A "farce" is defined as a ridiculous state of affairs, or a comedy based on the situation as opposed to comedy based on the characters. The Trump saga has elements of both farce and comedy - the hapless Sean Spicer, for example. But it's not a laughing matter. This is the presidency and it borders on tragedy.
Former FBI Director James Comey incurred the wrath of Democrats with his October announcement of the continuing investigation of the Hillary Clinton e-mail brouhaha. Everything that could have gone wrong in the Clinton campaign did, but Comey's untimely announcement was doubtlessly the final nail in the coffin.
With that announcement, Trump hailed Comey's courage. Trump's major gripe at that point was that Comey didn't recommend criminal charges for Hillary.
All 17 U.S. intelligence agencies agreed that Russia had attempted to meddle in the election with the objective of aiding Trump, or, believing that Clinton would win, discrediting her presidency.
Trump's victory came with continuing investigation of Russian meddling. Trump and the Republicans insisted that Democrats were pushing the investigation to "prove" that Hillary would have won without Russian involvement. Once again, Trump is disingenuous and purposely misses the point, which is simply that Russia meddled in the election, whether or not collusion was involved. Nevertheless, Trump and most Republicans just wanted the investigation to end.
The Russian connection got a bit muddied with Trump's NSA Director Michael Flynn's lies regarding earlier conversations with the Russians. Leaving Vice President Mike Pence, who repeated Flynn's lies, twisting in the wind didn't help Flynn's cause, and he was sacked.
The plot thickened when Acting Attorney General Sally Yates testified that Trump was informed of Flynn's transgressions well before they became public and had failed to sack him. Instead of thanking Yates for the "heads up" and acting on it, Trump sacked the messenger.
FBI investigations over Russian meddling continued. Trump's relationship with Comey cooled as Comey's refused to agree that Obama had instigated wiretapping Trump's campaign.
A bombshell came with Comey's testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee that the FBI investigation regarding Russian meddling would continue. The investigation would go to wherever the facts led them, including to any collusion by the Trump campaign.
With that, came the bigger bombshell: Trump sacked Comey. A Trump bodyguard delivered the letter to Comey at the Justice Department. Comey was in Los Angeles, delivering a speech to his regional agents. As Comey was speaking, news of his sacking flashed on the screen behind him. Comey thought it was a joke. It wasn't. It's a heckuva way to learn that you have just been sacked.
With a few exceptions, even Trump's senior staff had no more than an hour notice of Trump's action. Press Secretary Spicer, on temporary leave for Naval Reserve duty, was accosted by the press. Under cover of darkness, he hid in some bushes, and refused to come out until it was promised that they would not shine lights on him.
Trump expressed shock at media and Democratic response to Comey's sacking. It's hard to believe that a carnival barker so adept at playing the sensation-oriented broadcast media like a fiddle could have been shocked with an exercised media. And why would Democrats, their antipathy to Comey notwithstanding, ever praise Trump for what screamed as "cover up," and blatant attempt to squelch the Flynn-Russia investigation?
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein had written a memo summarizing Comey's transgressions, including how he had "mishandled" the Clinton investigation. Trump's spokespersons tried to come to the rescue. The line was that sacking Comey was at the behest of Rosenstein and AG Jeff Sessions. It strains credibility that Trump would sack Comey because he had mistreated Hillary.
Apparently, not wanting to be the "fall guy," Rosenstein insisted that the letter did not include a recommendation to sack Comey.
Trump then cut the legs out from under his spokespersons, admitting that the "Russian thing" was on his mind. While receiving a scathing assessment of Trump from Rosenstein, that memo was not a catalyst for the decision as the White House had earlier said. "I was going to fire Comey. Regardless of recommendation, I was going to fire Comey."
Trump insisted that Comey was a "showboat," left the FBI in "virtual turmoil" and had lost the confidence of FBI's rank and file. This accusation was sharply denied by FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe.
Trump insists that he had earlier inquired of Comey three times whether he was under investigation, and that Comey said that he was not. Trump showed no concern as to whether such a question could be viewed as interference into the FBI probe. Either he didn't know, or didn't care.
Trump insists that, at a dinner, Comey wanted assurance that he would retain his job. Comey counters that Trump wanted a pledge of personal loyalty and he refused to give it, insisting that loyalty would be to the law. Trump says that Comey better hope there are not tapes of the conversation. Comey wants to testify regarding that, but insists that it be public.
Is Trump's reference to tapes fact, threat, or bluff? Who knows?
The House Intelligence Committee's investigation has been discredited with the "midnight raid" of the bumbling of Congressman Devin Nunes. Inexcusably, thanks to the obsequious Speaker Paul Ryan, Nunes remains chair of the committee, although recused from the phantom "investigation."
The chair and vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee promise the nation a thorough investigation. With only part-time staff, they appear to be slow-walking the investigation. It's hard to put much faith in a committee dominated by Republicans who are publicly defending Trump.
It remains to be seen what happens with the FBI investigation. McCabe assures us it will go on.
Meanwhile, with not one but two additional bombshell as this is written - divulgence of classified material to Russia and a Comey-authored memo that has Trump, behind closed doors, requesting the end of the Trump/Flynn investigation - the farce, er, tragedy, continues.
