There are apparently two competing “theories” as to why Trump doesn’t want to hear about this subject. One is that he is thin-skinned about the flukish nature of his win and the badly-wrong turn that history took that day. Poor snowflake! I mean, it is only the most important aspect of his job to protect the democracy our Constitution established. What is that compared with his ego? Why should he be pressed to protect the nation if it upsets his feelings and spoils his mood? Besides, he has evidence of his own: He asked Russian President Vladimir Putin whether he did anything bad, and Putin said no, and iced the cake by indicating that the question upset HIS feelings! Case closed!

So there you have the so-called simpler explanation. Feelings first, national security and democracy whatever.

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I would say this is hardly the simplest explanation. I would say that the pattern of facts as we understand them is far more aligned with complicity and Trump vulnerability to Russian leverage over him. Trump has never shied away from a foreign leader who has transgressed against what Trump considers important. Nor has he been so insistent on maintaining or improving good relations with anybody else. Why Putin? Hmmm. Just as a wild, crazy hypothetical here, might not the fact of Trump complicity with and vulnerability to Putin ALSO be a reason that Trump becomes upset when the subject is pressed? How about totally MORE of a reason? Or maybe Trump is just a co-congregationalist in Putin’s sect of authoritarianism.

We can hope that Robert S. Mueller III’s investigation gets the facts out on this before Trump fires him for the new federal crime of impinging on Trump’s placid and serene state of mindlessness. And if Trump isn’t interested in holding Putin to account, maybe the American public will find someone closer to home to hold to account.

Because the bottom line in any explanation is the same. Trump is not upholding his oath of office to protect our Constitution’s democratic elections from Putin’s depredations, or even from his own.