21 March 2018

Ego, Money, Freedom? All of the Above?






Are we spinning out of control?

 A few reminders:
1. President Trump scored three million fewer votes than "Crooked Hillary," but won the election because of a critical 86,000 vote advantage in three key states.
2. There is no longer any doubt the Russians interfered in that election, in support of Trump, and evidence is mounting that the Russian interference was directed to specific Trump voting blocs in those key states.
3. During the campaign, Trump refused to criticize Putin, and in fact defended him.
4. During the campaign, Trump's family members and his campaign chief met with Russians who promised to help Trump win the election.
5. After the inauguration, Trump, his son, and his Director of Communications lied about the content of one of those pre-election meetings. 
6. All this stuff is being investigated by congressional committees and the Republican special counsel Mueller who was appointed by Republican Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein, who was appointed by Trump, and confirmed by the Republican dominated United States Senate, after Trump fired Republican F.B.I. chief James Comey, (because of "the Russia thing") whom Trump had just reappointed.
7. President Trump adamantly refused to acknowledge the Russia interference, despite the unambiguous conclusions of U.S. intelligence services. His transition team and then the White House did everything it could to deny Russian assistance because as Hope Hicks had written, they feared it would "delegitimize" his presidency.
8. Congress voted, by a 90-10 majority, to impose sanctions on Russia because of their interference in our elections. Trump refused to impose the sanctions.
9. Putin poisoned a former spy sitting on a park bench in England. The Brits made a thorough inquiry and concluded Putin did it. At first, Trump refused to say he stood with the Brits. When Secretary of State Tillerson agreed that Putin was "clearly" involved in the murder, Trump fired him.

So last week, I posted a blog in which I said of the Tillerson firing:

"A coincidence of timing? This "last straw" has caused some to wonder anew if indeed Putin does not indeed have something on Trump. The leading candidates are sex tapes and money laundering.

My bet would be on the latter. Trump is, by now, virtually immune from sex scandals ... . But money laundering and bribery are not just material for social, political, or matrimonial scandals: they are crimes that could put Donald and his family in jail, whether during or after his presidency. [And as one of my readers pointed out, there is the added possibility of Putin pulling the string and pulling key Russian financing of Trump projects.]
....
Of course, it is not only Putin that scares him. Trump's other arch enemy is Robert Mueller.  And that's why I fear for the latter's "safety.'' This House of Representatives has given Trump every signal that it would take no action were Trump to fire Mueller, pardon Manafort, and then invite Putin to the White House for brunch."
...............................

One of my readers suggested I had joined a cabal of conspiracy nuts.

But it turns out that firing Tillerson was not the "last straw." Two days ago, Trump telephoned Putin. There was a script prepared for Trump, because he was going to be talking to a dictator who had, among other things, i) invaded Ukraine, ii) invaded Crimea, iii) shot down a civilian plane over Ukraine, iv) interfered with our national elections, v) poisoned a former spy on a London park bench, vi) and just "won" a rigged sham election. So the White House advisors told the President "do not to congratulate Putin on being reelected." In fact, his National Security Advisor gave Trump a note that included a paragraph that was headed, in capital letters "DO NOT CONGRATULATE PUTIN ON ELECTION WIN!"

What did Trump do? Three things: i) he congratulated the brutal dictator on his "election win," ii) he never mentioned Putin's interference in our elections, the invasion of Ukraine, or the poisoning in London, and iii) he figuratively invited Putin to brunch!

What is the meaning of this? I suggest any reasonable juror would infer that Trump's message to Putin was simple:

"Don't worry about all that other stuff, Vladimir, I still got your back.''