The events of the last two days have left us white knuckled in fear and horror. We wonder aloud if there is no depth to which the Batman villain in The White House will not sink. On Monday, The Washington Post broke the story that during his jovial meeting with the Russian Foreign Minister and Russian Ambassador, Trump revealed top secret, code word classified information that we obtained from an ally. The Post reported that Trump disclosed the fact and location of an ISIS plot – enough information to allow Russia to determine the source of that intelligence. This disclosure was in direct contravention of our reciprocal agreements with allies, which provide that the United States and certain countries share intelligence with one another on the express condition that it not be shared with third parties without that country’s express prior permission.
When the news broke Monday afternoon, The White House hastily sent National Security Advisor McMaster out to issue an indignant, but artfully worded denial that didn’t actually contradict The Post’s reporting. McMaster’s deputy, Dina Powell, went further, calling the Post story “categorically false.” Naturally, by Tuesday morning, Trump’s early morning tweet revealed that they were both lying. The coup de grace was the further revelation that the country whose intelligence had been so cavalierly compromised was our staunch and strategic ally, Israel. The sobering reality is that Trump’s appalling indiscretion will endanger Israeli and American lives. Our allies will be understandably reluctant to share intelligence with us, since they now know that our Commander in Chief cannot be trusted to maintain the secrecy of sensitive, highly classified information.
Yet, while we were still reeling from the cascading revelations of the threat posed to our national security by Trump’s tenure, we learned that not only had Trump requested James Comey’s loyalty in their January meeting, but had asked Comey if he could drop the investigation of Michael Flynn. This request came a day after Sally Yates warned The White House that Flynn was compromised by his Russian ties. If true, this constitutes a clear case of obstruction of justice, the same charge which forced Nixon to resign, rather than face impeachment.
The Republican Congressional response to this truly alarming 48 hours was depressingly predictable. McCain fulminated, but did not call for stepped up investigations or a special prosecutor. Senate Intelligence Committee Chair, Richard Burr, wearily engaged in willful misdirection and attempted to cast doubt on the existence of Comey’s contemporaneous memo of the Trump dinner. Senate Majority Leader Mitch Connell, true to type, labeled the revelations a “distraction” which was preventing the Senate from pursuing its agenda of tax cuts and deregulation for the rich.
We need to remind those in Congress that they each take an oath to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.” After the events of the last seven days, can there be any doubt that Trump’s actions, whether done out of ignorance or malevolence, make him a danger to this country? Congress’ continued failure to act in the face of the escalating nature of Trump’s transgressions and the myriad unanswered questions swirling around his administration, constitutes a violation of their oath of office and a dereliction of their duties under Article I of The Constitution.
It is clear that Republicans do not wish to release their death grip on power as long as Trump has a functioning right hand that can sign their agenda into law. In the process, they hope that we will become inured to the chaos and scandal and allow Trump’s violations of democratic norms, international agreements and federal law to go unpunished. They risk transforming our country from a nation of laws to a tin pot autocracy ruled by a despot with the impulse control and intellect of a toddler. They are hoping that we are heedless of our own history. In the words of Thomas Jefferson, “All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent.” We had better be loud.