THINK ABOUT IT

Think about it…

Eighteen US intelligence agencies and three private intelligence gathering firms unanimously agree that the Russian government interfered in our 2016 elections.

The president inexplicably refutes the intelligence community findings,  insisting that the Russian hacking is fake news put out by Democrat opponents still seething over their loss in the election.

At the same time the Russians are interfering in our elections, members of the Trump campaign, specifically Michael Flynn, Paul Manafort, Carter Page, Roger Jones, Jeff Sessions and Jared Kushner, engage in multiple contacts with Russian officials and other individuals associated with the Russian government.  Each of these gentlemen are proven to have lied about these contacts.

President Trump is informed by the acting attorney general that Michael Flynn, his national security advisor, has been in contact with the Russian government and lied to the vice president about those contacts.  He waits eighteen days to fire Flynn and does so only after intense pressure and scrutiny from the press.  During that eighteen days Flynn is allowed to access to the nation’s most sensitive intelligence.  Soon thereafter the president fires the acting attorney general.

The president convenes a private meeting with the Director of the FBI during which he pressures the director to end the investigation into Russian hacking and Flynn’s dealings with the Russians.  The director refuses.  Shortly thereafter the president fires the FBI director.  In a public interview with NBC’s Lester Holt, the president admits that he fired the director of the FBI in order to end the Russian investigation.

The president convenes a meeting in the Oval office with the Russian Ambassador to the United States and the Russian Foreign Minister.  The president allows the Russian news media to photograph the meeting but bars the US media.  Photos published by Russian media show that the president has a very close and friendly relationship with the two high ranking Russian officials. The internal  “readout” provided to government agencies documents that while bragging to the Russians about the quality of the intelligence he receives the president reveals highly classified information to the Russians.

In a shocking display of boorish behavior; the president attends the NATO summit where he lectures and denigrates our NATO allies.  Days later he pulls out of the Paris Climate Accord.  The entire scene inflicts serious damage upon the NATO alliance and plays right into the hands of Russian interests.

In spite of all the evidence to the contrary the president continues to state publically that the “Russian thing” is a “hoax” and a “ruse.”  It has been reported by multiple news agencies that the president is considering lifting the economic sanctions currently in place against Russia; sanctions that were implemented by the Obama administration in response to Russia’s meddling in the elections.

Given all that we know…one must ask why there are so many connections between members of the Trump campaign and the Russian government?  Why does the president continue to assert that there is no “there” there?  And why has he gone to such extraordinary lengths to quash the investigation?