WHAT ARE OATHS TO DONALD?:

As a team of writers at Lawfare put it, Trump's people "were aware the Russians sought to help them win. They welcomed that assistance. Instead of warning the American public, they instead devised a public relations and campaign strategy that sought to capitalize on Russia's illicit assistance. In other words, the Russians and the Trump campaign shared a common goal, and each side worked to achieve that goal with basic knowledge of the other side's intention. They just didn't agree to work toward that goal together."

As a candidate and as a citizen, Donald Trump had a responsibility to put a stop to this unethical and dangerous behavior in his organization. He had an obligation to report it to the FBI, and to work with the government to thwart the Russian efforts. Instead, he knowingly allowed his campaign and some of the people closest to him to continue their contacts with the Russians, and then he spent months lying, encouraging others to cover for him, and gaslighting an entire nation with talks of witch hunts and hoaxes.

This is execrable behavior from a citizen. But a citizen has the right to be execrable and to do bad things, as lawyers would say, that are "lawful but awful." As president, however, it is now clear from the Mueller report that Trump knows, and has known for years, what Mueller knew. 

Tweet   @brothersjudd