The rules are different for Washington-types. Although President Trump’s opponent was found to be “extremely careless” in her handling of sensitive information, there was no indictment. Will Donald Trump Jr. receive similar treatment for being extremely careless?

Let’s look to our nation’s early history for some perspective. George Washington’s personal attorney, Edmund Randolph, was our nation’s first Attorney General before he assumed the duties of Secretary of State. An intercepted letter from the French bound for Randolph detailed French contempt for the United States. According to the letter, Randolph had revealed that Washington’s “neutral” Administration was hostile to the French. When Washington presented the letter to his Secretary of State, Randolph resigned. Today, scholars describe Randolph’s surreptitious actions as “lapses of good sense.” Randolph clearly communicated with a foreign government and paid a price for his actions.

Moving back to Donald Trump Jr. and the current situation. What about his lapses of good sense? It looks like the President’s son may have communicated with a foreign government in some fashion. While Randolph quit before he was fired, should Donald Trump Jr. consider doing the same? If he does, he should then let the process play out. If he is ultimately vindicated… so be it. However, until the matter is resolved, no more Oval Office tweets suggesting that Donald Jr. is “open, transparent and innocent” because his own emails suggest otherwise.

Ray Fowler
Redwood City, CA