Donald Trump’s Andrew McCabe problem grows even worse for him
Unless you’ve been living under a rock this week, new and damning evidence of criminal behavior by Donald Trump, Jared Kushner, and just about everyone associated with Trump has come to light. The news has come so fast and furious that if you blinked, you might have missed some. One could say that Trump’s coattail is on fire and he doesn’t even know it. Adding to Trump’s woes, Andrew McCabe continued his media tour to promote his new book The Threat. McCabe tells quite a compelling insider story about his dealings with Trump.
McCabe’s appearance on 60 Minutes last Sunday gave CBS a weekly ratings win with 9.7 million viewers. It’s heartening to know that others are acutely aware of Trump’s assault on democracy, but it is likewise disturbing to believe that this man remains in power. Indeed, his interactions with the FBI drove the FBI and the Department of Justice into a “crisis atmosphere” according to NPR, leading to the opening of the investigation we now know as Trump-Russia. Even more frightening are Trump’s consistent denials of being in bed with Russia, and it is impossible to believe that people who had the misfortune of working under or with him are lying or exaggerating what they saw and heard.
One of the most jaw-dropping revelations in McCabe’s book is Trump’s repeated refusal to believe an intelligence agency that has been tracking terrorists and dictators for years, and he continues to do so to date. For Trump, any information – regardless of confirmation – pales in comparison to his preference to believe his benefactor Vladimir Putin. McCabe recalls that during a briefing on North Korea’s ballistic missile capabilities, even after sharing classified information with Trump, Trump stubbornly responded, “I don’t care. I believe Putin.” In the face of facts, Trump chooses to believe Putin. No wonder an investigation was opened into Trump’s Russia ties, and McCabe has now gone on record that the FBI views Trump as a “Russian asset.”
The FBI believed that Trump committed the crime of obstruction when he fired James Comey in 2017 due to Comey’s refusal to end the investigation into Mike Flynn. Given Trump’s blatant, repeated attempts to undermine the investigation into Russia, the FBI had no choice, painting Trump’s interference as “a national security threat.” Of course, Trump denies McCabe’s allegations, calling him “disgraced” and “deranged, according to U.S. News. Funny, only Trump seems to disbelieve McCabe.
NPR book reviewer Ron Elving calls the latest developments about Trump “the darkest vision of the Trump presidency yet.” In his review, Elving mentions that Lindsey Graham has threatened to bring McCabe before the Senate Judiciary Committee; however, Elving believes McCabe’s critics “may wish to proceed with caution.” Graham and other critics have to know that McCabe will be well-prepared for any such inquiry, and hauling him in could well turn out to create additional damage for Trump. I say bring it on. The more that we can uncover about Trump’s Russian ties the better for our country.
Shirley is a former entertainment writer and has worked in the legal field for over 25 years