Both Houses of the Republican Congress Appear to be Flying the Russian Flag

Michael Isikoff on the Senate investigation of Kremlingate which appears to have decided to derail itself the way the House investigation did last month.

Isikoff: "For Democrats, some of the information that has come to light — almost entirely from media reports — points to a concerted effort by Trump and his associates to conceal secret ties to Moscow. Flynn and Sessions both had undisclosed meetings last year with the Russian ambassador, Sergei Kislyak, and, in Flynn’s case, discussed the possible lifting of Obama-era sanctions once Trump took office. The FBI was concerned enough about one former Trump foreign policy adviser, Carter Page, to obtain a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court warrant to monitor his communications on the grounds he might be an “agent of a foreign power.”'

Lots of smoke. Billows of it. All of it coming from the Trump campaign. But the Republicans running the investigations are not worried about smoke or fire. It's like an absurdist farce where the fire department makes very sure the building is burned to the ground before they ring their bell. The Republicans' Kremlingate investigation could have been written by Max Frisch.

The Hill is reporting that the Senate Intel Committee has done nothing because they don't have staff to do anything. No investigators hired, no subpoenas issued, no interviews planned.

We are learning that Comey sabotaged the Hillary campaign because he was afraid to let Americans know the Republicans were in bed with Russian intelligence, because Republicans are vindictive bastards and Democrats are not. Republicans might actually take it out on Comey if he blew the whistle on their intrigue. Republicans actually admire Putin and wish we had a fascist government like his. Comey's chief concern was to make sure the Republicans weren't mean to him, didn't embarrass him. Just as Republicans were putting party above country, Comey was putting his bureau and his job above country and underneath the Republican Party which (for those of you following along at home) is under the supervision of Moscow.

Next we’ll learn that Republicans are learning how to throw critics and reporters and witnesses from fourth floor windows like the Russians do. Maybe this is the kind of threats the Republicans are directing at likely witnesses. If you’d have asked any sane person 20, or 10, or five years ago if it was possible the Russians would collaborate with the Republican Party to seize power in this country they’d have said “Yeah, and Donald Trump will be elected president (Ha. Ha. Ha.)"

Here, DailyKos gives a brief reprise of the New York Times article on how the FBI was played by the Republicans, which helped the Russians continue their work with full Republican cooperation and elect Donald Trump. Here is another summary and analysis from Axios.

Meanwhile the House Oversight Committee which devoted millions and years to investigating bogus charges against Hillary Clinton have decided to ignore real and very disturbing evidence of collusion between the Republican Party and Russian spies to rig an election.

Treason is what we used to call it. Are charges and revelations imminent? Is that why Jason Chaffetz, the very dogged Hillary witch hunter, is resigning from Congress? Vanity Fair reports on the Chaffetz decision to "spend more time with his family..." Are shoes waiting to drop? The news today makes it seem like these shoes won't drop in our lifetime.