But his extortion! by @BloggersRUs

But his extortion!

by Tom Sullivan

Knowledgeable sources (Jon Voight) indicate that for his foot soldiers Democrat's impeachment of Donald J. Trump means war

While they mobilize, however, the White House is in "total panic." The acting president's tweeted declarations of innocence sound more than usual as if written by Bart Simpson. Trump, the president's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, and Paul Manafort have tried since the early days of the administration to exonerate Vladimir Putin and Russia for interfering in the 2016 elections. The "Democratic National Committee, Democratic donors, and Ukrainian government officials" are the real meddlers, they claim. Oh, and former Vice President Joe Biden.

Since that narrative is not finding traction, it was inevitable all the president's henchmen would attempt diverting the attention of the Trump-vilified "Fake News" onto someone else.

They have found someone: Hillary Clinton. The Washington Post reports:

As many as 130 officials have been contacted in recent weeks by State Department investigators — a list that includes senior officials who reported directly to Clinton as well as others in lower-level jobs whose emails were at some point relayed to her inbox, said current and former State Department officials. Those targeted were notified that emails they sent years ago have been retroactively classified and now constitute potential security violations, according to letters reviewed by The Washington Post.

Retroactive classification. Trump should have thought of that as soon as allegations arose that White House allies misused the National Security Council's codeword-level, classified computer system for burying records of the acting president's most embarrassing phone calls with foreign leaders. Now, the White House is using retroactive classification to resurrect "but her emails" from the fever swamps. It may represent "a new front on which the Trump administration could be accused of employing the powers of the executive branch against perceived political adversaries," the Post adds. State Department investigators began contacting former officials about 18 months ago, then dropped the investigation until August this year:

Several of those who have been questioned said that the State Department Bureau of Diplomatic Security investigators made it clear that they were pursuing the matter reluctantly, and under external pressure.

One official said the investigators were apologetic: “They realize how absurd it is.”

Not for this White House. Not for a White House that grants security clearances to Trump family members over the objections of career security specialists, uses unsecured phones, and conducts "U.S. business outside government channels." All while fawning over foreign autocrats.

This is the latest flailing attempt by the administration to regain control of the national narrative. There will be more nonsense like this from the White House and Trump's thralls, some of it criminal. Defenders of democracy and the rule of law need to keep them knocked back on their heels.

House Democrats claim they are focusing their impeachment inquiry narrowly on the Ukraine affair. But there is much more Trump means to keep hidden, including (but not limited to) other conversations locked in that NSC server and business records held by Deutsche Bank. Once investigators begin digging in earnest, Ukraine could become the lesser of the malfeasance they uncover. Democrats on Capitol Hill need to remain nimble. The rest of us should help keep the press from taking the bait Trump's defenders dangle to get them to look elsewhere. #buthisextortion .

Trump is desperate for a distraction, you "savages." Don't allow him one. Hillary Clinton can take care of herself. She's proven that.

Happy New Year.