By Jordan Jardine
Lately, the Democrats have been displaying an incredible talent for creating fake scandals to cover up their own genuine ones. The October 30th indictment of Paul Manafort is a perfect example of this diversionary tactic. I completely agree with the statement that White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders made where she pointed out that the mainstream media in the U.S. has been “obsessed” with trying to find any piece of dirt they can find on President Trump regarding his relationship with the Kremlin and the sometimes president/sometimes prime minister of Russia: the incomparable Vladimir Putin.
First, I want to say that I completely support the indictment of Paul Manafort. His charges include tax fraud and money laundering, according to the New York Times. Manafort reportedly laundered $18 million, allocating clandestine funds to various offshore companies and also exploiting real estate and home improvement deals right here in America. This was a very stupid and greedy move on Manafort’s part, so he should be punished accordingly. However, he isn’t the only one who has to answer for his secret and corrupt dealings.
An entertaining plot twist in the soap opera that is the Trump-Russia “collusion” hysteria, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former president Barack Obama also find themselves woven into this complex tapestry of foreign entanglements and corruption. The Hill has reported several stories that reveal that Clinton and Obama may have approved secret deals that gave Rosatom, a state-sponsored Russian nuclear energy company, control over 20% of the United States’ supply of uranium, which definitely puts our national security at risk. Although it is not the biggest national security concern, it was still a horrible idea if it was indeed worked out by the Russians, Obama, and Clinton. By the way, during Hillary’s tenure as Secretary of State, her husband Bill (who you may or may not have heard of) gave a speech in Russia and was paid a whopping $500,000 speaking fee and millions of dollars from other Russian donors who had a vested interest in closing the so-called Uranium One deal. Very suspicious.
The Uranium One scandal is merely an allegation at this point. If the Clintons and Barack Obama are found to have done nothing wrong, that’s fine and dandy. However, I think it says a lot that Obama hasn’t refuted the allegations and that Hillary has engaged in her usual pretentious, sanctimonious denial charade. It also says a lot that the Clintons’ lapdogs in the mainstream media keep harping away, with ever increasing aggression, on the Trump-Russia collusion nonsense. The main point I am trying to make is that the media has a responsibility to harp away on both of these stories and not obsess over just one of them. Also, Hillary and Obama should testify on their behalf concerning their knowledge of and/or their participation in the Uranium One scandal, just as Manafort did a few months ago. This country was founded upon many revolutionary principles, two of which are in question in this case: a fair press and equality under the law. It is simply unfair for one actor to be called to testify in regards to a scandal and not an actor from the other side of the aisle.
Refreshingly, The Hill has reported that an anonymous FBI informant received permission to testify before Congress about his knowledge of what went on between Obama, the Clintons, and the Russians. At least someone is stepping up to the plate and providing the American people with the information they deserve. Of course, it is unrealistic to expect that we actually have 100% equality under the law in this country, but we should strive to be as equal and as fair as possible in legal matters. If the scales of justice are tipped to far in one direction over another, the inevitable result is governmental and judicial tyranny, which this country was designed to fight and be immune to.
Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/31/world/europe/ukraine-manafort-indictment-yanukovych.html