Without hyperbole as to how important this may be (aside from the photo of the Russian bear) let me present this headline and the opening three paragraphs of the article.
The FBI and five other law enforcement and intelligence agencies have collaborated for months in an investigation into Russian attempts to influence the November election, including whether money from the Kremlin covertly aided President-elect Donald Trump, two people familiar with the matter said.
The agencies involved in the inquiry are the FBI, the CIA, the National Security Agency, the Justice Department, the Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network and representatives of the director of national intelligence, the sources said.
Investigators are examining how money may have moved from the Kremlin to covertly help Trump win, the two sources said. One of the allegations involves whether a system for routinely paying thousands of Russian-American pensioners may have been used to pay some email hackers in the United States or to supply money to intermediaries who would then pay the hackers, the two sources said. From MSN News
Here’s another story. It’s from McClatchy News:
Investigators are examining how money may have moved from the Kremlin to covertly help Trump win, the two sources said. One of the allegations involves whether a system for routinely paying thousands of Russian-American pensioners may have been used to pay some email hackers in the United States or to supply money to intermediaries who would then pay the hackers, the two sources said.
A key mission of the six-agency group has been to examine who financed the email hacks of the Democratic National Committee and Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta. The London-based transparency group WikiLeaks released the emails last summer and in October.
The working group is scrutinizing the activities of a few Americans who were affiliated with Trump’s campaign or his business empire and of multiple individuals from Russia and other former Soviet nations who had similar connections, the sources said.
My prediction is that President Trump will have trouble shutting down this investigation because of the uproar coming from the press and the public (who are already going to be protesting in record numbers).
I expect if the American intelligence agents think he will close down or try to thwart the investigation there will be some damaging leaks.
If Trump tried to interfere with this investigation I could see James Comey resigning in order to redeem what remains of his good name.
If, as I suspect, there is irrefutable, or difficult to refute, evidence or even proof that money was indeed funneled from Russia to the Trump campaign we’ll see Trump do damage control by throwing whoever he can to the wolves. He is said to value loyalty; but I think what he really expects is slavish devotion.
This will only go so far if there is a clamor for heads to role, and if he sees that there is a move to indict members of his team. You can bet that there’s no way Trump’s own head will be anywhere near the executioners block.
Certainly there another huge Russian bear in the room. That impossible to ignore the other giant Ursus arctos beringianus. He or she represents the possibility that, as many of us suspect, Putin does have comprising sex videos of Trump which he is using to blackmail him.
If this is the case and the proof is compelling, up to the actual release of the video, I think Trump will try to weather the storm. After all, few of his supports believed his denials about pussy grabbing. Trump believes that the story would blow over, prove to be a tempest in a tea pot so to speak.
Only if that story developed into a case where he could be impeached for treason would it really become a bear just by itself.
However, if the two stories gain general acceptance, they will probably result in a major hit on his already historically low poll numbers. If one or both leads to legal action it will be worse. I expect Republican in Congress will start to abandon him in droves.
What happens next is an open question. Of course the House could move towards or start the impeachment process. It’s hard to say whether Trump would resign like Nixon did. His narcissistic nature suggests he’d still dig his heals in. Perhaps his family would influence him to do the noble thing for the country.
Narcissists have strong psychological defenses and little if any self-awareness. However the assault on his ego could be so unrelenting that he could also have some kind of mental breakdown which would lead to the 25th Amendment, Section 4 solution:
Section 4. Whenever the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive departments or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President.
Thereafter, when the President transmits to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives his written declaration that no inability exists, he shall resume the powers and duties of his office unless the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive department or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit within four days to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office. Thereupon Congress shall decide the issue, assembling within forty-eight hours for that purpose if not in session. If the Congress, within twenty-one days after receipt of the latter written declaration, or, if Congress is not in session, within twenty-one days after Congress is required to assemble, determines by two-thirds vote of both Houses that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall continue to discharge the same as Acting President; otherwise, the President shall resume the powers and duties of his office.
Thursday, Jan 19, 2017 · 3:11:27 PM +00:00 · HalBrown
Noteworthy comment and reply:
If FBI, Justice, and the House and Senate Committees wanted to pursue the investigation, I suppose you are correct — Trump would have problems trying to shut them down.
That is not the case, though. We know, from Comey’s and NY Field Office’s past performance, that they will do anything to protect Trump and the GOP. So, take FBI out of the mix. Their investigations are a black box — we don’t know what is going on because “we can’t discuss on-going investigations.” So, the FBI can claim to be investigating and we will all think they are doing their job, while the whole case is in the back of the file drawer.
Justice? Please. Yeah, Sessions will pursue an investigation. Pardon me while I go barf.
GOP-controlled Senate and House? No way. The Democratic members can bluster and carp, but they literally have no power to influence whether investigations are done or not. Even if, as it seems with McCain, some committees are formed and investigate, nothing will come of it. Congressional committees are where ideas go to die. You can already see Trump’s diminutive thumb on the scales with the decision that Lindsey Graham will not chair the investigation committee.
The media? Nope. Can’t see it. They are so cowed that you can track them by the stream of piddle they leave behind. All Trump has to do is throw a Trump Tantrum (a Trumptrum) and they will cower behind their desks. “Oh, no! President Trump might not call on us in a press conference.” Add to that the GOP-controlled media that will always “Fake News” any real investigative reporting by any other outlet, and it’s over.
I think the only hope is independent state Attorneys General. Especially the New York AG seems not to be afraid of Trump. If it passed through their state, as it obviously did in NY, maybe — just maybe — we can get some action. It all depends on whether the election influence/bribery/illegal money broke any state statutes. I suspect it did.
My reply:
It depends what they are finding. Except for what Comey personally did, and for the anti-Hillary agents at the FBI, we can hope the agents investigating this have integrity. If all the agencies have people working co-operatively everyone knows what everyone else knows. This it would be difficult for one or more agencies to pull out because of Trump and Sessions attempting to derail the process. Again, if there’s only smoke, but no fire, this will go away. But if money was funneled to the Trump campaign he and his minions could be in trouble.
The argument that Trump didn’t need outside money is propaganda. We just don’t know how money was spent. First thought is bribes, and to be effective they would have to be significant depending on the influence of the person bribed. His campaign would need Russian help to make million dollar bribes untraceable. $10 million to Pence? That would make Paul Ryan president.