4th of July
“When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.”
Happy 4th of July!
By the powers of the earth, I do declare that Trump et al are not a legitimate part of the United States' constitutional democracy: they are a separate, cancerous growth that must be surgically removed. The method of their removal is defined by the Constitution as impeachment. We are on the path to that remedy today.
There are, understandably, many good people who are impatient with the process. They believe that because of the dire threat Trump poses, he should be removed immediately. I share their belief that Trump & Co. should be incarcerated, so that political scientists could study the disease they transmit to the nation.
I also recognize that the application of modern technology is allowing this process to go at a faster pace than it has in any of the previous three national experiences where impeachment was considered. (It was unfortunately taken off the table in two other recent instances, involving Reagan-Bush and Bush-Cheney.) Let's take a holiday look at where it stands today.
There are, of course, three investigations going on: the House, the Senate, and Mr. Mueller's. For the sake of our holiday pleasure, we'll focus on Mr. Mueller's investigation. We know that Mueller has hired an array of talented prosecutors with experience in different specialties. This is important when we consider it in the context of what Malcolm Nance has described as the distinct (though at times overlapping) layers that Mueller has identified.
One thick layer involves the financial aspects. It includes Michael Flynn, Jared Cushner, and Paul Manafort. It also includes Carter Page, J.D. Gordon, and Marc Kasowitz. And, as the investigation has proceeded, it has begun to examine VP Pence.
Layer two involves operations. This includes people found “at the margins” of the campaign, such as Roger Stone and, to an extent, Corey Lewandowski. These are the people who, believing the Russians had Ms. Clinton's missing e-mails, were convinced they were a pot of gold that would insure a Trump victory. This group includes those involved in the coordinated release of what materials the Russians had accessed.
Another layer involves those attempting to provide cover for the coordinated operations. Michael Cohen is a good example of a weasel promoting a “Ukraine peace plan.”
Next is active foreign agents. General Flynn is but one example.
Then there is a key focus: who was advocating for Flynn to begin with? Two names stand out: Kushner and Pence. This raises the question of why?
When investigating the body of a crime – the “how?” – one looks for the connections in what is there. When investigating the “why?” – especially in terms of financial interests – one examines the body of evidence, with a focus upon what is missing, that under usual, non-criminal circumstances should be there. This is precisely what the Treasury investigators have been tasked to identify. And they are good at that. Really good.
The next level involves determining who, at the time of the campaign, was aware of the on-going activities. The public wants to know, for example, if Trump was involved. The investigation is considering two possibilities: first, was Trump actively involved, and second, was he aware of, but not actively involved, the operations?
Finally, for this meager discussion, is the activities that lumped together would be consider a cover-up. This, of course, is obstruction of justice. Trump in particular has taken high profile actions – such as firing James Comey – that stand out. But it is not limited to Trump. The pathetic operation with Devin Nunes is being considered. And there are others.
We at the grass roots should be playing an active role, too. The Constitution tells us “how.” And the Declaration of Independence” tells us “why.”
Peace,
H2O Man
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