Of course, the news of the day is that the new Attorney General Jeff Sessions, decided to "recuse" himself from involvement in any investigation conducted by the Justice Department (that includes the FBI) into Russian manipulations or cyber "attacks" designed to interfere in the 2016 US elections. He did so as Republican resolve to protect his position began to crumble against the backdrop of Democratic demands for his resignation. As the Trump nominee for the AG position, Session LIED in response to both written questions and questions offered by Senator Franken about the Trump campaign's contacts and/or collusion with Russian officials or operatives during the course of the campaign or during the transition period. Sessions absolutely denied that he had "any contact at all" with Russian officials. He did not qualify his statement in any way. OOPS...... 
Turns out that he, indeed, had meetings with the Russian Ambassador Kislyak at least 2 times - once during the Republican Convention in July and then a second time in September, 2016. What is worse - for Sessions - this LIE was offered under oath at the Senate Committee considering his nomination. LYING BEFORE A CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE IS A FEDERAL FELONY. In responding to a press question yesterday, President Trump said that he had 100% confidence in Jeff Sessions..... just as he had done the week before General Flynn was cast to the wolves and resigned as National Security Director on February 13th. Today, President Trump is slamming Democrats who call for Sessions resignation as conducting "a witch hunt" and more "fake news." In my view, this is just a defiant defense of his AG - Sessions - describing him as "an honest man" who could have been "more clear" in his appearance before the Senate Committee. What an understatement that is.... Trump, Spicer, and other White House staffers are climbing into the bunker and donning flack jackets so as to not get fatally wounded in the coming combat over Russian interference in the electoral process. I should note here that, in spite of virtually all of the US Intelligence community - some 17 agencies and offices - concluded that Russian cyber infiltration and manipulation intending to hurt Hillary and help Trump took place, Trumpers continue constant denials that such "contacts" occurred or that, if they did, there was no motivation to impact the election. Republican leaders - Trump, Ryan and others - continue to dispute that there was any Russian involvement in the election and that such reports represent "fake news" or, to use Chief of Staff Priebus' technical terminology, "baloney." Deny, deny, deny..... is evidently the operative strategy. So, lets look at the following questions. What are the facts? And, what is the evidence of - at best, just contact between the parties or, at worst, collusion between the Trump campaign and Russian officials to disadvantage Hillary and help Trump. The "evidence" list follows:
1. Paul Manafort resigns as Trump Campaign Chairman over both allegations and evidence that he was directly connected with Russian interests and supporters in the Ukraine and more. He was on the payroll of the deposed Ukranian Prime Minister and Russian supporter and billionaire, Viktor Yanukovych. When confronted by the media, Manafort denied any connection with the Russians, describing the allegations as "absurd." Incidently, during the Republican Convention in July, the Platform Committee had one serious "debate." The dispute was over an inclusion in the Platform of a draft provision supporting US supplying heavy weaponry to the Ukrainian Army resisting the incursion of Russian troops operating in support of Ukrainian Separatists in Eastern Ukraine. Team Trump opposed placing such language in the Platform (recall that Manafort worked for the deposed pro-Russian Prime Minister). The Trump gang won the day and the provision to supply aid was deleted from the final Republican Platform document. Manafort insisted that Team Trump had nothing whatsoever to do with removing that language from the Platform and that he had no connections with Russians at all. He resigned from the campaign a week later. He LIED. President Trump claims that he had no knowledge of this matter.
3. Donald Trump, Jr, not involved at the White House presently but active and a "counselor" to the candidate during the campaign, traveled to France and delivered a speech before a group, the Center for Politics and Foreign Affairs - a pro-Russian outfit in Paris What was that speech about? Why, the Trump campaign, of course... and American politics in general. He was paid $50,000 for that speech. Though not involved in the present Trump Administration unlike Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner, he was deeply embedded in the campaign. Is this "contact" between the Trump Campaign and Russian representatives? You decide.....
President Trump has yet to comment on this matter. What do you think he will say?
4. Carter Page, a Trump Campaign Advisor, just yesterday admitted that he met with the Russian Ambassador at the Republican Convention during the summer of 2016. What do you think they discussed, the Kentucky Derby? President Trump claims that he had no knowledge of this matter.
5. In the last few days, press reports revealed (and the Trump camp did not deny) that Jared Kushner, son-in-law, campaign advisor, and, presently, a White House Advisor to the President, met with Russian Ambassador Kislyak at Trump Tower in December of 2016. With all of the attention to the comings and goings at Trump Tower in NYC during the Transition, how was this visit missed? Easy.... it seems that the Russian Ambassador entered Trump Tower through the back door and took the freight elevator up to the residence. President Trump claims that he had no knowledge of this matter.
6. Then there is the Sessions matter outlined above. President Trump had no knowledge of this matter until now. Trump, after all has said that "to my knowledge" no one connected to my campaign had any contact with Russian officials or operatives. Sessions has modified his public statements from not having any meetings with any Russians to "I do not recall" any meetings with any Russian officials to "discuss any political campaign." Sessions has also said that he misunderstood Senator Franken's question. President Trump claims that he had no knowledge of any Russian meetings with his campaign staff or representatives.
7. Chief of Staff Reince Priebus responded to a question about Russian contact during the campaign or after saying, "absolutely not." In response to the same question, Vice President Pence commented, "of course not." Priebus and Pence were deeply embedded in the campaign and at Trump Tower during the transition period.
8. The White House - specifically now Chief of Staff Priebus - encouraged (read, colluded) with the Republican Chairs of both Committees to comment to the press that there was nothing to reports that there was communication between the Trump Campaign and Russian officials or operatives regarding the campaign. This is clearly a violation of the separation of powers between the branches of government and a bold-faced attempt by the White House to influence both the conclusions of the two Committees before they have gathered together their research and investigated the matter and to "spin" the press and the media away from further coverage by diverting their attention from this issue to other areas.
9. A few days ago, Republican Speaker, Paul Ryan, echoing the Chair of the House Intelligence Committee who followed the White House line exactly, said, "we have seen no evidence from any of these on-going investigations that anybody in the Trump Campaign or the Trump team was involved in any of this." You would think that Ryan was surrounded by a recreational marijuana cloud and was disconnected from reality! Or, he LIED. (I should note here that the "committees" Speaker Ryan referred to are the Intelligence Committees of the House and Senate, both under Republican control, and who conduct their business in secret and behind closed doors. No "sunshine" there.)
Hmmmmm...... The Trump Campaign.... Major players included: General Flynn, Trump Campaign Chairman Paul Manafort, Trump family members including Donald Junior and Trump's son-in law Jared Kushner, Jeff Sessions as a Chief Campaign Surrogate, Campaign consultant Carter Page, now Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, and, of course, Vice President Mike Pence. Yet, with all of this swirling around the campaign and the transition period, including family members and meetings with the Russian Ambassador at Trump Tower and at the Republican Convention, Donald Trump continues to deny having any knowledge whatsoever of "any contact between his campaign and Russian officials or representatives." Instead, President Trump has continued to attack the media in this matter, describing recent press reports and media coverage as "a witch hunt." Interestingly, the Russian Ambassador used the very same language - "a witch hunt" - to describe the media attention that this issue has attracted. Perhaps they are both reading from the very same script....Resignations, recusing, and red-faced officials dodging, denying, parsing, misdirecting, and distancing. What do you think? I think that it is time for a Special Prosecutor. Stay tuned.
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