Trump undermining FBI to save his skin

PHOTOGRAPHER: The New York Times

President Donald Trump speaks during the National Prayer Breakfast at the Washington Hilton hotel on Feb. 8, 2018.

There are times when all I can say is “You just can’t make it up.” Such is apropos to the release of a wholly partisan GOP memo which charges that the FBI and Department of Justice, both past and present, deceived the FISA court and unscrupulously surveilled a Trump campaign aide, not once, but repeatedly.

What appears obvious is the chair of the GOP-led House Intelligence Committee, Devin Nunes, cherry-picked selective classified intelligence information to demean the work of our intelligence people in a manner intended to undercut the Mueller investigation.

Shockingly, Nunes, abetted by the White House, released this report despite warnings of FBI Director Wray, who said the memo paints a false narrative of bureau activities. Specifically, Wray, a Trump appointee, said “the FBI has grave concerns about material omissions of fact that fundamentally impact the memo’s accuracy.” Over the weekend, Nunes promised more memos. If I read this all correctly, Trump, who seems to aspire to be an autocrat and who has accomplices in Congress, is pulling out all stops to undermine the Mueller investigation. He is willing to mortgage the credibility and reputation of the FBI and the entire intelligence community to save his own skin.

As reported in the New York Times, Peter Baker, who has covered the Trump/Russian connection since the campaign, stated that “Trump’s war on the nation’s law enforcement apparatus is unlike anything America has seen in modern times.”

I’m uncertain how dangerous this is for our democracy. But, I continue to retain confidence that Special Counsel Mueller, a man of unquestioned integrity, will get to the bottom of this. I’m not confident, however, that our Congress will step up and carry out its constitutional duty.

Robert K. Corliss
Schenectady