My Turn: Today’s Republicans

Mik Muller, Greenfield Recorder. Published February 26, 2020

In response to Jan Norris’ letter on Feb. 20 asking “if Democrats realize how pathetic we look after the three-year Russian collusion lie,” and Rev. Phill Grant’s letter the same day asking “What did we receive from our multi-million dollar investment to throw out the president” I say this:

Candidate Trump asked the Russians to hack the DNC email servers on national TV during his debate with Hillary Clinton. Once in the White House, he removed the visitor’s log so we would have no idea who comes to visit him, and on at least one occasion kicked everyone out of the Oval Office while he had a private meeting with two senior Russian officials, where he told them he was unconcerned about Moscow’s interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election because the United States did the same in other countries. There is plenty of smoke there, but Democrats just couldn’t find the fire because Trump forbade everyone in the White House from testifying, under threat. That does not look like an innocent man to me.

The total cost of Mueller’s two-year investigation into Trump came to about $17 million. He was far from exonerated for a variety of serious infractions, but Mueller, being who he is, didn’t recommend any action, except to say we should all read the exhaustive report, and Congress should take appropriate action.

Conversely, the investigation into President Clinton’s wife (and, by the way, could you imagine what would happen if Trump’s wife were investigated?! Bloody hell) went nowhere after a couple years, so they switched tracks and started investigating the president himself on a tip that he may have had an affair. Fully half of the seventy million dollars spent on that six-year investigation was earmarked to paint Bill Clinton into a corner about the affair — one affair — to get him to lie about it. He wasn’t impeached because of the affair. He was impeached because he lied about it. Oh, the humanity. How many times has Trump lied about his many affairs?

So, let’s recap the complaints:

(1) Was there an out-right collusion between Donald Trump and his buddy Vladimir Putin? Maybe not, but there sure were a lot of intermediary people, many of whom were fired or arrested or are now serving jail time. And the majority of the American public thinks Trump is guilty as sure as his face is spray-tan orange.

(2) Did we as a country get value for the $17 million? I would say yes. We got some bad people behind bars, and we exposed Mr. Trump for the lying cheater he is and got him impeached. My only wish is that the Republicans in the Senate had the backbone to get rid of this shyster before it’s too late. He’s a bully who rules by threat and is hell bent on polluting our beautiful nation from sea to shining sea.

My question back to you, my democracy-loving friends, is this: Where are Trump’s tax filings and medical records, and why did it take a lawsuit for the White House to release the visitor logs, and only then a limited portion of them? What is he hiding? And how much has his 250 golf club trips cost you and me in just three years? $130,000,000. Yeah, Turners Falls and Greenfield could have two brand new General Pierce Bridges with plenty of money left over for that. Unfortunately the investigation into Trump only cost $17,000,000, which wouldn’t even cover the bridge’s repair.

But I do agree with you, Rev. Grant. Any party that spends public funds to throw out a president and loses must pay back every dime. At current inflation rates, the $70 million spent to impeach Clinton translates to $112 million today.

Will that be cash or check, please?

Mik Muller is a resident of Greenfield.

Posted: to General News on Wed, Feb 26, 2020
Updated: Fri, Feb 24, 2023