Washington Post Deputy editorial page editor Ruth Marcus is not known for being an alarmist. But after seeing Donald Trump’s reckless behavior in Europe and his deference to Vladmir Putin, she’s sounding the alarm. In fact, after Donald Trump tweeted this, she’s sounding all the alarms.
After Russia hacked our political parties (yes, both parties); hacked into state and city voter databases; ran social media propaganda against Hillary Clinton; used social issues to create larger divides; worked with Wikileaks to release the stolen content from the Democratic National Committee; poisoned two former Russians in London; shot down a passenger jet over eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 passengers; and is generally working (successfully) to destabilize the western alliances between the United States and Europe, Donald Trump blames deteriorating relations on the investigation into whether he and/or his campaign colluded with the Russians.
That was a bridge too far for Ruth Marcus, who is seen as one of the more even-keeled editorial voices in the newspaper business. Marcus said it is time for mass resignations from Trump staffers, something she said might wake up Congress, who are thus far completely derelict in their duty to act as a check and balance.
Indeed! How will they explain themselves to their children and grandchildren? In an editorial column over the weekend, Ruth Marcus said Trump’s continued attacks on the media and the so-called “witch hunt” even after he had been briefed on grand jury charges against 12 Russians responsible for the DNC hacking was egregious and she implored Republicans to start putting country over party.
It is even worse, as too many Republicans — nearly all elected Republicans — are doing, to enable it. How sickening to read in Politico that, even as Rosenstein announced the indictment, House conservatives are “putting the finishing touches on an impeachment filing” to oust the meddlesome deputy. How laughable to claim, as did Trump’s private lawyer Rudy Giuliani, that the indictment shows it is “time for [special counsel Robert S. Mueller III] to end this pursuit of the President and say President Trump is completely innocent.”
It is time — past time — to do as Rosenstein suggested: think patriotically as Americans. That this even needed to be said tells you everything about where we are.
It’s time. Resign. For your reputations. For the nation.