My oh my, the crazy train inside the beltway got off to an early start this week!
CNN published an article on Monday morning with the click-baity title “Russia mystery threatens to consume Washington”. Frankly, I’m not sure this is going to consume anything other than oxygen. That said, an investigation should be conducted and if impropriety can be proven, more heads should roll. Jeffrey B. Sessions III is already embroiled in the Russian scandal, but now we can add the names of Jared Kushner, J.D. Gordon, Walid Phares and Carter Page to the growing list of those who need to be questioned about their interactions with representatives of the Russian government.

The Guardian summarized James B. Comey’s request to the Department of Justice to disregard the unsubstantiated claims of illegal wiretaps made by Donald J. Trump over the weekend. James, don’t be distracted by the shiny metal object – stick with getting to the bottom of Russian interference with the 2016 elections, please!

Meanwhile, the man-child of Mar-A-Lago was throwing a real temper tantrum, according to a Washington Post published late Sunday night. I can just see the angry cheeto pounding those teeny, tiny, little fists on his desk and shouting “…it’s not fair! It’s just not fair! I’m great!” OK, so you and Tony the Tiger both sport orange hair, but beyond that… Sad. Not great. Sad.

Los Angeles Times reporter, Cathleen Decker, wrote an opinion/analysis piece claiming the administration faces “threats” as it attempts to investigate itself, but the article quickly devolves into an abbreviated history lesson about special prosecutors, independent counsels, examples of past investigations and closes with the all too familiar pattern of opposing sound bites. A swing and a miss…

…and a Wall Street Journal post (paywall), states two Republican members of the House of Representatives have joined 161 of their Democratic counterparts calling for Trump to release his tax returns.

Reps. Mark Sanford of South Carolina and Walter B. Jones of North Carolina signed onto a letter with 161 House Democrats that asks Senate Finance Chairman Orrin Hatch (R., Utah) and House Ways and Means Committee Chair Kevin Brady (R., Texas) to request Mr. Trump’s tax returns from the Secretary of the Treasury for the past ten years. The letter was sent Friday by Democratic Rep. Bill Pascrell of New Jersey.

The committees that Mr. Hatch and Mr. Brady oversee each have the power to request Mr. Trump’s returns from the Internal Revenue Service and view them, and then choose to make all or part of them public.

Where are those tax returns, Donny?

Whoa, I think I’m gonna sneeze – must be allergic to the notion of foreign entities interfering with the outcome of elections here in the United States. …hope you’ve got a runny nose and watery eyes too! ;-)

Click here for a .PDF version of today’s poster.