May 17-19, 2017: President Trump Says No One in His Campaign Had Anything to Do with Russians

 

5/17/17: Time  reports that U.S. intelligence experts have been hard at work trying to understand the depth of Russian efforts to undermine the U.S. election process. How did U.S. counterintelligence first get wind of enemy efforts to harm the Clinton campaign? 

Time explains: 

Like many a good spy tale, the story of how the U.S. learned its democracy could be hacked started with loose lips. In May 2016, a Russian military intelligence officer bragged to a colleague that his organization, known as the GRU, was getting ready to pay Clinton back for what President Vladimir Putin believed was an influence operation she had run against him five years earlier as Secretary of State. The GRU, he said, was going to cause chaos in the upcoming U.S. election.

 

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DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL Rod Rosenstein appoints Robert Mueller as Special Counsel. (See: 5/11/17.)

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5/18/17: During a press conference with the President of Colombia, an aggrieved President Trump insists he is victim of “the greatest witch hunt” in U.S. history. 

Nobody in his campaign had anything to do with the Russians. 

Period. 

Hope Hicks told the same lie on November 10, 2016. Now Trump is repeating it from the bully pulpit. 

(See: “So Much Winning: A Hundred Days of Trump!”)

Paul Manafort in pink tie - he had multiple contacts with Russians.

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5/19/17: Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos tells members of Congress she hopes to redirect $250 million to a program to help parents pay for children to attend private schools. 

A lawmaker asks what she will do if private schools discriminate against lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender students. 

Not her problem, she says. “For states that have programs that allow for parents to make choices, they set up the rules around that.” Parents should have a final say on what kind of schools their children attend and what kind of children they sit beside. 

I think this is called Plessy v. Ferguson.

March 20, 2019: Explaining Obstruction of Justice to President Trump and His Fans

 

3/20/19: Reporters catch the president for a moment and ask if he thinks the Mueller report will be coming out anytime soon. 

Trump says he has no idea when it might be coming out; but he’s not worried. “Let it come out, let people see it,” he says. “Let’s see whether or not it’s legit.” 

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All six lied about contacts with Russians.

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Trump doesn’t know what’s in the report; but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have his mind made up. It’s all so unfair! Here he won the election in 2016. And in early 2017 stories begin to swirl – that the Russians may have helped his cause. “I just won one of the greatest elections of all time in the history of this country,” he grumbles, looking back. “And now I have somebody writing a report that never got a vote? It’s called the Mueller report. So explain that because my voters don’t get it. And I don’t get it.” 

Okay, me, me, me! Let the blogger give it a try: 

We know representatives of your campaign had dozens of secret contacts with Russians once you decided to run – and even after you won. Many of these contacts have been admitted, usually under legal duress. By now, six aides have been convicted of felonies and all six lied about contacts with Russians. 

Frankly, sir, if your fans don’t get it, and you don’t get it, I must assume you and they don’t want to get it. Because if you do and they do, then everyone in American will realize you colluded – that is, conspired – with Russia. 

Then you obstructed justice. 

Okay, that was easy.

TWO OF THE SIX FELONS:

 

Michael Cohen.