“If you‘re not guilty of a crime, what do you need immunity for?,” railed candidate Donald Trump. “ Lock her up, lock her up,” shouted the crowd in response. “You don’t ask for immunity unless you’re guilty,” said Mike Flynn.
That’s the same Mike Flynn, who was fired by Trump shortly after being confirmed as National Security Adviser, for lying to Vice President Pence about the nature of conversations he had with the Russians. At the time he was also an unregistered foreign agent for Turkey. It’s a crime for Americans acting as foreign agents to not be registered. Flynn also failed to disclose speaking fees paid to him by Russia. That was then, this is now.
Now Mike Flynn is asking for immunity before he will testify before the House or Senate Committees investigating possible collusion between some Americans and the Russians to defame and defeat
Hillary Clinton and help Donald Trump become president. FBI director Comey was fired not long after refusing to end the Flynn investigation after being asked to do so by Donald Trump.
Paul Manafort, at one time Trump’s campaign chief, as it turns out was being paid $10 million a year by the Russians to influence Americans and American politicians into believing that Russia is a glorious country, led by a fine fellow, Vladimir Putin. It certainly worked on Donald Trump.
And now we have all learned that Carter Page, and other Trump aides, are under investigation by the FBI as possible Russian agents. The FBI doesn’t release that kind of information unless it’s serious. There is more smoke now coming from Jared Kushner’s secret meetings with the Russians to discuss a possible secret communication network with the Russians even while they are under investigation by the FBI for tampering with our election.
Perhaps the most successful campaign by the Russians in collusion with others was to use the likes of the Enquirer, Wikileaks and the social media, to convince gullible Americans that the mainstream American television media such as ABC, NBC, CBS, MSNBC, and even CNN, all lie about Trump. It worked on Trump’s gullible followers. It’s still working. It’s still baloney. Our free press is the backbone of our democracy. I’m not certain that the computer has become the biggest threat to our democracy, but it is the biggest threat to the truth.
It was the social media, being fed by Russian propaganda, produced and directed by none other than Vladimir Putin, that used fake news to help defeat Hillary Clinton and elect the most successful con-man of our time, Donald Trump.
The fact that Russia interfered in our election is not in doubt, although Trump still denies it. There is plenty of evidence of the close relationship with Russia by many Trump appointees, including the Secretary of State, and a plethora of evidence of many contacts between the Trump campaign and the Russians to leave barely a doubt of collusion between the two.
Does the fact that at least one Trump appointee is now asking for immunity mean he is guilty and therefore Trump may also be guilty of collusion with the Russians? That’s consistent with Republican logic. Let’s say it’s proven that Trump colluded with Russia to defeat Hillary Clinton. What do we do? Do we lock him up? Lock him up would seem to be a relevant and completely understandable given what he did to Hillary.
Did he sell out America just to get elected? Is he trying to protect the billions and billions loaned to him by foreign banks? Or is it far worse? Is he being blackmailed by the Russians using misdeeds by Trump while in Russia? There’s far too much smoke for there not to be a fire someplace. A big fire. A bonfire of the vanities.
I say don’t give any of Trump’s aides immunity until they furnish proof of wrongdoing by the president. If we should impeach Trump should Pence, who also benefited from the Russian involvement in our election, become president? I don’t think so. Bottom line is; no Republican should be president unless they get there via a legitimate election.
The Russians use of the social media to seduce the American people, also included an attempt to divide Democrats. In spite of Bernie Sanders’ repeated pleas, many of his followers refused to back Hillary and in fact even voted for Trump. The Russians suckered them in.
Folks, this is huge. The largest scandal in our history. It’s unprecedented and the solution may also have to be unprecedented.
We may need a special presidential election, don’t you think?
Glen McAdoo, a Fallon resident who offers the Democrat viewpoint, may be contacted at glen@phonewave.net.