So today we’re learning that loose lips Donnie was showing off to his Russian buddies about how good his intel is, it’s tremendous, it’s just the best intel, and he shared some information that was NOT supposed to be shared with anyone, let alone the thugs in the Kremlin.
So far, I’m seeing Facebook comments from Trumpistas that
“Hey, it’s not a crime because the President can declassify anything he wants.”
“ We really need to work with Russia against the terror threat — this is a good thing.”
“Working with Russia is the kind of bipartisanship we need.”
And the ever popular “Fake news”.
Except this is not going away that easily. The Russia thing just keeps hanging on there. While we know some of the stuff about the campaign and Russian efforts to play us (Democrats on the Intelligence Committees keep hinting there’s more that’s really bad), they’re starting to follow the money now, among other things. Charles P. Pierce reminds us that following the money has a certain historical resonance.
(Speaking of money, if you’d like to help finance some independent journalism, Mother Jones can use your help with this.)
Firing Comey certainly didn’t help. Again from Pierce, a little discussion of the can of worms now on display. (Consider Trump and the GOP’s auditioning people to play FBI director as practice for trying to finesse who might get to be special prosecutor/independent counsel.)
Meanwhile, Kevin Drum notes The Entire World Is Adapting To Having An Idiot In The White House. He also throws in A Behind-the-Scenes Look At How Producers Manage the Trump Show. Things are getting so bad for the Donald that he’s considering firing everyone (who isn’t family).
So, what’s Trump going to do?
There may be a hint coming from Sean Hannity. I was able to catch the bare start of Sean boasting on the radio machine that he was going to tell us what no one else will, by deep-diving into Hillary Clinton’s email servers and why Comey absolutely had to be fired. (At that point my autonomic defenses kicked in to save my brain cells and I changed the station.)
So let’s see. Trump hasn’t started on The Wall yet. TrumpCare hasn’t gotten past the Senate yet. He hasn’t settled the war(s) in the middle east yet or wiped out ISIS/Al Qaida. His ratings keep going down, he can’t shake the Russia FAKE NEWS!!!!, and there’s all those other problems that won’t go away. And now this bit of handing the Russians some key intel? What’s the plan, guy?
Well, let’s start with another Nixonian quote, via Pierce: If the President* Does It, It’s Not Illegal.
They're really going to play it this way, the way they played the Comey story? Essentially saying that, if the president does it, it's not illegal? That's the excuse you use after you've been run out of office on a rail. The level of absurdity in the administration—and among its enablers—is reaching a lethal level.
So, I figure it’s only a matter of time. The president* can leak anything because he can declassify anything. So the real criminal has to be Hillary Clinton — because of course, emails.
The fact that no one has been able to show that she deliberately mishandled information or that anything critical was ever taken from her emails is apparently irrelevant — she’s the real criminal here. Comey failed to make a case for her indictment, which is the reason he had to go. (Nothing to do with that Russia FAKE NEWS. Totally fake. Totally not under investigation.)
Now that Comey is gone (and Obama appointed him anyway, right?), Trump is going to get a real FBI Director who understands how to lead, and he’ll finally nail Clinton to the wall.
Hey — it’s what his base has wanted all along. Got to keep them happy with something. They’ll get to pull out the old filthy slurs, nasty jokes, and slanders once more. It’s a great distraction. The media has shown they can’t resist a story that paints a Clinton with some kind of scandal. They’ll be horrified, but…
If anyone thinks this is too stupid even for Trump, I suggest you consider Josh Marshall’s contribution to unraveling what the Trump White House does: Trump’s Razor.
According to Trump’s Razor: “ascertain the stupidest possible scenario that can be reconciled with the available facts” and that answer is likely correct.
Want to bet Trump’s casting call for an FBI director comes down to three questions?
- Will you be personally loyal to me?
- Will you end this Russia fake news?
- How soon can you go after Crooked Hillary?
That’s Trump’s answer when he doesn’t have one — change the subject. Create a distraction. Of course, if going after Hillary doesn’t work, he can always start a war…