Smoke billows from roof of Russian consulate building that Donald Trump just ordered closed

| 5:50 pm EDT September 1, 2017
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Yesterday Donald Trump ordered the closing of the Russian consulate in San Francisco, along with two smaller annexes in other cities. I wrote at the time that it was such a tepid and belated response to the Kremlin’s expulsion of more than seven hundred U.S. diplomats from Russia, it only served to make Trump look weak. Now there’s suddenly smoke billowing out of the roof of that Russian consulate, raising questions about why Trump really closed it.

The chimney of the Russian consulate in San Francisco is billowing large amounts of smoke as we speak, according to ABC News and other reports (link). Either the Russians inside have decided that today’s San Francisco heat wave – where it’s currently 102 degrees according to the Weather Channel – is a good time to cozy up next to the fireplace, or they’re burning documents on their way out the door. Moreover these documents must be so suspicious that they’re willing to risk creating a scene with all the smoke that’s coming from the fire. It may also give away Trump’s true motivation.

Donald Trump didn’t expel any Russian diplomats. That means those working inside the Russian consulate in San Francisco are free to travel to some other Russian property in the United States. This is the equivalent of punishing a child by moving one of his toys. In light of today’s developments, new questions must be asked. Did Vladimir Putin tell Trump to close this particular consulate as an excuse to destroy the evidence inside it? Just days ago, the Senate announced it’s investigating U.S. Congressman Dana Rohrabacher over his suspicious ties to the Kremlin (link). Rohrabacher is based out of California, though down further south. Was he perhaps coordinating with the Russian consulate in San Francisco? Is this an attempt at sabotaging that investigation?

In any case, this changes the math. Yesterday it appeared Trump was closing this relatively unimportant Russian consulate for superficial reasons of appearance. But now it must be investigated as a potential attempt at covering up Russian collusion.