Democrats’ Trump Investigation will not go far enough

I fear a Democratic investigative onslaught against President Donald J. Trump (R-New York) because such a witch hunt will ask the wrong questions, waste resources, and turn Americans against each other.

Unfortunately, such an onslaught is probable; if predictions of Democratic control of Congress bear fruit, The New York Times speculated. Trump haters will rejoice at such thoughts; they should not because the investigation will be a debacle that damages much and accomplishes little.

Why a Democratic Trump Investigation will Fail

Here is why I think a Democratic investigation of Trump will fail:

1. The investigation will probably focus on Russia. The Mueller probe has showed that there is no evidence linking Trump or his campaign to Russia.

 

2. There is plenty of circumstantial evidence to back up claims of Russian hacking, but no evidence that hacking influenced the election outcome.

3. Evidence of wrongdoing by Trump and those around him is scant. My guess is if there was a smoking gun Special Robert Mueller would have found it by now.

 

4. Mueller’s failure to find anything proves or disproves the Russia allegations.

 

The most likely outcome of a Democratic Congressional Investigative Onslaught against Trump is consequently a repeat of the Mueller fiasco on a larger scale.

A Congressional Investigation of Trump will be Catastrophe

Congress will expose a few small fry for crimes unrelated to the administration, but it will make no case against Trump.

Worse Congress will launch a tawdry probe into the President’s sex life, when the investigation bears no fruit. It will launch the sex probe only to distract voters.

To emphasize the absurdity, Stormy Daniels will lead a parade of bimbos and prostitutes testifying before Congressional committees. They will use subpoenas in abortive searches for sex tapes for example. Americans will become quickly become disgusted with the whole charade under those circumstances.

Worst of all, distrust in government will rise to new heights. Trump supporters will scream about a witch hunt while opponents will yell cover up. It will accomplish nothing beyond generating a lot of hits to many websites. A few advertisers will make a lot of money, however.

Trump investigations that Congress will not conduct but should

Worst of all, Congress will not ask the right questions or carry out the investigations that might lead to real reforms. Trump investigations that Congress will not conduct include:

1. A thorough investigation of the widespread allegations of voter suppression

Mother Jones magazine alleged that a Republican voter suppression effort aimed at African Americans rigged the election in Wisconsin in Trump’s favor. We need an investigation; because vote suppressors deprived up to 41,000 Americans of their basic Constitutional rights – if the claims are true.

The voter suppression allegations will incite violence if Congress ignores them. If the claims are true, Congress needs to determine how to prevent future voter suppression. They should try to identify those responsible for the voter suppression – and if possible prosecute them.

A serious investigation of voter suppression is unlikely; because it will raise the unsettling question what were the Democrats doing? Democrats had to know of voter suppression efforts, yet they apparently did nothing. Why?

Did mostly white Democratic officials sell out black voters? If they did that is a far greater scandal than Russiagate. Democrats will not touch that investigation, because it gives Republicans a readymade issue to attract black voters with.

2. A Thorough Investigation of the Corporate Media and its “News Reporting”

Major media apparently refused to accurately or adequately report on Donald J. Trump and his past. I am old enough to remember several presidential elections and I have seen a candidate get so little in depth coverage as Trump did.

For example, why was no attention paid to the Mafia allegations, bribery allegations, racism allegations, and other claims about Trump’s past? There was plenty of circumstantial evidence and some serious reporting to back up these claims. Yet the major news media “filtered” them out.

Was there collusion between the campaign; or the Republican Party, and media executives to elect Trump? We need to ask these questions, because many media executives, reporters, editors, and producers undoubtedly profited handsomely from the 2017 Republican tax cut.

The so-called Tax Cut and Jobs Act will cut marginal tax rates but raise the after-tax incomes of the wealthiest of Americans by 3.4%, the Tax Foundation calculated. For example the top individual tax rate dropped to 37% and the corporate income tax fell from 35% to 21%.

Disturbingly, the corporate tax rate cut will be permanent if Congress doesn’t change it, The Balance pointed out. Not coincidently, Trump and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin are reportedly preparing another big tax break for the rich.

