Dana Milbank makes the point we made yesterday that no one in Rump's White (supremacist) House does anything without his orders:
President Trump has just set the all-time speed record for scandal — from zero to Watergate in 25 days. [snip]
... [T]he “What Did He Know?” game in this case may ask the wrong question. The real question is not when Trump found out but whether Flynn, in his contacts with the ambassador, was doing Trump’s bidding, at least implicitly. This would fit a pattern that has already developed in this White House: Trump’s aides do exactly as he orders.
Flynn is no idiot. He spent a good chunk of his career in the intelligence business. He had to know that U.S. spy agencies listen to the Russian ambassador’s phone calls — and he’s savvy enough to know that his discussions with the ambassador about sanctions the Obama administration was imposing that day would make their way up the reporting chain. Finally, he had to know he couldn’t pass it off as a casual contact; the two spoke several times that day.
So why do it? Perhaps for the same reason other smart people who work for Trump have done seemingly unwise things: Trump told them to. (our emphasis)Charles Blow on what we know for sure and what we sense is on the horizon:
What we know only makes what we don’t know feel all the more ominous. But I believe that facts are forthcoming. Reporters are digging like a crew of coal miners hopped up on a case of Red Bull, and sources in Washington are leaking to anyone with a press credential.
Drip, drip, drip it goes until the dam breaks and the truth spills.E.J. Dionne, Jr., just comes out with it:
Let’s not mumble or whisper about the central issue facing our country: What is this democratic nation to do when the man serving as president of the United States plainly has no business being president of the United States?
The Michael Flynn fiasco was the entirely predictable product of the indiscipline, deceit, incompetence and moral indifference that characterize Donald Trump’s approach to leadership.
Even worse, Trump’s loyalties are now in doubt. Questions about his relationship with Vladimir Putin and Russia will not go away, even if congressional Republicans try to slow-walk a transparent investigation into what ties Trump has with Putin’s Russia — and who on his campaign did what, and when, with Russian intelligence officials and diplomats.For the present, don't look to the House of Representatives to investigate the Rump/ Putin connection. It's full of slavish, party- before- country ideologues who want to investigate the leaks (!) and are itching to have Rump sign bills to gut protections for the environment and consumers, and regressive tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations (drain that swamp!). It would take some rather damning facts to be leaked out in order for them to be shamed into doing their jobs under the Constitution (and come out, they will). Initially, the Senate is somewhat more likely to pursue the trail, although enemy of democracy and Trump coach Sen. Mitch "Missy" McConnell (Rat-KY) will do everything he can to delay and hinder any investigation (and certainly not by an independent select committee). As a tell, he's already signaled he won't support legislation to keep Rump from lifting sanctions on Russia. His wife, Elaine Chao, is in Rump's Cabinet, so don't expect this partisan POS to help keep Rump from further damaging American democracy.
Now, can we get a patriot at the Internal Revenue Service to leak Rump's tax returns so we can see how compromised he is by Putin?
BONUS: Leonard Pitts, Jr., asks the question we all are asking of Rump: "Just who the hell do you think you are?"
