Tit for Tat: Trump Hits Back

Envoys represent their countries abroad, at the UN, or as ambassadors-at-large, serving in various capacities. In foreign capitals, they’re liaisons between their home and host nation.

Their duties involve understanding policies of the nations they’re assigned to, including as they unfold daily, providing important information to their governments back home.

Interfacing with host country officials is part of their job – including diplomats, legislators, and administration officials to the highest levels.

Diplomacy works this way. Bilateral relations depend on it. Treaties and other important business can’t be negotiated any other way.

Democrats demanding AG Jeff Sessions’ head for meeting Russia’s ambassador to Washington, Sergey Kislyak, is all about delegitimizing and undermining Trump, a political act, wanting him ousted or too weak to govern effectively.

He struck back, tweeting “I hereby demand a second investigation, after (Senator Chuck) Schumer, of (Rep. Nancy) Pelosi for her close ties to Russia, and lying about it.”

Separately, he tweeted “(w)e should start an immediate investigation into @SenSchumer and his ties to Russia and Putin. A total hypocrite!”

In September 2003, Schumer welcomed Vladimir Putin to New York on the occasion of Lukoil opening a gas station in Manhattan.

They had coffee and donuts together. A photo showed them smiling. Schumer said “(w)hen I showed the president of Russia a Krispy Kreme doughnut and he ate it and said it was good, that was one of the more surreal moments I’ve had in politics.”

Pelosi lied when asked if she ever met Kislyak, saying “(n)ot with this Russian ambassador, no.”

A photo showed her and Rep. Steny Hoyer meeting with then Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Ambassador Kislyak in 2010.

Numerous congressional members, US diplomats and bureaucrats met with Russian officials over the years, no fuss made of it. Nations deal with each other this way.

Kislyak has been Russia’s ambassador to Washington since 2008. He’s no doubt met many US officials, Democrats and Republicans alike.

On March 2, Senator Dianne Feinstein said “I believe (Kislyak has) been in my office from time to time.” No doubt many others on Capitol Hill.

It’s his job, what his US counterparts do in their host countries – including Washington’s ambassador to Russia John Tefft.

Sergey Lavrov commented, saying “Kislyak is accused of talking to American politicians who were in opposition to the administration of then-President Barack Obama.”

“That is the essence of these accusations, to be honest.  We don’t want to and we won’t ape (what’s going on in Washington and America’s deplorable media).”

“If such a principle has been applied to scrutinize activity of (ambassador) John Tefft and his contacts, we could see quite an ‘amusing’ picture.”

“Relationships are maintained in the form of meetings, talks, contacts with both executive officials and with politicians, public figures, non-governmental organizations. This practice has never been disputed.”

The firestorm is part of continuing efforts to vilify Trump for the wrong reasons, not the right ones.

It reflects America’s deplorable state no tinkering around the edges can fix – revolutionary change urgently needed. At stake is humanity’s survival.