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I think this article has an excellent analysis of what is going on in the Trump Administration - to wit: it's happened before, Trump's own actions turned what might have been a minor sideline in the overall investigation of Russia's actions into what might be a major scandal.
The real focus and scandal SHOULD have been on the Russian actions and attempted interference of a magnitude not seen before. But Trump's response to and attempts to divert it turned the focus on him and his associates and made sure it stayed there in the public eye and the cyber communitee obsessed with either knee jerk defense of all things Trump or knee jerk attack of all things Trump ignoring the most important issue and centerpoint of the investigation.
Whether there was collusion by Trump personally or by his associates remains to be seen when investigation is concluded despite "experts" to the contrary - but his own actions have turned this into a 3-ring circus and his presidency into a premature lame duck with a toxic touch.
Some bits and pieces....
Presidential Disaster Typically Courted In Times Of High Confidence
The real focus and scandal SHOULD have been on the Russian actions and attempted interference of a magnitude not seen before. But Trump's response to and attempts to divert it turned the focus on him and his associates and made sure it stayed there in the public eye and the cyber communitee obsessed with either knee jerk defense of all things Trump or knee jerk attack of all things Trump ignoring the most important issue and centerpoint of the investigation.
Whether there was collusion by Trump personally or by his associates remains to be seen when investigation is concluded despite "experts" to the contrary - but his own actions have turned this into a 3-ring circus and his presidency into a premature lame duck with a toxic touch.
Some bits and pieces....
Presidential Disaster Typically Courted In Times Of High Confidence
In his testimony this week, Comey spoke of cyber-attacks on "perhaps more than a thousand" different entities and agencies in and out of government. He called it an effort to tell Americans "what to think and what to fight about," and "a big deal."
But the response of the president-elect and his entourage has been all along to cast doubt on the existence of the attacks, doubt on the Russian role and doubt on the motives of those who, like Comey, saw something nefarious afoot. It was, said the president, all an excuse for the disappointing showing by the Democrats at the ballot box, a line he has repeated even into the spring.
Mueller is now beginning his investigation with a heavy-weight staff and a meaningful mandate. Committees in Congress will also continue taking testimony. Much of all this will take place in private. Time will pass before we know the full extent of their findings.
But this much is clear. Something the Trump team might have dealt with expeditiously as recently as six months ago has grown to cast a shadow on the White House and the prospects for the president's agenda.
In that sense, the early stumbles of the new administration remind us of previous rough patches for predecessors. Other administrations also missed the chance to cut their losses at the first sign of scandal, and they did so in part because trouble struck when they were at a moment of maximum power and expectation.
On Thursday, Speaker Paul Ryan said President Trump's only problem was "he's new at this." Trump, 70, has been called many things over the years, but rarely "naïve." It is more likely the president-elect of late 2016 and early 2017 considered himself to be bullet-proof.
But the response of the president-elect and his entourage has been all along to cast doubt on the existence of the attacks, doubt on the Russian role and doubt on the motives of those who, like Comey, saw something nefarious afoot. It was, said the president, all an excuse for the disappointing showing by the Democrats at the ballot box, a line he has repeated even into the spring.
Mueller is now beginning his investigation with a heavy-weight staff and a meaningful mandate. Committees in Congress will also continue taking testimony. Much of all this will take place in private. Time will pass before we know the full extent of their findings.
But this much is clear. Something the Trump team might have dealt with expeditiously as recently as six months ago has grown to cast a shadow on the White House and the prospects for the president's agenda.
In that sense, the early stumbles of the new administration remind us of previous rough patches for predecessors. Other administrations also missed the chance to cut their losses at the first sign of scandal, and they did so in part because trouble struck when they were at a moment of maximum power and expectation.
On Thursday, Speaker Paul Ryan said President Trump's only problem was "he's new at this." Trump, 70, has been called many things over the years, but rarely "naïve." It is more likely the president-elect of late 2016 and early 2017 considered himself to be bullet-proof.
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