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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsBill Moyers: We Cannot Wait for History to Judge. We Need the Truth About Trump and Russia NOW
Over the holidays, John Farrell, author of an upcoming biography of Richard Nixon, wrote an op-ed piece in The New York Times confirming what many of us have known for nearly 50 years: In the fall of 1968, Nixon, the Republican candidate for president, deliberately torpedoed President Lyndon Johnsons efforts to cease the bombing of North Vietnam and begin peace talks to end the Vietnam war.
Johnson was not running for re-election, but his vice president, Hubert Humphrey, was the Democratic candidate for the White House and Nixon was determined to keep Humphrey from reaping the benefits of good news from Southeast Asia. In the course of researching his Nixon book, Farrell found a cache of notes from Nixon aide H.R. Haldeman showing that Nixon directed his campaigns efforts to scuttle the peace talks On Oct. 22, 1968, he ordered Haldeman to monkey wrench the initiative.
Nixon won the election and until the end of his life denied he had interfered. But, Farrell notes, Nixon had cause to lie. His actions appear to violate federal law, which prohibits private citizens from trying to defeat the measures of the United States.
Johnson believed Nixon had committed treason, but at the time he and his aides decided they lacked sufficient proof. History has since provided the evidence.
Now we face another electoral crisis of perhaps even greater significance. As the former diplomat James Bruno sums it up in Washington Monthly, The United States has just endured a carefully planned, well-orchestrated assault against its democratic form of government in the form of a grand cyber-theft of information and targeted release of that information. More specifically, Bruno quotes from the report in which 17 US intelligence agencies unanimously concluded, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at the US presidential election. Russias goals were to undermine public faith in the US democratic process, denigrate Secretary Clinton, and harm her electability and potential presidency. We further assess Putin and the Russian government developed a clear preference for President-elect Trump. We have high confidence in these judgments.
Johnson was not running for re-election, but his vice president, Hubert Humphrey, was the Democratic candidate for the White House and Nixon was determined to keep Humphrey from reaping the benefits of good news from Southeast Asia. In the course of researching his Nixon book, Farrell found a cache of notes from Nixon aide H.R. Haldeman showing that Nixon directed his campaigns efforts to scuttle the peace talks On Oct. 22, 1968, he ordered Haldeman to monkey wrench the initiative.
Nixon won the election and until the end of his life denied he had interfered. But, Farrell notes, Nixon had cause to lie. His actions appear to violate federal law, which prohibits private citizens from trying to defeat the measures of the United States.
Johnson believed Nixon had committed treason, but at the time he and his aides decided they lacked sufficient proof. History has since provided the evidence.
Now we face another electoral crisis of perhaps even greater significance. As the former diplomat James Bruno sums it up in Washington Monthly, The United States has just endured a carefully planned, well-orchestrated assault against its democratic form of government in the form of a grand cyber-theft of information and targeted release of that information. More specifically, Bruno quotes from the report in which 17 US intelligence agencies unanimously concluded, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at the US presidential election. Russias goals were to undermine public faith in the US democratic process, denigrate Secretary Clinton, and harm her electability and potential presidency. We further assess Putin and the Russian government developed a clear preference for President-elect Trump. We have high confidence in these judgments.
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/1/18/1621850/-We-Cannot-Wait-for-History-to-Judge-We-Need-the-Truth-About-Trump-and-Russia-Now
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Bill Moyers: We Cannot Wait for History to Judge. We Need the Truth About Trump and Russia NOW (Original Post)
CousinIT
Jan 2017
OP
He points out that Loretta Lynch could still appoint a Special Prosecutor!!!
ElementaryPenguin
Jan 2017
#3
Moyers is right, this could become low level festering without a sense of urgency
bucolic_frolic
Jan 2017
#5
Parker DeWitt
(28 posts)1. We also need to see his tax returns now
Not during the impeachment hearings like we did with Nixon -- and then found out he cheated on his taxes.
Greybnk48
(10,168 posts)2. At least two of us think this is a coup d'etat.
We can't just sit back an wait to see what happens.
ElementaryPenguin
(7,800 posts)3. He points out that Loretta Lynch could still appoint a Special Prosecutor!!!
Yet she doesn't seem remotely interested in doing so.
I hope I'm reading her wrong.
elmac
(4,642 posts)4. Can you imagine what the fascists would be doing right now
if it were a Dem president doing russian bidding?
Shit would have hit the fan big time.
This country just can't help indulging Republican jackassery one way or anotger.
bucolic_frolic
(43,173 posts)5. Moyers is right, this could become low level festering without a sense of urgency
but what do you do ... is the Senate going to investigate, or just whiff at it?
we need public outrage