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Investigations

Once again events have outpaced my pen. I prepared a post on Comey, Clinton and Trump that is now mostly irrelevant. Instead, we have the Comey memo-to-file, and questions about obstruction of justice and foreign collusion.

There are opinions all over the map on this. Here are several-

http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/trump-obstruct-justice-depends-details-article-1.3173611
Dershowitz doesn't think it's obstruction.
http://prospect.org/article/trump-end-game
Trump needs to go, and fast.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2017/05/18/trump_has_caused_a_catastrophe_lets_end_it_quickly_133922.html
Get the truth, and fast.
http://reason.com/blog/2017/05/17/all-this-impeachment-talk-is-pure-trump
Impeachment is BS.
http://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2017/05/17/impeachment-proceedings-need-start-now/ZlymLL3b7wrjAKC2CpjOtN/story.html
Impeach now.

Events so far-
Trump fired Comey.
Comey was investigating whether Trump's campaign colluded with Russia.
Flynn resigned when contacts with Russia were exposed.
Flynn was under FBI investigation.
Comey made a memo-to-file asserting Trump asked him to 'let it go', referring to the Flynn investigation.
Trump was not and is not the target of FBI investigation.
Trump either has or has not revealed secret information during a recent visit with the Russian foreign minister.

So far, there is not, as far as I can see, any evidence at all of collusion between Trump or his campaign and Russia. Flynn's contacts compromised him with regard to timing but are not evidence of collusion with the campaign or Trump.

A memo-to-file from a law officer of extraordinary reputation must carry some weight. There is not, however, as far as we know at this time, any other record of the conversation, although Trump has alluded vaguely to tapes in such a way as to evoke inevitable images of Watergate. Trump had every right to fire Comey, and both parties had called for the same at one time or another.

There are several parallel realities here, as I see it.
The media hate Trump every bit as much as he hates them. Anything that can possibly make Trump look bad will be published in giant type.
Trump makes their job easy, stepping in his own tweets and generally behaving badly.
The media, and Democrats, are I think deliberately making one accusation after another, despite thin-to-none evidence. I believe the thinking is that enough repetition of nasty stuff will eventually stick, especially anything at all that can link Trump to Russia. The Democrats in Congress are deliberately laying low so they don't take the heat of attacking Trump. It is the equivalent of a losing boxer clinching with his opponent.

Republicans in Congress are hedging, and a special prosecutor has been appointed. I think that's the right thing to do. I don't see any criminal offense; it is not possible to obstruct an investigation that was not stopped and led to the resignation of the official. There is enough ugliness being asserted, however, that it is interfering with Trump's ability to work effectively. He has lost momentum and lost what control he had of the narrative. The multifold allegations have to be put to bed cleanly and quickly. That requires an investigation independent of party and elected official.

Ted


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