Getting The Memo

Yesterday I was looking forward to covering a subject other than Donald Trump. I had the topic picked. I came up with an idea I liked. All was going to be swell. Then 5:00 PM came around and like the day before, it brought a new scandal. A really big one. Mondays was really big but Tuesdays may have topped it.

U.S. Senator Susan Collins from Maine asked on Monday “Can we have a crisis-free day?” I’m feeling ya’ Senator, but no. No we can’t. Ed Rogers wrote for The Washington Post that with Trump leaving the country for eight days that will lessen the odds of a daily crisis. I don’t share their optimism. Trump is visiting Arab heads of state, going straight to Israel, and then heading to the Vatican. The potential for him pulling stupid out of the hat runs very high. That 300-lb. fat guy is going to walk the tight rope between Jews and Palestinians in Jerusalem. I have faith something’s going “splat!”

If you work in an office then at some point you’ve been asked if you’ve seen a memo. If not, just watch Office Space. Even if you had seen the memo but you blew something off, you may fall back on the excuse and lie and say you haven’t gotten that memo yet. Right now Republicans and anyone else who supports Donald Trump needs to get the memo.

This memo doesn’t contain any new news. It informs you that Donald Trump lies. Donald Trump is a narcissist. He’s an idiot. He’s corrupt. He’s unqualified for the presidency and he doesn’t know what he’s doing. Donald Trump will throw you under the bus and destroy your reputation, even if it’s just to save him a few hours on cable news. If you continue to support Trump, your credibility will be shot and you’ll only be as reliable as Kellyanne Conway. You better get used to people rolling their eyes at you.

Now Republicans have to make a choice. Do they continue to support Donald Trump out of fear from his supporters, or do they get a spine and put country over party? You know? Do their jobs.

On Tuesday afternoon The New York Times reported that James Comey wrote a memo after one of his meetings with Trump. In this memo the former FBI director claims that Trump asked him to kill the agency’s investigation into Michael Flynn. Presidents aren’t supposed to do that. Even Donald Trump.

This came a day after The Washington Post reported that Trump revealed classified information to the Russians. The Times and Post have been very competitive with their investigative journalism since Trump came into office. These two newspapers are doing the strongest journalism in the nation at this time and it’s paying off as both their circulations are increasing. I have a digital subscription to both and I’m proud to support real journalism. Your crazy uncle refers to it as “fake news.” The fact that I have subscriptions and they’re the go-to sources for information is why you see links to them so often here.

The Comey memo is bad news for Trump and it might be the strongest hit to his administration yet. He didn’t even send a flunky out to ruin their reputation by debunking it. They only sent a statement and by this point, a White House denial has about as much currency as Confederate money.

Trump was warned about Michael Flynn by acting-Attorney General Sally Yates. Trump fired Yates. Eighteen days after being warned, he fires Flynn. The day after he fires Flynn he has Comey in the Oval Office.

During the meeting Trump told everyone else in the office to leave the room, including Vice President Mike Pence and Attorney General Jeff Sessions. He asked Comey for his loyalty, as though he’s a tin-pot dictator and the United States isn’t a democracy. He then complained to Comey about leaks, which have been coming from the White House, and asked about jailing reporters who publish leaked information. So much for that Constitution thing. He then said to Comey “I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go. He is a good guy. I hope you can let this go.” Trump wanted Comey to drop the FBI’s investigation and let it go.

Comey did not let it go. He ramped up the investigation by asking for more funds. The day after that he was fired by Trump. His spokespeople said the investigation did not weigh into the decision to fire Comey. Trump threw them under the bus a day later by telling Lester Holt that the investigation was on his mind when he fired Comey.

This is bad for Trump. Even Jason Chaffetz, the Republican who loves Benghazi hearings, wants to see the memo. Chaffetz chairs the House Oversight Committee. There will be subpoenas.

Even a few Republicans are talking impeachment. It may be too soon for that as there’s very fine parsing over defining obstruction of justice. But this trail leads to Trump firing people, stating he wanted the investigation to end, and then asking Comey to drop it, and then firing Comey.  This trail may wind all the way to a trial in the United States Senate.

Trump has to hope for two things. That Republicans will continue to live in fear of him and that people believe his word over Comey’s. Ha!

There’s been a lot of criticism of James Comey but none of that has been about his honesty. Trump’s honesty is not questioned. He would have to have some first. Trump is a pathological liar. In Trump’s first 100 days he told 492 false or misleading claims. In other words, lies. He employs people to lie. Trump is less honest than a professional baseball player on steroids.

Trump lies. He’s dishonest. He’s corrupt. He’s a buffoonish-man-baby. His mouth is taking him down and everyone who continues to support him and their reputations along with it.

Did you not get that memo?

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