Charles Pierce on Trump, Tillerson, and Russia

[MBS]

https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a19093834/trump-russia-steele-dossier/

If this isn't treason, I don't know what is.
Charley Pierce discusses Jane Mayer's piece on Christopher Steel in the New Yorker (https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/03/12/christopher-steele-the-man-behind-the-trump-dossier?) and another recent piece on the State Department in the New York Times (https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/04/world/europe/state-department-russia-global-engagement-center.html):

It is an established fact that the Russians are planning to ratfck the 2018 midterm elections, which should surprise approximately nobody. The Congress earmarked $120 million for the State Department to use to counter this continuing assault on the country. Of that money, Tillerson and his undermanned operation have spent exactly zero dollars, according to The New York Times.

As a result, not one of the 23 analysts working in the department’s Global Engagement Center — which has been tasked with countering Moscow’s disinformation campaign — speaks Russian, and a department hiring freeze has hindered efforts to recruit the computer experts needed to track the Russian efforts. The delay is just one symptom of the largely passive response to the Russian interference by President Trump, who has made little if any public effort to rally the nation to confront Moscow and defend democratic institutions. More broadly, the funding lag reflects a deep lack of confidence by Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson in his department’s ability to execute its historically wide-ranging mission and spend its money wisely

.

Mr. Tillerson has voiced skepticism that the United States is even capable of doing anything to counter the Russian threat. “If it’s their intention to interfere, they’re going to find ways to do that,” Mr. Tillerson said in an interview last month with Fox News. “And we can take steps we can take, but this is something that once they decide they are going to do it, it’s very difficult to pre-empt it.”

Well, fck it, then. Let’s all go get a beer.

I can’t think of one administration in my lifetime that wouldn’t have thrown Tillerson out the window for saying something like that and then fired him before he hit the pavement.

Seriously, what does this administration have to do to make it clearer that its interests don’t lie in protecting this country if the adversary in question is Russia?

[kysrsoze]

1. We all knew from the start, Tillerson was a Russian asset. This country should prepare the gallows.

However, I'll be happy if they're run out of office and a number of them are jailed. They're without a doubt, a bunch of traitors.

[Clarity2]

2. It's funny how this administration

says ZERO about paper ballots.

Zero. Same with the intel community. Why can't they say it either???!! Maybe it's because they are not allowed to.

Its.just.so.freaking.simple.

[radhika]

3. At least one elected head of state is making thoughtful, strategic choices for Americans...

Too bad it's Putin.

Actually, I don't even know if the Trump base (the 36% dementors) would even mind such a takeover as long as it left their beloved Donnie Dickwad in the Twitter seat.