On the morning of inauguration day, I awoke to a cold, gloomy, lightly falling rain, and an alarming New York Times story concerning the man who would, in a matter of hours, become the 45th president of the United States.
“The continuing counterintelligence investigation means that Mr. Trump will take the oath of office on Friday with his associates under investigation and after the intelligence agencies concluded that the Russian government had worked to help elect him. As president, Mr. Trump will oversee those agencies and have the authority to redirect or stop at least some of these efforts.“
On my TV, former House speaker Newt Gingrich was chatting with Sheldon Adelson, who made his fortune running an empire of casinos in Vegas, Singapore, and China—among other places. Adelson’s a big contributor to the Republican Party—in the fall, he donated $25 million to Future45, a PAC that blasted Hillary. He said something that made Gingrich laugh. (Better laugh at those jokes, Newt—Adelson’s paying the bills.)
“The decision to open the investigations was not based on a dossier of salacious, uncorroborated allegations that were compiled by a former British spy working for a Washington research firm. The F.B.I. is also examining the allegations in that dossier, and a summary of its contents was provided to Mr. Trump earlier this month. Representatives of the agencies involved declined to comment. Of the half-dozen current and former officials who confirmed the existence of the investigations, some said they were providing information because they feared the new administration would obstruct their efforts. All spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the cases.“
“The lingering investigations will pose a test for Senator Jeff Sessions, Republican of Alabama, who has been nominated for attorney general. If Mr. Sessions is confirmed, he will for a time be the only person in the government authorized to seek foreign intelligence wiretaps on American soil. Mr. Sessions said at his confirmation hearing that he would recuse himself from any investigations involving Mrs. Clinton. He was not asked whether he would do so in cases involving associates of Mr. Trump.“
