I apologize for being incommunicado, but was the big press reveal that was totally coincidentally timed to step on a Trump press moment about indicting a bunch of Russians who will never leave the Russian Federation or Eurasian Customs Union anyway?
Because I know this is the new shiny, but from my A Pox On All Their Houses viewpoint, this is vindicating every suspicion of this independent counsel's mandate I've ever had.
The data, which have largely been known since before the election, seem to show this: Donald Trump has had crazy many business contacts with Russian business/state/same thing enterprises for the better part of thirty years, ever since his amazing business acumen led to bankruptcy
This is only nefarious along two vectors: If you don't understand that a lot of folks shut out of traditional lending because they drove multi-millions-and-more into the ground had to reach non-traditional sources; and on the other hand, ye gods, it was a lot.
His campaign was run by a succession of has-beens and never-will-bes, including a guy just begging to be prosecuted for FARA violations* for years with contacts with Russia and Ukraine.
His family and campaign, insofar as there's a difference, were at least mildly incompetent and met with people who offered the world and didn't have it to provide.
Trump, because he's a showman who's really bad at knowing when to shut up, seized on news reports about Russian hacking of Clintonland emails and his ties and publicly, as in, WITH CAMERAS ROLLING AND THROUGH OTHER SECRETIVE MEANS, begged the Russians to continue.
Much to everyone's surprise, especially Team Trump's, they won. Since then, the people who opposed them have gone every route possible to undermine an administration that -- lest it be forgotten -- is really good at undermining itself if left alone.
So we now have a constitutionally-suspect special prosecutor** justifying his resources by tossing the USA manual out the door, going after low-hanging fruit, and now, indicting a bunch of people who will never be extradited, for s***posting.
My completely honest opinion is that Donald J. Trump, like so so so many other developers, is at least mildly dirty, is definitely unethical as all get up, left morality behind in the cradle, has no idea how to do his job, and is not a Russian stooge.
Robert Mueller is -- here, I will be charitable -- doing what every, single other special prosecutor has done, and is trying to find anything that will stick to anyone to justify his writ, and is either vindictively or calculatedly keeping this going to keep the bad news going.
This entire thing is a series of object lessons.
For Republicans: Clear the bloody field so you don't end up with an Italian opera character as the nominee.
For Democrats: Be true to your roots, crush popular votes, keep the kleptocracy hidden, and never nominate a Clinton.
For Republicans: Clear the bloody field so you don't end up with an Italian opera character as the nominee.
For Democrats: Be true to your roots, crush popular votes, keep the kleptocracy hidden, and never nominate a Clinton.
For Americans: Stop allowing this unconstitutional special prosecutor charade. It weakens Executive authority, dilutes Congressional oversight, and makes a mockery of our elections and separation of powers. Make Congress do the hard, unpleasant work for a change.
* If you're going to point to Morrison v. Olson for proof of constitutionality, you'd better be A-OK with Roe, Casey, Citizens United, Kelo, golly there's a list.
** The reason Manafort belatedly registered under FARA is that until Trump, the USA manual for FARA treated that as the remedy for a violation.