- John Waelti of Monroe, a retired professor of economics, can be reached at jjwaelti1@tds.net. His column appears Fridays in The Monroe Times.
Former FBI Director James Comey incurred the wrath of Democrats with his October announcement of the continuing investigation of the Hillary Clinton e-mail brouhaha. Everything that could have gone wrong in the Clinton campaign did, but Comey's untimely announcement was doubtlessly the final nail in the coffin.
With that announcement, Trump hailed Comey's courage. Trump's major gripe at that point was that Comey didn't recommend criminal charges for Hillary.
All 17 U.S. intelligence agencies agreed that Russia had attempted to meddle in the election with the objective of aiding Trump, or, believing that Clinton would win, discrediting her presidency.
Trump's victory came with continuing investigation of Russian meddling. Trump and the Republicans insisted that Democrats were pushing the investigation to "prove" that Hillary would have won without Russian involvement. Once again, Trump is disingenuous and purposely misses the point, which is simply that Russia meddled in the election, whether or not collusion was involved. Nevertheless, Trump and most Republicans just wanted the investigation to end.
The Russian connection got a bit muddied with Trump's NSA Director Michael Flynn's lies regarding earlier conversations with the Russians. Leaving Vice President Mike Pence, who repeated Flynn's lies, twisting in the wind didn't help Flynn's cause, and he was sacked.
The plot thickened when Acting Attorney General Sally Yates testified that Trump was informed of Flynn's transgressions well before they became public and had failed to sack him. Instead of thanking Yates for the "heads up" and acting on it, Trump sacked the messenger.
FBI investigations over Russian meddling continued. Trump's relationship with Comey cooled as Comey's refused to agree that Obama had instigated wiretapping Trump's campaign.
A bombshell came with Comey's testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee that the FBI investigation regarding Russian meddling would continue. The investigation would go to wherever the facts led them, including to any collusion by the Trump campaign.
With that, came the bigger bombshell: Trump sacked Comey. A Trump bodyguard delivered the letter to Comey at the Justice Department. Comey was in Los Angeles, delivering a speech to his regional agents. As Comey was speaking, news of his sacking flashed on the screen behind him. Comey thought it was a joke. It wasn't. It's a heckuva way to learn that you have just been sacked.
With a few exceptions, even Trump's senior staff had no more than an hour notice of Trump's action. Press Secretary Spicer, on temporary leave for Naval Reserve duty, was accosted by the press. Under cover of darkness, he hid in some bushes, and refused to come out until it was promised that they would not shine lights on him.
Trump expressed shock at media and Democratic response to Comey's sacking. It's hard to believe that a carnival barker so adept at playing the sensation-oriented broadcast media like a fiddle could have been shocked with an exercised media. And why would Democrats, their antipathy to Comey notwithstanding, ever praise Trump for what screamed as "cover up," and blatant attempt to squelch the Flynn-Russia investigation?
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein had written a memo summarizing Comey's transgressions, including how he had "mishandled" the Clinton investigation. Trump's spokespersons tried to come to the rescue. The line was that sacking Comey was at the behest of Rosenstein and AG Jeff Sessions. It strains credibility that Trump would sack Comey because he had mistreated Hillary.
Apparently, not wanting to be the "fall guy," Rosenstein insisted that the letter did not include a recommendation to sack Comey.
Trump then cut the legs out from under his spokespersons, admitting that the "Russian thing" was on his mind. While receiving a scathing assessment of Trump from Rosenstein, that memo was not a catalyst for the decision as the White House had earlier said. "I was going to fire Comey. Regardless of recommendation, I was going to fire Comey."
Trump insisted that Comey was a "showboat," left the FBI in "virtual turmoil" and had lost the confidence of FBI's rank and file. This accusation was sharply denied by FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe.
Trump insists that he had earlier inquired of Comey three times whether he was under investigation, and that Comey said that he was not. Trump showed no concern as to whether such a question could be viewed as interference into the FBI probe. Either he didn't know, or didn't care.
Trump insists that, at a dinner, Comey wanted assurance that he would retain his job. Comey counters that Trump wanted a pledge of personal loyalty and he refused to give it, insisting that loyalty would be to the law. Trump says that Comey better hope there are not tapes of the conversation. Comey wants to testify regarding that, but insists that it be public.
Is Trump's reference to tapes fact, threat, or bluff? Who knows?
The House Intelligence Committee's investigation has been discredited with the "midnight raid" of the bumbling of Congressman Devin Nunes. Inexcusably, thanks to the obsequious Speaker Paul Ryan, Nunes remains chair of the committee, although recused from the phantom "investigation."
The chair and vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee promise the nation a thorough investigation. With only part-time staff, they appear to be slow-walking the investigation. It's hard to put much faith in a committee dominated by Republicans who are publicly defending Trump.
It remains to be seen what happens with the FBI investigation. McCabe assures us it will go on.
Meanwhile, with not one but two additional bombshell as this is written - divulgence of classified material to Russia and a Comey-authored memo that has Trump, behind closed doors, requesting the end of the Trump/Flynn investigation - the farce, er, tragedy, continues.
- John Waelti of Monroe, a retired professor of economics, can be reached at jjwaelti1@tds.net. His column appears Fridays in The Monroe Times.
