One might ask, what does it matter now, since Trump will be out of the White House in a matter of weeks. It matters insofar as Republicans use the investigations of Trump and Russia, and some genuine paranoia on our side, as excuses for their attempts to delegimize Joe Biden as President. Democrats attempted to delegitimze Trump, the argument goes, so turnabout is fair play. Democrats often descended into paranoia over Trump's Russia ties, so why shouldn't Republicans descend into paranoia over rigged elections.
There are any number of counter arguments to offer. One is to argue that any paranoia and attempts to undermine the Trump Presidency were mere retaliation for Republican birtherism.
More plausibly, one can point out that the things simply are not comparable. Hillary Clinton did not concede defeat on Election Night, but she conceded the next day. President Obama duly cooperated with Team Trump on the transition. Hillary did not sue to overturn the results, nor did she pressure state election officials not to certify results, or state legislatures to choose their own electors. Jill Stein did call for a recount in Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, but that is not inappropriate in a very close election. Trump opponents did march in protest and did encourage faithless electors, an attempt that went nowhere. And appointing a special counsel is by no means an unprecedented act.
But another response is to defend the Russia investigation on the merits. Although what it revealed was by no means as bad as what Trump's worst enemies suspected, it did reveal enough to fully justify holding an investigation. Unlike the "rigged" election, which exists only in some people's overheated imagination, Russian interference in 2016 was absolutely real. And the behavior of some Trump officials was disturbing.
More to follow.
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