Last updated on July 17th, 2023 at 09:59 pm
Looking for an “alternative explanation” for Trump’s “bizarre positioning” on Russia, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) said this morning on MSNBC that,
“Either the Russians have something on Trump or that there are financial ties that require Trump to behave in this way or perhaps that the Russians helped him in the election and this is some sort of quid quo pro.”
Watch courtesy of MSNBC:
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.@ChrisMurphyCT is on the hunt for an alternative explanation for Trump’s ‘bizarre positioning’ on Russia https://t.co/1IuYj7iqg9
— Morning Joe (@Morning_Joe) February 15, 2017
The reason for his appearance this morning was that last night, as Trump’s Russia scandal mushroomed as a result of revelations by The New York Times that Trump’s team had been in constant contact with Russian officials during the election, Murphy had tweeted
Your nightly reminder that at the center of this strengthening hurricane are the tax returns.
— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) February 15, 2017
Murphy believes Trump’s tax returns can help explain this bizarre positioning and legislation establishing a special senate committee could get the power to force the disclosure of Trump’s tax returns. Is it likely? No. Not while Republicans control Congress and remain determined to protect Trump at whatever cost.
The fact remains that Trump did not release his tax returns and that there is, for Trump at least, a very good reason to have kept them hidden. At the very least, for the rest of us, his tax returns could put to rest suspicions about Russian manipulation of the president.
That would still leave him in violation of the Emoluments Clause but that is a far less serious offense than treason, and to be preferred to a president manipulated by a foreign power for reasons unknown.
The question now is whether Republicans can be shamed into making the correct choice between country and tax cuts for the rich.
Oligarchs rule Russia, so depending on the extent of Russian involvement, the choice may not be all that easy for greedy Republicans. Either way, Chris Murphy is right: the American people must know the truth.
Hrafnkell Haraldsson, a social liberal with leanings toward centrist politics has degrees in history and philosophy. His interests include, besides history and philosophy, human rights issues, freedom of choice, religion, and the precarious dichotomy of freedom of speech and intolerance. He brings a slightly different perspective to his writing, being that he is neither a follower of an Abrahamic faith nor an atheist but a polytheist, a modern-day Heathen who follows the customs and traditions of his Norse ancestors. He maintains his own blog, A Heathen’s Day, which deals with Heathen and Pagan matters, and Mos Maiorum Foundation www.mosmaiorum.org, dedicated to ethnic religion. He has also contributed to NewsJunkiePost, GodsOwnParty and Pagan+Politics.
