(DON THOMPSON / iNFOnews.ca)

OPINION

We’ve all seen it…or experienced it when we were little kids. The times you’re caught red handed…obviously guilty of something…and then you tell an obvious lie to try and cover it up. Imagine…a three-year-old whose face is covered with chocolate…and answers to “Did, you eat the chocolate?” with an incredible, “No, I didn’t! The dog ate it?”

That’s where we find ourselves today with the president of the United States. His tweets last week were as ridiculous as any three-year-old’s untenable defence…only not at all cute. You see, he is guilty…and his defence…shamelessly laughable.

Trump said, “Democrats can’t find a Smocking Gun tying the Trump campaign to Russia after James Comey’s testimony. No Smocking Gun...No Collusion.” @FoxNews That’s because there was NO COLLUSION. So now the Dems go to a simple private transaction, wrongly call it a campaign contribution,…

.…which it was not (but even if it was, it is only a CIVIL CASE, like Obama’s - but it was done correctly by a lawyer and there would not even be a fine. Lawyer’s liability if he made a mistake, not me). Cohen just trying to get his sentence reduced. WITCH HUNT!”

Forget for a moment that Donald Trump misspelled “smoking”…twice. Forget that he tries to blame Democrats for political purposes…when it is a Republican-controlled Congress. Forget that Special Prosecutor Bob Mueller - a Republican but more importantly an American - is investigating his actions…and I’m convinced will soon serve him up for justice.

Forget that his illegal payments to two alleged mistresses to silence them rise well beyond a “simple private transaction.” Forget his awkward non sequitur comparing his felony with the Obama campaign’s technical violation a few years ago…a misdemeanour. Forget that he praises Michael Cohen for making the payments “correctly” before accusing him in the very next sentence of being dishonest...a liar.

What we can’t forget Mr. President…is that there is no witch hunt. You are a toddler of a president being caught red-handed…chocolate on your face…and blaming the dog. You look more foolish than a child, however, because your actions and lies to cover them up are too cold and calculated. You would do anything to win…and did.

If Trump read books…he would only read fiction…for he apparently cannot stand non-fiction…you know…facts. For example, one fact he avoids in his tweet is that the Federal Election Commission handles campaign-finance violations that aren't "willful violations" with civil enforcement provisions…typically fines…as in the Obama campaign’s case.

Trump’s actions - implicit in Michael Cohen’s guilty plea to campaign finance felonies in August when he told a judge that Trump directed illegal payments "for the principal purpose of influencing the election” for president in 2016 - are willful violations. They, alone, are grounds for impeachment.

Of course, these payments are separate from Mueller’s investigation into the Trump campaign’s collusion with Russia in the 2016 election. Already, Mueller has found 16 people representing the Trump campaign who met and dealt with Russians. Cohen is cooperating with that investigation, as well.

I’ve said all along that Trump is guilty. That opinion is based on knowing the man…his lack of character and integrity. His entire life has been a fraud of sorts. Now, it will be facts and not opinions that - like Nixon - bring this presidency to an end. The evidence against him will be overwhelming.

Then, we will see whether any Republicans in the Senate have even a scintilla of integrity and character themselves. Will they convict…or will they effectively pull the Republican Party off life support and end it. And will millions of American who are - I hope - temporarily blind to what America stands for favour a scoundrel.

As the president himself so inelegantly states on almost every issue…every problem that needs a solution… “We’ll see.” We will, indeed.

— Don Thompson, an American awaiting Canadian citizenship, lives in Vernon and in Florida. In a career that spans more than 40 years, Don has been a working journalist, a speechwriter and the CEO of an advertising and public relations firm. A passionate and compassionate man, he loves the written word as much as fine dinners with great wines. His essays are a blend of news reporting and opinion.

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