Sohn: Forget wiretaps and follow Trump's Russian roulette

It has been clear from the start that the claim President Donald Trump made via Twitter that former President Barack Obama wiretapped Trump Tower was just one more Trump sideshow to divert public attention from his and his administration's ties to Russia.

It was Trump's best dog-and-pony show to steal energy from growing concerns of possible treason and growing whispers of impeachable actions - and of course the absence of his tax returns and multiplying conflicts of interest.

In a continuing shell game, Trump has continued to play on a divided country's suspicion of its first black president.

However, Monday's House Intelligence Committee hearing helped bring Trump's game and precarious grip on reality into sharper focus.

What's the more clear and present danger to our country and our freedom: a ridiculous claim of wiretapping or Russia interfering with our election and presidency - possibly with the Trump administration's collusion? If the Trump campaign, or anybody associated with it, aided or abetted the Russians, it would not only be a serious crime, it would represent one of the most shocking betrayals of our democracy in this nation's history.

This was never more clear than during Monday's hearing into these matters.

During the hearing, FBI Director James B. Comey publicly confirmed an ongoing investigation into Russian interference in the presidential election and most importantly, whether there was "coordination" between the Trump campaign and the Russians.

Comey also testified the FBI had "no information" to support Trump's allegation that former president Barack Obama wiretapped him.

And Comey made it clear this is serious and worthy of public attention. He noted it is unusual for the FBI to confirm or deny the existence of any investigations, but in unusual circumstances - when it is in the public interest - the bureau sometimes will discuss such matters.

"This is one of those circumstances," Comey said under oath.

Another witness under oath in the hearing was Adm. Michael S. Rogers, the director of the National Security Agency, who said Russian efforts to interfere in democratic elections were not a one-off intrusion. Rogers and Comey noted that similar Russian actions continue now in Europe, and Comey said those manipulation attempts "will be back" in our next presidential election and possibly in the U.S. mid-term elections of 2018.

So we must get to the bottom of the hacking, the intervention and any possible collusion in it from the Trump campaign or any others in the U.S., Comey and Rogers stressed.

So much for Trump's insistence that "Russia is fake news" aimed at undermining his presidency.

But don't expect Trump to change. Even during the hearing he began a new Twitter storm, spinning the news by noting Comey and Rogers did not say Russian hackers had changed vote tallies.

"The NSA and FBI tell Congress that Russia did not influence electoral process."

That's not exactly what they said, and Comey, asked about the veracity of the tweet, said "influence" or impact was not what they have looked at - rather they are interested in the possible "coordination" between the Russians and Trump or his people. Comey would not comment on individual people who might be under the FBI microscope.

Trump's tweets and other Trump administration protestations tell a story, too.

As usual, Trump projects upon others what he often has done, said or thought. Perhaps his assertion that there was no manipulation of votes should in itself make us all the more suspicious of this president who has shown himself to be a king of falsehood and skulduggery.

Trump paved his road to the White House by falsely asserting that Obama was born in Kenya rather than Hawaii. He claimed Ted Cruz's father was in on the Jack Kennedy assassination. The list of false claims goes on and on, and most recently our sad president accused Obama of wiretapping Trump Tower. When that was met with denials by all U.S. intelligence officials, Trump then claimed Obama got British officials to wiretap him or his people.

Both Comey and Rogers flatly refuted both wiretapping claims. They said there is no evidence of an Obama-ordered wiretap, and Rogers explicitly denied having any indication that Trump was wiretapped by British intelligence at the request of Obama.

Meanwhile, the world watches our pain. This is far more than a domestic political squabble. These concerns and questions strike at the very heart of democratic governance, foreign interference in one nation's sovereignty and whether this administration and this president - and therefore our nation - can ever be trusted.

If there were ever an issue which should bring the country together, this is it. Not walls, not bans, not even budgets seem more important than an outside, adversarial government manipulating or influencing our election and having a stake in the person holding the White House.

Answers matter, and it's time for our senators and congress members to act as national leaders, no matter their party.

The truth will come out sooner or later. When it does, all who tried to deflect from and stop this important investigation will be exposed and hopefully cast out of government. Perhaps then we can begin to repair the damage the Trump administration, in less than 60 days, has inflicted on the American people and our great country.