Will Republicans Investigate Russian Infiltration? (Are You Kidding?)

As the curtain begins to be drawn away from the burgeoning scandal of Russian infiltration and manipulation of the regime of neo- fascist Putin poodle Donald "Rump" Trump, those looking for Republicans in Congress to put country above party for the first time are going to be sorely disappointed.  

First of all, they have more important things to investigate. Slimy Rep. Justin Chaffetz (Weasel-UT) has another ax to grind:

True, Chaffetz, after his unending probes of the Obama administration and Hillary Clinton, hasn’t shown any appetite to examine, say, the Trump administration’s ties to Russia or its many conflicts of interest. But the chairman has shown determination to probe, without fear or favor, the threat to America posed by Sid the Science Kid. 

The chairman of the powerful panel — the main investigative committee in the House — sent a letter to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention demanding to know why, in an attempt to raise awareness of the Zika virus, “CDC appears poised to make a sole source award to the Jim Henson Company for $806,000 to feature Sid the Science Kid in an educational program about the virus.”

As for looking into the Michael Flynn- (Trump)- Vladimir Putin connection?

Rep Jason Chaffetz R-UT tells reporters there's no need to further probe Flynn.  "It’s taking care of itself"

— Jamie Dupree (@jamiedupree) February 14, 2017

Chaffetz is certainly not alone among party- before- country Republicans (at what point do we just call them traitors?):

.@SenOrrinHatch says Flynn resignation doesn't "deserve" investigation. "I think highly of him, he's a hero of this country for many years"

— Jacqueline Klimas (@jacqklimas) February 14, 2017

Mmmm. We love the smell of coverup in the morning.

How about that House Intelligence Committee that Chaffetz wants to defer to?

Rep. Devin Nunes says the Intelligence Committee won't look into discussions between Trump and Flynn, citing executive privilege

— Manu Raju (@mkraju) February 14, 2017

Hmmm. So what are they going to investigate?

House Intel Chair @DevinNunes says Cmte will look into IC leaks of Flynn/Russia call.

— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) February 14, 2017

And, Nunes' statement on Flynn followed (which, to coin a phrase, sounded better in the original Russian):

Here's the lawmaker who should be investigating Flynn and Trump's Russia ties, House Intel Chair Devin Nunes.

Really taking this seriously. pic.twitter.com/ygfiajpYq3

— Matt Fuller (@MEPFuller) February 14, 2017

Oh, they're investigating the leaks that led Flynn to resign -- not Russian manipulation at the highest level of government =cough= Trump =cough=.  The old Watergate question, "What did the 'president' know, and when did he know it" is being asked, but certainly not by self- serving Republicans.

If this doesn't make it clear that these cowardly Republicans are willing to sacrifice their country to save the loathsome shitgibbon's regime, nothing will.  It's now up to the intelligence community, Democrats with spines, the media and all of us to keep this investigation from being squelched.

(h/t Amanda Terkel, HuffPo for tweets)

Flynn Phone F*ckup, Cont'd.

The growing heat being felt by the White (Supremacist) House over angry nutjob conspiracy theorist and National Security Advisor Michael "Jack D. Ripper" Flynn has prompted talk of an imminent firing. As we have noted, Flynn made as many as five phone calls to the Russian ambassador to the U.S. immediately after President Obama imposed sanctions on Russia for meddling in the 2016 elections, and before the Obama administration had left office, a violation of the Logan Act. While Flynn initially denied discussing the lifting of sanctions with the ambassador, in the face of evidence to the contrary, he recently claimed that he couldn't recollect discussing sanctions. Complicating matters is that Flynn apparently told VP Mike "Dense" Pense the initial version of the phone calls, which Dense and others repeated.

Surrogates of demagogue and Putin pal Donald "Rump" Trump have avoided defending Flynn, perhaps a signal that his days in his job are numbered. However, what's hard to believe is that a chain-of-command military officer like Flynn would "free lance" and call the Russian ambassador on his own without having been directed by Rump, or someone close to Rump, to do so. That circumstance might be what's keeping Flynn employed for now: the fear of someone higher up the ladder that Flynn will expose them if he's fired. There are not many rungs left in that ladder, and the investigation continues; stay tuned.

BONUS: 

Isn't it possible that Trump told Flynn to talk to the Russian ambassador about sanctions and knew Flynn lied to Pence?

— Ryan Lizza (@RyanLizza) February 13, 2017

More people might be coming to this conclusion, as we have.

Flynn's Backdoor Dealings With Russia

As we noted last month, national security advisor and wingnut conspiracy theorist Michael "Jack D. Ripper" Flynn had some suspicious, pre-inauguration contacts with the Russian ambassador to the U.S. immediately after President Obama expelled 35 Russian intelligence officers after Russia's pro-Trump meddling in the election was verified. Flynn vehemently denied charges that he discussed lifting sanctions against Russia, which could put him in jeopardy of violating the Logan Act, which prohibits individual citizens from "negotiating" on behalf of the U.S.without authority of the Government. Now, it appears that he did discuss the sanctions imposed on Russia for their aggression in Ukraine and their meddling in the elections. His five phone calls on December 29 with the Russian ambassador apparently convinced Russian autocrat Vladimir "Vlad the Invader" Putin to defer a counter-reaction to the expulsions. Neo-fascist Putin admirer Donald "Rump" Trump has repeatedly shown his "admiration" and "respect" for the ex-KGB leader of Russia, who helped him get elected through cyber warfare against Secretary Clinton's campaign.

Yesterday, Flynn, who was removed from his position as Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency in 2014 over his abusive management style, backed away from his earlier denial of discussing sanctions, saying that he "had no recollection of discussing sanctions," an obvious lie given the timing of his calls following Obama's action. That Rump directed Flynn to call is almost certain, but Flynn is responsible for making the calls and the violation of U.S. law.

BONUS: Daily Kos' Mark Sumner has a detailed rundown of Flynn's Russian associations over the past couple of years. There's also this:

I don't know whether it's more alarming that Flynn lied about his calls w/ the Russians or that he was too dumb to know he would get caught

— Dan Pfeiffer (@danpfeiffer) February 10, 2017

If Michael Flynn talked to Russian Amb. in December about lifting sanctions it violates Logan Act, is treasonous https://t.co/18cBz3qAas

— Norman Ornstein (@NormOrnstein) February 10, 2017

And Flynn's lying also appears to have ensnared one Mike "Dense" Pence, per the WaPo article:

The WaPo has nine sources here that Flynn either lied or had Pence lie for him. https://t.co/zK8hnlA1GI

— Nicholas Thompson (@nxthompson) February 10, 2017