Florida echo about Russian 2016 election interference

Efforts led by the Russians to assist the Trump campaign via foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos, initiated the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) surveillance of Trump in July 2016 and subsequent FISA approved surveillance of Carter Page.

"Russia if you are listening!," said Donald Trump.From left, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, U.S. President Donald Trump, and Russian Ambassador to the United States Sergei Kislyak, in the White House.

Fact-check it!

A special counsel was appointed to determine if the Russians impacted our 2016 election. 

In my opinion, the 2016, Russian interference was trial tested in prior elections. Frankly, it's impossible for me to believe that 2016, was the first time the Russians just happened to show up.

This echo opinion letter was published in Daily Commercial News a Florida newspaper.  

In fact, the Special Counsel Mueller Report, with a focus on how Russia interfered int he US 2016 election, was well-worth the Americans' time and cost. 

Why?

Because it proved that a foreign government with numerous liaisons with the Trump campaign attempted to influence an American election. It resulted in several indictments, guilty pleas, jail time and the spin-off of several other crimes and wrong-doings to other law enforcement jurisdictions.

Mueller, a Republican, appointed by a Republican U.S. Assistant Attorney General, could not exonerate Trump because the evidence uncovered potential crimes and obstruction of justice. However, Mueller could not declare Trump guilty because Mueller believes that a sitting president is immune from prosecution which has to be adjudicated.

Frankly, that is a problem; no citizen should be above the rule of law.

Any traffic cop witnessing a bank robbery cannot turn an eye to the bank robbery playing out before them,  just because they are directing traffic. Indeed, the cop must arrest the bank robber or call for back-up.

Indeed, the time the special counsel’s report took to investigate Donald Trump is less time than it has taken for Trump to let his fellow citizens see his income tax returns. Actually, Trump may owe his fellow citizens more in back taxes than the cost of the Mueller inquiry.

The best, or worst, is yet to come. (MaineWriter says Vote Blue!)

Choice Edwards, Clermont Florida

Failed leadership compromised security - call on 25th amendment

Donald Trump is using Twitter to defend his sharing of classified information with the Russians. "Lock him up!"

Trump says he wanted to share with Russia ‘‘facts pertaining to terrorism and airline flight safety." He said that as president, he has an "absolute right’’ to do this.  (It's sad when the POTUS must go to Twitter to defend what is clearly indefensible behavior!)

In conversations with the Russian officials, Trump appeared to be boasting about his knowledge of the looming threats, telling them he was briefed on "great intel every day," an official with knowledge of the exchange said, according to The Washington Post.

Obviously, Donald Trump is incapable of leading. He is unmanageable,  unable to be educated and dangerously unpredictable.

Trump is just too obsessed with his own power and can't be trusted. After the revelation by former Assistant Attorney General Sally Yates, who disclosed how Lt. Gen. Flynn had been "compromised" by Russia, Donald Trump turned the news into an "in your face" making intelligence information available to Russian diplomats. 

Every American knows that Russia can't be trusted. Even the Russians know their own people can't be trusted.

After the Oval Office meeting with Donald Trump, Lavrov and Kislyak were likely on the security phone having a good time with the Vladimir Putin debrief of the confersation

I suspect the Russian diplomat Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Ambassador to the US Sergei Kislyak were howling all the way back to the Russian embassy in Washington DC, after their very productive meeting with Donald Trump. They stole the photo-ops of the year and obtained classified intelligence, revealed during their discussion in the Oval Office.

The Washington Post reported Monday that Trump divulged highly classified ‘‘code-word’’ information that could enable the Russians to trace the source of the intelligence.

The Twenty-fifth Amendment of the Constitution was passed in order to clarify what happens upon the death, removal, or resignation of the President or Vice President and how the Presidency is temporarily filled if the President becomes disabled and cannot fulfill his responsibilities.Twenty-fifth Amendment, amendment (1967) to the Constitution of the United States set forth succession rules relating to vacancies and disabilities of the office of the president and of the vice president. It was proposed by the U.S. Congress on July 6, 1965, and it was ratified on Feb. 10, 1967.

Congress is abdicating its duty to the American people by continuing to allow Donald Trump to make a mockery of our democracy. Clearly, Donald Trump doesn't care about America, because he is obviously conspiring with Russia and Vladimir Putin's band of spies.  

Speaker Paul Ryan must fulfill his Constitutional responsibility to lead impeachment hearings, for the purpose of removing the clear and present danger of Donald Trump, as called for in the 25th amendment. Otherwise, this downward spiral of unbridled Trump ineptness will suck all Republicans into a vortex, from which they may never be able to recover.  In other words, "Lock him up!"

Donald Trump has committed a "felonious" (as per Rep. Trey Gowdy R-SC)  breach of his responsibility and must be removed from office.