Trump Yuking It Up With The Russians in Oval Office

 

THE NEWS was slow last week. Nothing much happened, except the abrupt firing of the FBI Director who was conducting an investigation into Russian ties to the White House, the President yuking it up with Russian Diplomats in the Oval Office and only allowing Russian media in the room, and the President tweeting a threat to the fired FBI Director by insinuating he has “tapes” of their conversations. I was hoping for something more rousing, like Trump shooting Melissa McCarthy on Friday as she drove the Spicer motorized podium in front of NBC's headquarters in downtown Manhattan. However, the reaction would have been the same from our spineless Republican Congress--“Troubling.”

I WAS greatly relieved this past week to learn beyond a shadow of a doubt that Trump has no business ties to Russia. We know this because Trump paid the law firm of Morgan Lewis to write a certified letter to him attesting to that fact. In Trump's words, this law firm is the most respected in the world. It sure is! In 2016, Morgan Lewis law firm was named “Russian Law Firm of the Year.” Folks, I'm not a fiction writer. I can't make this stuff up.

IF I WAS sentenced to work in the West Wing of this White House, I would douse myself with gasoline and set myself on fire. If you think your workplace is stressful and chaotic, think again. I can't imagine a more hostile workplace than the West Wing. There is no workable chain-of-command. And your boss is uncontrolled, a nice way of saying “unhinged.” You have a boss who popularized the phrase, “You're fired!” You have a boss who directed your cell phones checked to see with whom you are communicating. These people hold some of the most prestigious jobs in our country. No real work for America is happening in this White House. I cannot fathom that they find any joy in their work—except maybe Bannon, as he watches our government disintegrate.

AND, indeed our Government is disintegrating. The Republican icon, former Vice-President Dick Cheney said that interfering in our elections by the Russians is an “act of war.” Does it seem like we are at war with Russia? Have you ever heard Trump say anything about Putin less than complimentary? Compare how German Chancellor Angela Merkel, our ally, was treated by Trump versus the Russian Diplomats. He refused to even shake her hand. With the Russians in the Oval Office, he was grinning like a “a possum.” This behavior weakens our government in the eyes of the world.

FURTHER, “Regardless of how you feel about former FBI Director James Comey, he was fired for not pledging his loyalty to Trump and proceeding with the Russian investigation. That is more than “troubling.” This has been a great distraction to the very agency that is tasked with keeping us safe. Do you feel safer today? This behavior causes the American people to have doubts about the FBI and makes our government weaker.

THE REPUBLICAN Congress shares in the blame for the disintegration of our government. They showed their lack of concern for the American people when they passed a healthcare bill without any semblance of study or forethought. None of these elected Republican Congressmen have sent a message to Trump to stop the craziness. They have not seemed to take the Russian interference in our democratic elections seriously. They appear to have pledged their loyalty to Trump and the Republican Party, and not our country. Each of these men (and a very few women), took the following Oath of Office:

“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.”

AT THIS moment in time, they are not defending the Constitution and the American people but their President and their party. They are not defending our country against foreign enemies. If they continue to refuse to uphold their oath, then in 2018 we must clean “house.”

IT'S ABOUT time we start paying attention to the antics of those hoping to be the new Governor of Georgia. First out of the block is Secretary of State Brian Kemp. If you want to learn more about his campaign, go to the OFFICIAL website for the Secretary of State. Click on the Facebook icon and it will take you directly to his campaign page. Or, you can click on “after hours contact” on the official site and it will take you to his campaign Facebook page. Yes, he is using State government official property to advance his campaign. You may be surprised to learn that this does not violate an ethics law. It may not violate a written law, but it violates the rules of integrity. Lack of integrity among our elected officials seems epidemic these days.

Note:  This column was written before we learned Trump gave Russians classified info in the Oval last week.  Now we know why Russians were so happy!