Rep. Maxine Waters: Investigate Trump and the only man he won't disparage — Vladimir Putin

The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence previously announced that they will be conducting a full investigation into Russian interference in our presidential election, including cyberattacks and leaks of classified material.

Representative Maxine Waters (D-CA) does not want the inquiry to stop there, though. She is calling for the investigation to include a specific examination of potential collusion on the part of members of Donald Trump’s campaign with the Russian government or associated individuals.

Why did GOP soften Ukraine position in platform? What did Manafort & Stone know abt leaks? Why did Trump encourage leaks? #investigateTrump pic.twitter.com/h8R4tUyPd0

— Maxine Waters (@MaxineWaters) January 31, 2017

In a press release, Waters notes that she, like many others, has been “shaken by the lies, the deception, and the stunning level of incompetence” seen since Trump’s inauguration.

In just under two weeks, Donald Trump has unnerved our allies, challenged our values, and brought so much instability and chaos to our country.  This chaos is sure to please at least one person – Vladimir Putin.  For everyone Trump is quick to bully, from world leaders to gold star families, to disabled Americans, there seems to be one person on the world’s stage who can do no wrong in Trump’s eyes.  A dictator and former KGB agent who armed Assad in Syria as he attacked innocent civilians appears to be the only man that Donald Trump will not disparage.

Given the extensive ties between Russia and individuals associated with Trump, we cannot ignore the possibility that there may have been collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign.

She goes on to denote various troubling connections between Russia and numerous members of Trump’s inner circle, including Paul Manafort, Trump’s former campaign manager; Roger Stone, a longtime friend of Trump’s; Lt. General Michael Flynn, Trump’s National Security Advisor; Wilbur Ross, nominee for Secretary of Commerce; and Rex Tillerson, the CEO of ExxonMobil who is poised to become the next Secretary of State.

Waters declares that the connections in this “Trump-Putin circle” evince clear conflicts of interest which are “too significant to be ignored.”

She firmly states that we “cannot allow any investigation led by the Republicans in Congress to whitewash Trump’s ties to Russia” or to avoid seeking out and making public full and complete answers to any questions about these relationships.

Waters has been an indefatigable and fervent opponent of this administration, and has been forthright in her condemnation of Trump as a repugnant man and a serious “danger” to the nation, its citizens, and our democracy.

She continues to model unyielding resistance, both to the administration itself, and to the normalization of it occurring among much of the corporate media. Unlike the new president, Waters is on the side of the people.