March 7, 2018: Dereliction of Duty, Not a Dime for Defense, Dropping our Shields

“Caesar Disgustus has opened the gates in the face of a hostile foreign threat. There are no other words but Dereliction of Duty.”

----from “The Quotations of Chairman Joe”

The “New York Times” recently touched upon both the magnitude of the ongoing Russian threat and the Administration's staggeringly vapid response. Reacting to recent congressional testimony of our intelligence community concerning the nature of the threat and our tepid response, the Times had this to say:

“With the midterm elections only nine months away, the federal government is taking some defensive measures. It is trying to get at least one election official in each state a security clearance to make them aware of threats, and is providing states with enhanced online security to ensure that Americans' votes will not be manipulated.

Nevertheless, absent Mr. Trump's commitment, there can be no robust mobilization to take all measures needed to confront an insidious problem that strikes at the heart of the democratic system. These would include a comprehensive and well-funded plan for protecting critical infrastructure, countering cyberattacks and mitigating propaganda.

The president should not only be strengthening electoral defenses, but also pushing back against Russia, instead of ignoring a law Congress adopted overwhelmingly to impose sanctions for election meddling and aggression against Ukraine. The list of potential activities meriting sanctions covers weapons deals, human rights abuses and Russian cyberattacks against the United States and other democracies.

Although Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin assured Congress...that sanctions 'are coming,' there's little reason to believe him.” (1)

There is no reason to believe him. As the editors of The New York Times had duly noted, the heads of the C.I.A., and F.B.I., as well as the Director of National Intelligence and the Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency—tRUMP appointees all, testified that “the president has never asked them to take measures to combat Russian interference and protect democratic processes.” (2)

Admiral Michael Rogers, Director of the National Security Agency, recently testified before Congress that he too has received no instruction whatever in regard to the Russian threat. He said that the government is in possession of powerful countermeasures that can be undertaken but as yet no word has come down from on high. No one on the committee asked the Director why he hadn't contacted the White House and asked for instruction and authority to act, but the revelation that the White House has done nothing is staggering. Then, following this revelation—coming as it does on the heels of previous testimony before Congress by the other intelligence experts—it was revealed by The Washington Post that Rex Tillerson hasn't done a thing. Not only had the State Department closed down the office of sanctions enforcement but now the Post reports that State hasn't spent a dime of the 120 million dollars voted by Congress to defend us against these attacks.

Why hasn't there been a push-back? The intelligence community is warning us that the Russians have not retreated but have stepped up their cyberattacks. “Some have said” opined “The Times”, that “he is giving Russia a green light to tamper with the 2018 election. That would have once been an absurd suggestion. It can no longer be dismissed out of hand”.

Indeed, it cannot for the recent testimony must be seen in the context of a series of behaviors regarding the emerging and ongoing Russian threat. First, in 2016 Disgustus openly invited the Russians to continue to hack into the Democratic National Committee and the Clinton Campaign, and then, once in office, the administration quickly moved to cut from the budget all money designated to protect our electoral system from cyberattacks, There can now be no doubt that our Caesar Disgustus is dropping our remaining shields and inviting an ongoing assault upon our electoral proceedings.

This is beyond mere staggering incompetence; this is beyond unfathomable corruption; this is Dereliction of the Duty to protect this country “from all enemies, foreign and domestic”.

“an Br'er Putin, he jus' laugh and laugh”

Impeach and Imprison.

______________________

1. Editorial. “Mr. Trump is Blind to Russia's Threat” The New York Times. Thursday, February 15, 2018. Page A30
2. ibid