America First (Except When It Comes To The Party)

As an important sidebar to the CIA report on Russia's successful effort to install its useful idiot, Donald "Rump" Trump, as President, we note that Rethug Senate Leader and turtle / human hybrid Mitch "Missy" McConnell and fellow Rethug members of Congress discounted the CIA findings back in September when they were briefed by the CIA. When presented with an opportunity to stand up for his country and expose the dealings of Russia to (as Rump would say) rig the election in Rump's favor, Missy argued for silence about the report, so as not to interfere with Russia's brazen plan.

It's certainly within our memory that withholding such information by a U.S. Senator would have been grounds for expulsion from the Senate, if not prosecution, for enabling a hostile foreign power that was literally selecting our next President. He actually threatened to claim the analysis was a false "partisan" attack by Dems, knowing that was a lie.

We have Rethuglicans at the highest levels of Government who will choose the electoral success of their depraved Party over their country and its free elections safeguarded by the Constitution. They'll choose the interests of Putin's Russia over their country's, if it enhances their power and their Party. Doesn't that border on treason?

BONUS: From the "independent Republican" opponent of Rump:

Their willingness to put party before country & power before principle has resulted in one of the worst compromises of US security ever.

— Evan McMullin (@Evan_McMullin) December 10, 2016

BONUS II:  Jon Chait also lays into the despicable McConnell in a must- read article:

Even the most cynical observer of McConnell — a cynical man to his bones — would have been shocked at his raw partisanship. Presented with an attack on the sanctity of his own country’s democracy by a hostile foreign power, his overriding concern was party over country. Obama’s fear of seeming partisan held him back from making a unilateral statement without partisan cover. No such fear restrained McConnell.

(photo: Alex Wong, Getty Images)