I have had two longstanding complaints about the investigation into Russian interference and its possible ties to the Trump campaign. The first is the lack of evidence undergirding the ties to Trump’s campaign and the second is the politicized use of information gleaned from the investigation. The email chain released by Donald Trump Jr. lays to rest the first complaint. If your response to ‘the Russian government is making efforts to help your campaign,’ is ‘I love it,’ don’t be surprised if the government opens an investigation. It takes a special kind of idiot to put that in an email. He was communicating with high profile foreign nationals whose communications were likely to be picked up by allied intelligence agencies, if not US agencies. The Obama administration couldn’t have asked for a better excuse to investigate, though it remains to be seen if this information was previously known to US intelligence.

Let’s be clear though. This email chain is not evidence of collusion in Russia’s interference. It’s existence may justify opening an investigation, but it does not justify what came next, the selective leaking of investigative findings aimed at undermining the incoming president. Political inexperience has handicapped his administration since its inauguration, from the botched immigration ban to the baffling lack of appointments. This meeting and its openly acknowledged Russian overtones looks to be another self inflicted wound. That it brought in heads of the campaign was more than enough reason to launch the investigation. The repeated lies on the subject and ham-fisted firing of the FBI director are more than enough to expand it. Although collusion with Russia’s hacking still looks unlikely, albeit less so now, there is no doubt plenty of good old fashion corruption to find. Kushner in particular has a Clinton-like affinity for leveraging influence, though perhaps a similar ability to operate in the grey. At this point though, it’s nobody’s fault but Trump’s. Enjoy the two scoops Mr. President.

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