It was billed as the biggest public hearing/live TV event in Washington D.C. since the 1973 Watergate committee opened its investigation. The talking heads on CNN and MSNBC were absolutely giddy and those on FOX shuffled papers nervously as they grumbled about the anti-Trump hysteria gripping liberals from coast to coast. Bars who cater to lawyers, political junkies, and those gruesome individuals who love to stare at the carnage wrought by train wrecks opened early. The anticipation was such one almost expected to see Hillary Clinton sitting in the gallery, knitting furiously, while cackling, "La Guillotine, La Guillotine..."
Yes, James B. Comey was going into the dock and would be grilled, not by a bunch of crazed hacks in the House, but rather members of the Senate--the political descendents of Sam Ervin, Dan Inouye, and the rest of those who ran Dick Nixon's thugs to ground so many decades ago.
Unfortunately for those of us on the left, the smoking gun wasn't there. In fact, Comey's testimony, despite breathless over analysis by people like Chris Matthews, revealed very little the public didn't already know. The only real loser in the proceedings was Attorney General Jeff Sessions. It now appears he was a little more cozy with the Russians than he has previously admitted under oath.
Of course in the Trump campaign and subsequent administration that's just a fact of life. Almost every one these ruthless slime except, perhaps, the hard core fascist duo of Steve Bannon and Stephen Miller, have been exchanging body fluids with the Russians long before Donald Trump's inauguration in January.
The list goes on and on. Paul Manafort, Mike Flynn, Sessions, Jared Kushner, and Trump's personal lawyer, Marc Kasowitz have all been wheeling and dealing with Putin's chums and lackeys. In fact the only person close to El Don who appears to have avoided the connection is Ivanka Trump and that's only because she is hooked up with the Chinese on a clothing deal.
The Big Orange Guy took to Twitter Friday and wrote, "Despite so many false statements and lies, total and complete vindication."
Not quite.
Trump is claiming vindication because when he made Comey the offer he didn't think he could refuse the FBI director told him he wasn't personally under investigation for collusion with the Russkies. In fact, at that point the only ones who were making those sort of accusations were Clinton diehards deep in the throes of convulsive denial.
When Don Trump fired Comey after hearing the director's good news he not only confirmed the suspicions of the Clinton people, he signaled to the nation--or at least to those of us who aren't run amok xenophobes--he had something terrible to hide.
No, the lurid wet dreams of leftists everywhere were left unfulfilled when Jim Comey didn't provide a spiritually orgasmic, "gotcha" moment this week. However, as the TV show blurb says, "The Truth is Out There." Special Counsel Robert Mueller is on the job and he just announced Michael Dreeban, an all star criminal lawyer, is joining his team.
And, you don't add a guy like Mike Dreeban unless you're going to use him in a court room.
The odds are someone is going to jail before this is over. My money is on Manafort and Flynn. As for Trump, those fantasies of impeachment in the house and conviction by the senate are just that.
You'll never convince me Donald John Trump and his crew aren't as dirty as they come, but he's made a career of skating on perversely blatant scams and this is just another one. Trust me, when it comes to the Russian deal, the evil fuck is going to walk.
Bet on it.
6-10-17
I don't think The Donald is going to skate on any of this forever, especially since he is so good at adding to the menu as often as he does. However, it may be awhile, and mainline conservatives are going to have to be convinced to gulp hard and eat one of their own. I think they will eventually be forced into that, but it will have to be at a time of their choosing.
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