OPINION:
Now that the whole Russia collusion thing against President Donald Trump has been proven a media-hyped fallacy, politically savvy eyes are turning toward former President Barack Obama and wondering: What about all that sneaky surveillance stuff? What about all that Team Obama titillation of flawed Trump-Russia insider information? What about FISA and Fusion GPS and Christopher Steele reports used to justify spying of Team Trump?
These are good questions. And they demand answers.
As Sen. Rand Paul put it, in a tweet: “Time to investigate the Obama officials who concocted and spread the Russian conspiracy hoax!”
Indeed.
Since Trump’s not guilty on the colluding-with-Russia-to-steal-the-election-from-Hillary-Clinton front, and since that whole two-year, $25 million tax-paid investigation into Russia collusion was fueled largely by the narrative of the anti-Trumping left, it only makes sense to reel back and peel back the layers to see who all were the real Russia collusion drummers, what all, specifically, they’ve been drumming up these past years, and how all they’ve been able to drum it.
Yes, Obama, the tables are turning. Suddenly, what’s been untouchable is about to be touched.
Let’s hope the politicians promising accountability are going to be genuine in the follow-through; let’s hope vows to investigate the prior administration aren’t all smoke, no fire.
“Lindsey Graham’s next move after Mueller report: Investigate Obama’s Department of Justice,” ran one Greenville News headline, about the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s looming intent.
Good.
Team Obama’s record of illegal and suspicious surveillance is something that should worry every American.
“The Mueller report confirms that the Obama administration, without evidence, turned the surveillance powers of the federal government against the presidential campaign of the party out of power,” wrote assistant editor James Freeman in the Wall Street Journal. “This historic abuse of executive authority was either approved by President Barack Obama or it was not. It’s time for Mr. Obama, who oddly receives few mentions in stories about his government’s spying on associates of the 2016 Trump campaign, to say what he knew and did not know about the targeting of his party’s opponents.”
But that’s just a drop in the bucket of curiosities that marked the Obama’s administration actions — the same administration the press members of the ideological left, for years, pointed to as scandal-free.
Talk about a protective coating.
“What makes no sense to me is that all of the abuse by the Department of Justice and the FBI, the unprofessional conduct, the shady behavior — nobody seems to think that’s much important,” Graham said, in a widely reported press conference on Capitol Hill. “Well, that’s going to change, I hope.”
America hopes, as well.
After more than two years of false charges, wild accusations and unfounded calls to impeach — after $25-plus million of tax dollars spent on an investigation that went nowhere — the American people deserve some answers.
Let the truth go where it will, political protections be danged.
• Cheryl Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com or on Twitter, @ckchumley.
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