Get Out of Jail Free?

Yet again, Donald Trump has demonstrated his utter lack of understanding of our Constitution, or of his role, or those of the other branches of government, under it.

On April 24th, Mr. Trump tweeted that, should he be impeached, he would look to the Supreme Court to  rescue him.

Chief Justice John Roberts is by no means a liberal.  But he has repeatedly ruled in favor of respect for existing law and practices.  Let's hope he continues to do so, should the Trump tweet mentioned above become reality.

Giuliani, Pompeo, Putin, and the Purloined Letter

Edgar Allen Poe's The Purloined Letter, a classic of early mystery fiction, can serve as a commentary on the Trump Administration's take-no-prisoners mindset.

Rudy Giuliani is no C. Auguste Dupin.  It's unlikely Giuliani could detect his way out of a paper bag.  So his announcement that he'll travel to Kiev to lean on Ukraine to deliver dirt to be used against Joe Biden in 2020 shouldn't surprise anyone.  Appall?  Yes.  Surprise?  No.  Like Poe, Rudy notes that misdeeds committed in plain sight may be overlooked.

Neither should Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's visit to Sochi, Russia this coming Tuesday  be dismissed lightly.  One can't help but wonder if Pompeo's meeting with Vlad, and Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, will indeed, as ballyhooed by a State Department press release, discuss a full range of bilateral and multilateral challenges .  More specifically, will that range include telling Putin to keep his mitts off the 2020 election?

As would Dupin, we see through these most recent instances of Trump foggery.

Utterly Unconscionable

Thankfully, no one has died because of Donald Trump's sick egging-on of his "base".

In a rally in the Florida panhandle on Wednesday night, Trump chuckled openly when members of his audience suggested shooting immigrants, as those folks arrive at the U. S. - Mexican border.

Does anyone still think he's capable of carrying out his Constitutional oath?

What a Difference a Day Makes

At about this time yesterday (6:30 PM Eastern). approximately 450 former Federal prosecutors had signed a letter saying, but for the location of his office, Donald Trump would be charged with felony obstruction of justice.

Today, the number of signatories is at least 700, and growing.

450-ish

Today, at least that many former Federal prosecutors signed on to a letter.  The document says that, absent Justice Department regulations that preclude indicting a sitting President, Donald Trump would already have been charged with obstruction of justice.

One signatory added, I could win that case in my sleep.

The Weathervane in Chief

A few days ago, Donald Trump said he had no problem with Robert Mueller testifying before Congress.  Trump stated further that he expected Attorney General William Barr to make the final decision in the matter.

Then Senator Kamala Harris (D - CA) handed Barr his head when the AG appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

As a result, Mr. Trump tweeted this afternoon to Mr. Barr - a not-the-least-bit-subtle cue that Mueller should not testify.

You can't tell the reversals without a scorecard.