This pattern just keeps getting uglier
To put things into perspective: in May 2017, Trump blabbed top secret intelligence to two top Russian officials in the Oval Office, intelligence that was extremely sensitive because it could readily reveal sources and methods used in the Middle East.
Jared Kushner passed along highly sensitive U.S. intelligence to Mohammed Bin Salman, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, who reportedly used the intelligence to purge members of his government (including one “with extreme prejudice”). Of course, Kushner only had access to top secret intel because Trump overrode the normal security clearance process that Kushner could not pass.
In plain view of other patrons at dinner at Mar-a-Lago, Trump discussed sensitive national security matters with Japanese Prime Minister Abe, specifically possible responses to a North Korean missile launch.
Trump held a highly suspect meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, and then virtually ate the translator’s notes, so no U.S. officials would ever know what they discussed.
Trump proclaimed before and after the 2016 election that he’d had his “wires tapped” by Obama Administration officials “and they got caught!”
Devin Nunes and Jim Jordan, Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee, railed against the surveillance of Trump campaign officials for their contacts with Russia, against “FISA abuses” in getting warrants to do so, and proclaimed that Trump-Russia was a hoax. Trump gave them the Presidential Medal of Freedom for doing so.
However, Trump campaign officials, particularly Campaign Chair Paul Manafort, did indeed conspire with Russia to affect the 2016 Presidential election, as recent government releases have conclusively revealed. Trump pardoned Manafort.
Bill Barr deliberately misrepresented the findings of the Mueller Report with respect to Trump Campaign collusion with Russia and obstruction of justice.
Don McGahn recently testified that that Trump, indeed, obstructed justice.
Adam Schiff, the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, who later became its Chair, was a thorn in Trump’s side; ultimately he led the first House Impeachment inquiry into Trump and was the lead prosecutor in Trump’s Senate trial.
Eric Swalwell was another Democratic House Intelligence Committee member who Trump considered to be an annoying enemy.
Trump purportedly was concerned with leaks of intelligence information – except the ones he and Kushner were involved in.
Under the guise of investigating leaks, Trump’s DOJ subpoenaed Apple for the phone records of Schiff and Swalwell and their families (and, new reporting from CNN suggests, additional members of Congress, their staffs, and their families).
This happened during the tenures of both Jeff Sessions and Bill Barr as Attorney General. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appears to have been heavily involved.
DOJ’s inappropriate examination of Schiff’s and Swalwell’s phone records apparently did not turn up any evidence of wrongdoing by either Congressman.
Trump has long been known as the Master of Projection, as it became increasingly clear that he typically accuses others of that which he is doing. Republicans, who falsely proclaimed that Trump-Russia collusion was a hoax and fulminated against DOJ and the FBI for investigating it, have expressed no outrage over the abuses of Trump’s DOJ in targeting Members of Congress.
Sadly this is not a surprise, given that a majority of Republican House members voted in favor of overturning the election as the Jan. 6 insurrectionists had demanded, and a majority of Republican Senators and House Members voted against impeaching/convicting Trump for his role in inciting the Capitol Insurrection, and voted against establishing a bipartisan commission to investigate the insurrection.
