Scary Words-- The Memo and Constitutional Crisis!

Who would’ve thought that a small, innocuous word like “Memo,” would set the hair on fire of an entire nation?    In business, I liked, and preferred, memos.  Unlike a formal letter or report, a memo was less formal and contained useful, to-the-point information.  Once again, the Trump administration has ruined a perfectly good word for me.  For two weeks “the memo” threatened (or promised) to end life as we know it in our country.  The memo was said to prove the Justice Department, the FBI, and our FISA Courts were rife with corruption and therefore all must go!  It was also said to prove Donald Trump would be vindicated.  

BY NOW, everyone has read or heard about the contents of this infamous memo.  When I read it, I was frantically searching for more pages because I read nothing in the memo that even addressed collusion or obstruction, not to mention evidence that the FBI was corrupt and on a witch hunt.  Then it became clear to me—it was never about the memo, but about the construction of a vast conspiracy theory aimed at causing chaos, divisiveness, and to undermine the integrity of the FBI to prepare for either A) the firing of Rod Rosenstein and/or Robert Mueller to stop the Russia investigation or, B) a reason for Trump and his allies not to adhere to the findings of the Special Prosecutor’s investigation.

IF THE release of this memo was not for A or B, why would any half-way educated person still think the memo was a panacea for all that ails Trump’s presidency and continue the fallacy.  Hannity of Trump TV, said after it’s release, “It is shocking!”  The only thing shocking about it was that it was not shocking.  Donald Trump tweeted, “I am vindicated.” Proof he never read the memo.  And Donald Trump, Jr. said on a Sunday talk show, “It was sweet revenge!”  So that’s what they think this was.  Revenge.  Someone needs to send them a memo and tell them our country is more important than personal revenge.

ALL OF the distractions being caused by Congressman Devin Nunes, Sean Hannity, and of course Trump, is to turn our attention away from what started all this—Russian interference in our democratic elections.  Not one single thing has been done to officially expose, punish, and deter Russia from doing it again.  In fact, they are still doing it by affecting public opinion on social media.  A prime example is #releasethememo.  As Senator John McCain said, “They are doing the work for Putin.”  As the the 2018 mid-term elections approach, look for the Russian bots to work-over time.  For the first time, we will go to the polls with little confidence that the results will not be tainted.

LAST WEEK, Trump refused to impose sanctions on Russia for interfering in our election that was passed overwhelmingly by the Congress.  He said the passage of the bill was deterrent enough.  Whaaaat?  Uncharacteristic of Trump, he has never said an unkind word about Putin.  Trump’s chummy interactions with Putin should give you pause.  I think there is an ample preponderance of evidence that Trump may have been compromised by Putin and the Russians.  I don’t know if it’s in the way described in the Steele Dossier, but Trump’s behavior certainly indicates there is a gun to his head where Putin is concerned. 

HOW MANY times have you heard lately, “If such and such happens, it will cause a Constitutional Crisis?”  Those words sound so ominous.  What exactly is a Constitutional Crisis?   A Constitutional Crisis has occurred so few times in our history, there appears to be no clear explanation of what causes one, or what happens when there is one.  A Constitutional Crisis is when a problem goes beyond a disagreement that can’t be resolved clearly by the Constitution; when there is a breakdown in ordinary procedure, and an unusually strong reaction to the breakdown.  Further, a crisis results when the branches of the Government cease to resolve the conflict, or (and pay attention to this) when a President has fundamental lack of understanding or disregard for the Constitution.  Trump and all his allies in Congress all took the same oath, “I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic……” When did Russia stop being our foreign enemy?  

SEEMS A Constitutional Crisis is imminent.  What will happen?  The answer is “not scrap damn doodle.”  The Republican Party of Trump is in power.  The Republican Congress has no incentive to take action adverse to Trump.  They will not give up their honey pot easily, not even to save our country.  The Koch Brothers gave Speaker Paul Ryan $500,000 after the tax bill passed. There’s no telling what he’d get if he saved Trump’s Presidency.  I think the Koch Brothers would quite like to be called Oligarchs instead of billionaires.  

REMEMBER I told you last year that the Trump Administration was headed for a train wreck?  Well, they had one last week, in Charlottesville of all places.  I told you so!