There Was (Is) Collusion And GOP Congress Has Joined In It

(Cartoon image is by Steve Sack in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.)

Was there collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign to affect the 2016 election? Did Trump know about and approve of the collusion, or even direct it? The answer to both questions is a resounding YES! Even though we don't know everything that Robert Mueller knows, there has been enough information made public remove any doubt that Trump's campaign aides and family did collude with Russia. And nothing happens in Trump-world, without the express consent of Donald Trump himself.

Trump keeps repeating that there was no collusion. He's hoping that if he denies it enough, people will start to believe him. But frankly, you'd have to be brain-dead at this point to believe there was no collusion. But it gets worse. The collusion is STILL HAPPENING! And the colluders now include most of the Republicans in Congress. They have joined in Trump's denials, efforts to obstruct justice, and basically ignoring Russia's attack on the U.S. democracy. They are now as guilty as Trump.

Following is just a part of an excellent article by David Rothkopf in The Daily Beast:

This is an extraordinary moment. It is without equal not only in American history but in modern history. A hostile foreign power intervened in our election to help elect a man president who has since actively served their interests and has defended them at every turn.

Trump may deny collusion. But given that this the attack continues, denying it is collusion, distracting from it is collusion, obstructing the investigation of it is collusion — because all these things enable it to go on.

That the president is abetted in his aid for the Russians — again, in the midst of this ongoing attack — by the leadership of the Republican Party makes the situation all the more extraordinary and dangerous. As they seek to undermine the investigation, they serve Russia as directly as if they were officers of the GRU. Some now reportedly seek to impeach Rosenstein on trumped up charges. To attack one of the leaders of our national defense as we are being attacked and to do so to benefit our foreign adversary is textbook treason.

That is strong language. But consider this: If we updated our definitions of war to include cyberwar, then aiding a foreign power engaged in such a war against us would certainly meet the Constitutional definition: “Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort.”

When only semantics protect our president and our ruling party from the harsh sentences treason demands, we need to recognize the severity of the situation. . . .

At stake are the results in our 2018 and 2020 elections and the integrity of our political system. This enemy seeks not only to put puppets or weak or deficient leaders in place, it seeks to gain leverage over them as they come to realize they are advertently or not the beneficiaries of the Russian attacks. . . .

If they succeed, America will be profoundly weakened, our standing, our alliances and the international system we built may be irreversibly damaged.