The wheels are starting to come off the Trumpmobile. Daniel Dale reports in the Toronto Star that, in the wake of FBI Director James Comey's firing, several revelations have come to light:
In the most noteworthy of the revelations, the New York Times, Washington Post and others reported Wednesday morning that Comey had requested additional resources for the Russia investigation just last week. The Times reported later that Trump was angry about that investigation and “enraged” by Comey’s testimony about him last week in Congress.That wasn’t all. The McClatchy news service reported that Trump himself had requested the supposedly independent Department of Justice memo on which the ouster was supposedly based. And CNN anchor Jake Tapper cited a “source close to Comey” as saying he was dismissed because he would not pledge personal loyalty to Trump and because the Russia probe was “accelerating.”Though the news did not come close to proving his critics’ theory that he is trying to hide something from the FBI probe into his campaign’s possible collusion with Russian interference in the presidential election, it strongly suggested that his administration’s central rationale for Comey’s dismissal — that he acted out of dismay at Comey’s improper treatment of Hillary Clinton last year — was a mere pretext for a decision that was personal rather than principled.
The Trumpists are scrambling. But, so far, the Republicans are standing behind their man. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says there's no need for a special prosecutor. And, back in their home districts, Republicans are not holding town halls. Perhaps most notably, "Sean Spicer had resorted to hiding in bushes to try to avoid reporters —
one aide told Politico on Wednesday that the situation was “total and
complete chaos, even by our standards.”
The Senate Intelligence Committee has issued subpoenas. And a Grand Jury is now getting into the act. Things are starting to crumble.
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