One can not help to think that if the Republican-controlled Congress had the information that we all now know and a Democrat was the president, they would already be halfway through an impeachment process at this point, even without knowing all the facts.
And that is what is needed, the facts. Operatives for the president, like Roger Stone and Rudolph Giuliani are expected to put up a fierce defense, and as infuriating as their answers and conduct can be, we'd expect no less.
However, when you pledge to defend the Constitution like Congressman Jim Jordan (R-OH), Mark Meadows (R-NC) and Devin Nunes (R-CA) have and then break that oath, it's not only reprehensible but un-American. These three men need to be called out because they do not deserve the offices they hold.
In terms of Roger Stone and his answers to Mr. Todd's queries, he obviously had advanced notice of what Wikileaks was going to do to damage the Clinton campaign. He can nuance his answers all that he wants but any reasonable person would understand that Mr. Stone knew what was going to happen and that a foreign actor was going to meddle in the campaign for President of The United States. He can go into the semantics all he wants, trying to convince, incorrectly, that 'the' means plural or other such nonsense, but it just doesn't wash. As Hugh Hewitt pointed out, Mr. Stone is worried about 'extraneous crimes,' in lieu of his statement that no collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign has been proven. But what about other entities?
Well, in today's reporting by The New York Times, we now know what Donald Trump Jr.'s main job was during the campaign and that was to get campaign help from as many foreign entities, actors and governments as possible to help his father win. Doing this is a crime by the way despite what Mr. Giuliani would tell you.
Chuck Todd pointed out to guest Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA), ranking Democratic member of the Intelligence Committee that four people have not been interviewed by the special counsel - Donald Trump Jr., Brad Parscale, Michael Cohen and the aforementioned Mr. Stone. Mr. Schiff outlined two possibilities for this. One, Mr. Mueller's team is saving those interviews or that these individuals are targets of the investigation. Well, considering that Michael Cohen is about to be indicted in the Southern District of New York, it's logical to conclude that it is because the others are targets, as they should be.
Hallie Jackson reported that the Administration, Mr. Trump, is furious about all these stories coming out, so why would that be? He's furious that the truth is coming out and that it's being reported to the public? If the investigation is a 'witch hunt' as the president says it is then why hide these meetings?
Chuck Todd speculated that these foreign entities, including Israel, saw Mr. Trump as a transactional figure, from whom they could extract something for themselves. Some great deal maker, Mr. Trump moved the embassy to Jerusalem without asking anything of Benjamin Netanyahu. He got played. Mr. Trump, it seems, can be bought and sold on the cheap.
What also seems to be cheap these days is prayers. Prayers for more victims of another school shooting, nice as they are which Mr. Trump offered, do nothing. "Not surprised, just scared," Paige Curry, student survivor at Santa Fe High School said of the shooting. Texas's Lt. Governor Dan Patrick is on record recommending fewer doors in schools and arming teachers. In the Socratic method, one can not illicit 'dumb' answers, but Mr. Patrick has proven that axiom false. As this column has stated before, arming teachers is not the solution. Typically, every 'solution' will be put on the table with the exception of even modest gun control measures. As the panel discussed, state governors will act, because their state residents will demand it, but as Ms. Jackson said, Congress has little appetite for any gun laws because they salivate for NRA cash contributions.
As PBS's Yamiche Alcindor said, it will be up to today's young generation to change things because they've "grown up at rock bottom." Our leaders have really failed us on this.
Panel: Hallie Jackson, NBC News; Yamiche Alcindor, PBS News Hour; David Brooks, The New York Times; Hugh Hewlitt, Salem Radio Network
One more thing...
I disagree with Hugh Hewitt on many things, but he did have a likeable quote today, "Live with what you tweet." He directed it at Roger Stone, but that was one for the president as well.
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