Mr. President, please explain to Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller the following actions on your part:

• When you assembled your campaign team, not your governing team, why did you select perhaps the four most Russian-sympathetic connected individuals in the country in Michael Flynn, Paul Manafort, Carter Page, and George Papadopoulos — each with questionable previous public records?

• When Papadopoulos told an Australian diplomat in London that the Russians had damaging information on Clinton, who in your campaign did he share that information with?

• When Kremlin-connected individuals sought a meeting with your campaign by indicating they had “dirt” on Clinton and added, “part of Russia and its government’s support for Mr. Trump.” Did you know that colluding with a foreign government in the 2016 election would violate U.S. law?

• Did you know that the interest of your campaign, as expressed by your son, Donald Jr. with his comment, “I love it,” combined with the foreknowledge that he was dealing with the Russian government, constituted a willingness on both parties to collude?

• When you personally helped write a misleading claim that the meeting was about adopting Russians children, did you know that intentionally misleading an investigation is obstruction of justice?

• When your son-in-law attempted to create a “backchannel” connection to Russia that would be hidden from U.S. intelligence, did you authorize that action?

• When you said your campaign had no contact with Russians, were you aware that, on at least 18 occasions, there were campaign contacts with Russians?

• When you were told by Sally Yates of the Justice Department  that your national security advisor, Michael Flynn, could be blackmailed by the Russians, why did you fire Yates and keep Flynn as your advisor for weeks?

• When you fired FBI Director James Comey, and told the nation that you did so because he was investigating you, did you not understand that was obstruction of justice?

• When the following day, after firing Comey, you told a Russian spy that firing the FBI director took a lot of pressure off of you, did that statement affirm your intent to obstruct justice?

• When President Barack Obama expelled Russians and seized the homes they were using in response to Russians interfering in the 2016 elections, why did you return those homes to the Russians?

• The U.S. Congress elected to sanction Russians for interfering in the 2016 elections. Why have you failed to enact those sanctions?

• After U.S. intelligence agencies and other western nations informed you that the Russians posed an ongoing threat to our elections, why did you fail to act?

• When your own CIA director and secretary of state publicly acknowledge that the Russians continue to interfere in U.S. elections, why did you not demand congressional action against Russia, or direct U.S. agencies to expose Russian corruption to their citizens?

• When you were told that Russia attempted to penetrate 21 states’ registration rolls and succeeded in some cases, why have you not acted in any way to protect our elections from Russia?

• How can you continue to repeat the Russian investigation is “fake” given the lies and silence of Russian criticism you have offered repeatedly?

Mr. President, over and over and ongoing, you have acted in ways that strongly suggest you will not criticize Russia or the Russian president, even though that nation plotted in the 2016 election to help you win. And even though Russia continues with virtual impunity to interfere in our elections, you stand in silence.

Mr. President, it appears that you are somehow unable to act against Russia. Why is that?

 

Jim Crawford is a retired educator and political enthusiast living here in the Tri-State.