[kem]

That's similar to my take here. Whether or not Trump actively colluded with Russia to affect election results, he's still behaving abnormally about the issue. I mean, if you step back and look at this, and just give Trump the benefit of the doubt and allow that maybe he was ignorant about Russia's attacks on the US elections, is his response reasonable for a president?

He should be vigorously defending the US, and aggressively trying to get to the bottom of it. Instead, he's actively obstructing the investigation and thwarting US defenses. In short, he's doing the opposite of what he should be doing as president. He's acting like a damn mole using the office to further his own interests and those of his business associates, including Russia.

At worst Trump is a traitor, and at best he's grossly derelict of duty. How this is not front and center of US political discussion on all sides, including the GOP, befuddles me.

This also seems critical to interpreting Trump's voter fraud commission, as the Russia efforts were focused on voter registration. I predict Trump will somehow spin what was being reported on in this article into something having to do with voter fraud. That is, "let's not talk about Russian hacking of voter registration records, as that's just speculation. We agree, though, that there are anomalies in the voter registration records, and given that we all agree on that, it's time for voter ID laws."

[akhilcacharya]

> Whether or not Trump actively colluded with Russia to affect election results, he's still behaving abnormally about the issue. I mean, if you step back and look at this

Agree 100%. The coverup could be worse than the crime.

I'm subscribing to the theory that there was contact between Russian-linked individuals (Assange, undercover intelligence) and tertiary members of the campaign (Roger Stone, Carter Page), and the Trump inner circle was unaware.

Trump's actions make more sense if you consider the possibility of more minor crimes committed by the Trump Organization in the casino and real estate business.

[krapp]

> I mean, if you step back and look at this, and just give Trump the benefit of the doubt and allow that maybe he was ignorant about Russia's attacks on the US elections, is his response reasonable for a president?

We have to remember that Trump was elected on the basis of his being not a typical politician, and his lack of expertise or insight into the office. Without commenting on Russian collusion one way or another, I think it's a mistake to judge his intent based on what a reasonable president might do, since he is the antithesis of that.

I think a lot of his behavior can be explained as the result of a deep antipathy he feels for any challenge to his authority, intelligence or decisions, all of which have probably gone unchallenged his entire life, and by him being a sociopathic narcissist who prevaricates on a dime while lacking any of the nuance typical of politicians at that level of power.

In other words, he looks like he's hiding something because he's too incompetent to look like he isn't, regardless of whether or not he is.

[ouid]

If the president is derelict of duty, then he's a traitor.