Many people believe that circumstantial evidence is not enough to convict beyond a reasonable doubt; that is not the case. It happens everyday in our criminal justice system. A preponderance of such evidence can prove a fact by proving other events or circumstances, which afford a basis for a reasonable inference of the occurrence of the fact, and thus guilt, at issue. In the issue of our president and Russia, we nearly have a prima facie slam-dunk preponderance. If a true patriot, this should concern you deeply. A president that might be compromised by an adversarial power is not anything to dismiss out-of-hand for whatever reason. Loyalty to this country needs to come first.
1. Trump lied about his time in Russia for the 2013 Miss America Contest. He claimed that he did not spend the night, thus contradicting the Steele Dossier. There is proof that he did indeed spend the night from his own head of security. This in no way, however, substantiates the infamous sex scenes described in that dossier...nor does it rule it out. Such blackmail over a possible sex scandal for foreign officials and agents is a common practice in Russia, frequently used throughout the Cold War and beyond. There is a lengthy and available history of this tactic of leverage by Russia. But this is just speculation...if it were not for the fact that Trump bothered to lie about the length of his stay. Why?
2. Trump has never come out and directly condemned the proven--proven!--Russian interference in our 2016 Election, a serious attack against our Democratic Process. This is something any American should find not just outrageous but highly suspicious. Why not? Instead, Trump has said that "Putin denied any interference," and thus put the American Intelligence Community and our Justice Department, with facts in hand, in question, preferring the word of Putin over American agencies.
3. Congress allocated $120 million to counter cyber-attacks for the upcoming elections. The State Department has yet to spend any of the $120 million it has been allocated since late 2016 to counter foreign efforts to meddle in elections or sow distrust in democracy. As a result, not one of the 23 analysts working in the department’s Global Engagement Center — which has been tasked with countering Moscow’s disinformation campaign — speaks Russian, and a department hiring freeze has hindered efforts to recruit the computer experts needed to track the Russian efforts. The delay is just one symptom of the largely passive response to the Russian interference by President Trump, who has made little if any public effort to rally the nation to confront Moscow and defend democratic institutions. (
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/04/world/europe/state-department-russia-global-engagement-center.html) Why not? Why would Trump delay given all the evidence of Russian interference in our Democratic Process? Doen't that seem just wrong to you? What could be his motive?
4. Congress put into law sanctions against Russia on 7/21/17. It took The Donald almost eight months before implementing them. Why? Then on 1/29/18, this bizarre and questionable issue from the WH: The Trump administration informed lawmakers Monday that new Russia sanctions called for in a bipartisan bill passed last year are not necessary yet because the measure is already "serving as a deterrent." The announcement came as lawmakers in both parties nudged the administration to implement sanctions legislation that passed overwhelmingly in July — with only five no votes in both the House and Senate. The sanctions bill requires the imposition of penalties by Monday against entities doing "significant" business with Moscow's defense and intelligence sectors, unless Congress is notified that prospective targets are "substantially reducing" that business. A State Department spokesperson said by email that the administration is "using this legislation as Congress intended to press Russia to address our concerns related to its aggression in Ukraine, interference in other nations’ domestic affairs and abuses of human rights." Potential targets of future penalties "have been put on notice, both publicly and privately, including by the highest-level State Department and other U.S. government officials where appropriate, that significant transactions with listed Russian entities will result in sanctions," the spokesperson added.
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/01/29/russia-sanctions-white-house-congress-3768135. Recently, the WH made the threat that new sanctions were due over how Russia has dealt with the Syrian poison gas attack. Nikki Haley announced in the UN those needed sanctions were forthcoming. The WH inexplicably changed directions and made Haley the sexist fall-girl, calling her "confused." Why no sanctions? What is Trump afraid of?
6. Then intermixed with all this are the Manafort, Trump Jr, Kushner, Flynn, Papadopoulos, Sessions, and Porter verified meeting with Russians during and after the campaign, which all of them lied about and have been shown to lie. Why lie?
One or two of these things would make any sane and reasonable person pause. Or at least get curious enough, for the sake of our nation, to objectively look a little deeper. The Great Experiment" may be at stake: why not do some studied research? And that is what I asking you: why not?