Trump is giving the Russians everything they want

[jpak]

http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-is-giving-the-russians-everything-they-want-2017-6

Confronted by the glare of Thursday’s dazzling Senate Select Committee on Intelligence hearing, we all focused on the bright shiny object that was and is former FBI Director James Comey.

His dramatic testimony struck more than one observer as part recitation, part theatrical performance. In today’s political discourse, good television counts almost as much as good substance, all but guaranteeing Comey’s eclipse of everything else in the Washington universe.

However, for all of the revelations in Thursday’s hearing, it failed to shine light on the most important set of questions relating to Russian activities and the extent to which Russia has degraded U.S. national security through its espionage, influence, and cyberwarfare campaigns over the past two years.

Even while Comey performed before the Senate, Russia’s schemes continued to unfold, undermining U.S. national security in myriad ways and places around the world. It may be the case that Trump lied; it may even be the case that he criminally obstructed justice and should be impeached. And yet we cannot let those important political questions consume all our attention, lest Russia do more harm while we are distracted.

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[Turbineguy]

1. He's a Russian agent.

he just forgot to register.

https://www.fara.gov/

[FuzzyRabbit]

4. Exactly!

He tries to weaken NATO (a Russian objective), tries to eliminate sanctions on Russia (another Russian objective), praises Putin while at the same time insulting all of the best US allies (Japan,
Australia, France, Germany, Canada, etc.), and taking Russia's side, aggravating tensions in the Middle East.

[saidsimplesimon]

2. Thank you jpak

for shining light on the darkness which has become the entire Republican Party members holding public office. They serve themselves, not the people or the Constitution that they took an oath to defend.

I've said publically, Comey should never have commented on Mrs. Clinton during an election. He should have alerted on the Russian meddling in our democracy if he wanted the high ground.

[MedusaX]

3. Pre-*45, the article's author would have been 100% spot-on... but this is not a traditional

Political circumstance.
I agree that the
*45 / Bannon coalition is systematically deconstructing as quickly as they can --

And the *45 Kremlin Klan is happily creating international chaos and weakening global alliances in honor of their favorite Russian Federation leader-- uncle Vlad...

These things need to be stopped...

but it is not the shiny object of obstruction allegations, as the author suggests,
that enables this rampant foreign & domestic deconstruction to continue .....

It is a dysfunctional 2-party system which has failed to 'check' the abuses of executive power taking place.
Dysfunctional due to the majority party -- in the legislative branch, the executive branch and the judicial branch -- being compromised through campaign funding violations and other acts of Russia related complicity.

Under traditional/ normal circumstances, cabinet appointments would have faced scrutiny, conflicts of interest would have been resolved, and Senate Bill 94 codifying the 2014 Sanctions imposed on Russia would have been passed by the supermajority needed to override a presidential veto.

At which point, the *45 Klan would be of no real value to Vlad and there would be an equally effective bipartisan effort to prevent the Bannon/Mercer agenda from being implemented.


Unfortunately, these are no ordinary times....

And the sad fact of the matter is that Comey is the only person to come forward, With any potential to truly expose the current abuse of executive power, and actively attempt to be a catalyst for the restoration of balance amongst the co-equal branches of government...