Such Strange Times

Adam Schiff, Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, announced that the whistleblower (concerning Trump’s machinations with respect to Ukraine) will testify before the Committee in closed session. Apparently, his or her identity is to be kept secret. In not such strange times, the whistleblower might be sequestered through the witness protection program, but that program is administered by the Justice Department, which is headed by a Trump loyalist who has shown no respect for the Constitution or his oath of office.  Harvard Law School Professor Laurence Tribe had good reason to comment on a talk show yesterday that the whistleblower is a “profile in courage.”

     Meanwhile, Trump and his allies emit impassioned fusillade after fusillade of counter accusations, misinformation, denials, distortions, obfuscations, and sheer lies. Trump’s role-model is Putin, who, if he could identify the whistleblower, would make sure that he would have an unfortunate “accident.” At least that’s not as bad as Stalin, who, as a precaution, would have had anyone who might be the whistleblower executed.