare. The divorce is final. Several such as George Will and even James Comey are exhorting the Republicans to vote for the Democrats in the mid terms.
When his most loyal campaign sycophant Newt Gingrich labelled his “major triumph” in Helsinki the “biggest mistake of his Presidency” and his echo chamber, Fox News, called his patriotism into question, Trump knew that his fawning of the Russian despot was just too much. The rest of Republican family condemned, in varying degrees, the President’s sell out.
The key constituency in this matter is the GOP Legislature. The most vocal rebukes emanated from those not standing for re election in November. John McCain issued a stinging rebuke to the POTUS. However he too, because of his illness, is considered a lame duck. Both Republican leaders, Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell, have made it quite clear that they support the Intelligence Agencies. In truth other than the lunatic fringe of the House Freedom Party, who are looking to impeach Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein, there has been no support for the President outside of maverick Rand Paul.
The Republicans know that the most effective response to their out of control leader would be at the ballot box but they can hardly run against him especially when he has still has the base solidly behind him. The question is how to parlay this crisis where they have to defend the integrity of the country’s institutions, value system and allies against this “treasonous” behavior. The Senate has a number of motions. The most far reaching motion they proposed was a refutation of Putin’s denial and a demand for an immediate enactment of the sanctions they had passed on Russia. In addition the relevant Senate Committees were asked to hold hearings as to what had transpired at the Putin/Trump private meeting. This motion could not be passed by unanimous consent because the second ranking Republican member believed that was just a “symbolic act”. He argued that the Senate needed to look at the possibility of adding additional Russian sanctions.
As matters stand there up to fifty House seats within the Democratic Party reach. These will not be decided by Trump’s base but rather by Dems turn out, Independents and a distinct minority of Republicans that are switching away from Trump, so what is the point of playing to the Trump gallery? Trump’s perfidy is not ending now and sooner or later the legislators are going to have to at least censor the President. No longer can anyone go around arguing whether or not Mueller Investigation is a “witch hunt” and give the POTUS the benefit of the doubt.
In the final analysis the Republican Legislators have stuck to their party political needs over their patriotic duty. The House wouldn’t even vote more resources to fight the potential interference in the midterm elections.
WHERE IS TRUMP’S AMERICA NOW?
Jay H. Ell has argued Trump’s behavior is directly related to the fact that the Mueller investigation is closing in. In spite of his supposed walking back of his disastrous oversea trip he has already doubled down by inviting Putin to the WhiteHouse. He has unprecedentedly attacked the independent Federal Reserve informing them that their actions are impacting on the great economy he has created. The POTUS has threatened more trade tariffs which could push up the cost of motor cars between fourteen hundred to seven thousand dollars. He also is still calling the Mueller probe a “witch hunt”.
The crises in the country are escalating. The immigration mess is not resolving and is only getting worse with the Administration unable to unite parents with their children. The country’s deficit is en route for the first time to a trillion dollars which is being ascribed to Trump’s income tax “reform”. The indictments and revelations relating to the “Russian Thing” are snowballing while Trump’s Intelligence Agencies feel more and more comfortable to openly criticize him. His handpicked Federal Reserve Chairman reported to Congress that countries that had free trade triumphed over those that instituted tariffs. As Judge Kavanaugh has ruled in every one of the hot issues facing the country and most significantly believes that the President cannot be indicted or subpoenaed, his confirmation becomes more and more dicey. A rejection of Kavanaugh would be a major set back for the POTUS.
The over riding factor in Trump’s America is still going to be the “Russian Thing”. The past week, in between the indictments, the revelation emerged that Trump was given incontrovertible evidence, prior to his inauguration, that Putin had intervened in the Presidential election added to the disastrous summit in Helsinki. All this has given the Mueller investigation more credibility. This in turn will evince more reaction from the embattled POTUS. What Trump is unable to understand is that Putin’s visit will result in even more attention to his attack on American democracy and his fascist like actions in Crimea and assassinations on foreign soil. Nothing can wish away what the former Russian KGB agent has done and who he is.
Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein has stated that he will warn the public of the foreign interventions as they happen. In case anyone misses the significance of his independent announcement he is not hanging around waiting for Trump’s permission before doing so. Watch this space as the Intelligence Agencies have said Putin is on the job again.
All this will motivate the opposition base even more and eventually force the Republican Legislative majorities to become more and more critical of their leader and hopefully ensure an exhaustive examination as to whether he is indeed compromised or not by the Russians.
The good news is that we haven’t heard too much about that wall that Mexico is going to pay for, lately….
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