Jun 29, 2017

June 29, 2017: Impeach and Imprison, , Cries of the Damned, To Obstruct Justice


As the Watergate Scandal was heating up, an increasingly desperate Richard Nixon went to the country holding campaign-style rallies intending to shore up his fast-eroding political support.  These were the days before such events were mere photo opportunities, days when the crowds were attended not by carefully screened party faithful in housed events but in the open streets by anyone caring to attend; days in which candidates and politicians spoke to the congregation instead of singing only to the choir.  About every such gathering, worth its salt, one would often find protesters; and Nixon had just fired Watergate Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox fueling a storm of protest along with articles of impeachment in the House of Representatives.   On the periphery of one such Nixon event, late in the fall of 1973, was erected a long banner upon which was printed in stark black and white: “Impeach and Imprison”. 

This simple directive, in plain king’s English, quickly caught on becoming a staple of protestors now camped out round-the-clock on Pennsylvania avenue, many dressed in Nixon masks and prison stripes, holding placards reading “Honk If You Think He’s Guilty” creating a din that kept the president awake nearly night and day.  And, interspersed with this and other messages, one would regularly find placards imploring the country to “Impeach and Imprison”.

Had we done one or the other or, better yet, both, we would now be a far better nation.  Imagine if Nixon had been impeached and convicted.  Better yet imagine had he been removed from office and then made subject of criminal prosecution for obstruction and actually sent to prison.  Would we have had Iran-Contra?  Would Oliver North have been so cock sure that acting in the name of the president put him above the law?   Would we now have a ‘chief executive’ similarly so cock sure that he is likewise sovereign and above the law? 

Times have changed, but not entirely.  Today, Disgustus having fired FBI director James Comey who was investigating this Russian mess, we find ourselves facing a similar crisis but, alas, Pennsylvania Avenue since 9/11 has been closed to street traffic and pedestrians further insulating our ‘leaders’ from the “cries of the damned”. 

There are many facets of this Russian Scandal that need close examination.  From possible collusion with a foreign adversary to win an election; collusion involving everything from the manipulation of voter registration rolls and misinformation campaigns to the possible undermining of U.S. foreign policy, our alliances, and the international institutions that we have put in place as well as the lifting of sanctions against Russia in exchange for such assistance.  There have also surfaced questions about possible bank loans to tRUMP and associates, money-laundering and racketeering.  Some of this has been bubbling to the surface raising questions that demand thorough investigation. 

Comey, of course, had been alerted and put upon the scent of this trail over a year ago by several foreign intelligence agencies and has told Congress that there has been an open investigation into tRUMP and Associates since early summer of 2016.  Why the Director felt compelled to violate Bureau rules and guidelines and speak publicly of the investigation into the Clinton email mess while not informing the nation that the other party’s presumptive nominee was also under FBI investigation—on far more insidious matters—is not, as of this writing, yet clear.  But it had enraged the Democrats, as did his behavior regarding the Clinton campaign last year giving tRUMP the misguided belief that, since it could be said that Comey alone had handed Disgustus the presidency, he could move on Comey at any time with relative if not absolute impunity.  It would at once, so Disgustus thought, satisfy the Democrats and show the nation that Caesar would discipline his own.

Comey, upon his termination and the subsequent savaging of his service in several Disgustus’ “tweet storms”, released a statement that he had taken notes of his several meetings with Disgustus at the White House, notes written down immediately after each event the contents of which were shared with several high-ranking FBI officers so as to establish a contemporaneous record; for Comey did not trust this president to tell the truth.  This led tRUMP to respond—always via anti-social network—that there may be tapes of such conversations, tapes allegedly confirming the Disgustus version of reality.  Of course, the White House eventually confessed, there were no tapes for nothing coming from the White House is ever accurate, nearly everything an exaggeration, fabrication or bold-face lie. Lies intended to intimidate a possible witness, lies intending to call into question the veracity of a witness, lies intended to obstruct justice.   

The ‘tweet-exchange’ however, was enough for the Assistant Attorney General (Attorney General Sessions had long since recused himself from the investigation himself knee deep in the shit), to appoint an “Independent Counsel” to investigate the affair and for Comey to appear before the Senate Intelligence Committee to explain his side of the story.

It was a telling performance.  In over three hours of public testimony Comey recalled his meetings with tRUMP and his phone conversations.  He spoke of the Disgustus demanding his personal loyalty, and of asking the Director to call off the Bureau’s investigation of Michael Flynn, tRUMP’s original National Security Advisor who was forced to resign in a hailstorm of revelations about his Russian connections and his being an undisclosed agent of a foreign government (Turkey and, perhaps, Russia) during the campaign, the transition and as National Security Advisor.  On these points Comey demurred.

After several weeks in which Disgustus importuned the Director to call off his dogs and upon learning that the FBI investigation was moving into the financial dealings of tRUMP associates, including at least one principle “White House figure”, Disgustus moved to terminate the Director.  For Comey, an experienced investigator and prosecutor, smelling the smoke was getting too near the fire.

At first the White House said that it was over Comey’s “unprofessional” handling of the Clinton email investigation, but this, as everything else emanating from this White House, proved laughable and made no sense.  For it was just such handling of the Clinton affair coming as it did at crucial points in the campaign that gave tRUMP the presidency.  But, like everything else in this White House, whatever the official line tRUMP would be seen either on “twitter” or on television giving lie the administration’s story; in this case openly admitting within 48 hours in a nationally televised interview that he had intended to fire Comey regardless of Department of Justice recommendations and then rambled on about how fake the Russian story was.  Shortly thereafter, so as do drive ever deeper the impression that he is in the Russian bag, he entertained the Russian Ambassador and Russian press in the Oval Office itself telling the assembled that he had fired Comey so as to put the Russian Scandal behind him.   Here, in short, are at least two open admissions of firing the FBI director so as to impede or end an investigation.  Here, in short, are admissions of obstructing justice.  Here is our very own Caesar Disgustus openly admitting that he has committed an impeachable offense. 

Impeach and Imprison.