To enumerate, Vox’s Emily Stewart described that cut as “a $100 billion tax cut for the rich he wants to enact without Congress.” Significantly, the Treasury collects capital gains taxes from the proceeds of investments owned mostly by the affluent.

3. Congress Must Investigate the Media’s Connection with Trump

I have to wonder if media executives suppressed stories and slanted the news to elect Trump. A promise to sign something like the Tax Cut and Jobs Act and cut change capital gains would be a strong incentive to engage in such slanting.

Congress should subpoena such media bigwigs as CBS’s Les Moonves, Disney’s Bob Iger, and Universal Comcast’s Brian L. Roberts and ask them if they slanted the news. Also subpoenaed should be all the heads of news operations, producers, and major reporters at the networks.

The lack of Trump accountability occurred on those people’s watch. We must hold them accountable for this dereliction of duty rather than leave them free to laugh all the way to the bank.

NBC owner Universal Comcast; which broadcast The Apprentice and had a long standing relationship with Trump, might have a lot to hide. Americans might learn an important lesson; if large numbers of “journalists” and media executives took the Fifth Amendment to avoid testifying.

If the Justice Department can prosecute people like Trump attorney for election tampering, media executives should be too. It is obvious there were serious abuses in the news media.

Such an investigation can destroy Trump by disproving the idiotic notion that he represents the little guy. More importantly, many Trump followers would learn that their hero is a puppet of the forces he supposedly opposes.

Leftists that want to discredit the corporate power structure should take note. Here is a way to achieve that goal – if you have the balls to do it.

4. China and the Trump Family

There is a lot of circumstantial evidence linking Trump relatives with a foreign power but it’s not Russia.

Trump’s family has close connections with the People’s Republic of China. First daughter Ivanka Trump’s business was growing in China, the PBS News Hour reported. The Chinese government reportedly granted Ivanka 13 trademarks in three months.

Direct evidence of sleazy deals involving Trump kin and China aboundd. For example, there was Ivanka Trump’s sister-in-law-Nichole Kushner Meyer. Meyer told wealthy Chinese they could invest in $500,000 in her real estate scheme and receive an EB-5 Visa to the United States, CNN Money alleged.

Meyer’s brother is Trump son-in-law; and “advisor” Jared Kusnher. There is documentation of Meyer’s activities, yet there have been no investigations and little media attention. Why? Kushner has a high-level security clearance; the American people deserve to know if Chinese intelligence could blackmail him.

Exposing Meyer and her racket could discredit the Trump family in the eyes of its anti-immigrant and white nationalist supporters. After all, Trump is supposedly anti-China and anti-immigrant. Yet a Trump in-law was encouraging Chinese immigration for a fast buck.

I have to wonder what sleazy relationships between the Trump family and China we are not aware of. My guess is there are many such deals because the massive amount of money Trump and company can make in China.

I would like to know how much of the Trump organization’s financing came from China. Were there direct loans from Chinese entities or the Chinese government to Trump himself or his children? Is that the real reason Trump’s tax returns are being kept secret?

There is a national security concern here; the Chinese government might have leverage over the president of the United States, and his children. The American people; particularly those who voted for Trump with the understanding he would protect them China, deserve to know if that is the case.

Why there will not be a Serious Trump Investigation

There is much about Trump for Democrats to investigate and a great deal of it is important. Unfortunately, I doubt we will see such investigations, because the will expose the corruption of Democrats and their donors.

If Trump goes down, he is likely to name names, talking to reporters, and cooperating with prosecutors. Big media types like Les Moonves, Scott Pelley, and Brian Roberts are likely to expose a lot of Democratic dirty laundry if they go down. Exposes of Trump-China deals are likely to shed light on similar shenanigans by big Democratic donors and politicians.

Therefore, expect any Democratic investigation of Trump to do a lot of damage, generate a lot of ill will, and accomplish little or nothing. Nobody in Washington wants a real investigation of Trump because it will make a lot of Democrats look bad.