Why is This Such a Surprise, Президент* Трамп Ed.

As President* Donald Trump lashes out at former President Barack Obama for failing to take a harder line against Russia for election meddling, Trump's own advisers are struggling to convince him that Russia still poses a threat, according to multiple senior administration officials.

"I just heard today for the first time that Obama knew about Russia a long time before the election, and he did nothing about it," Trump told Fox News in an interview that aired Sunday. "To me -- in other words -- the question is, if he had the information, why didn't he do something about it? He should have done something about it."

But the Trump administration has taken no public steps to punish Russia for its interference in the 2016 election. Multiple senior administration officials said there are few signs the President is devoting his time or attention to the ongoing election-related cyber threat from Russia.

Why would Trump want to punish the country whose interference may have swung the election his way? If Trump does anything to Russia, it would be a tacit admission, on his part, that he's not a legitimate president.

Besides that, we can only speculate what the Russians have on Trump, from Operation Golden Flow and other blackmail materials to data unmasking Trump's financial fuckery, including stuff on his kids and Jared Kushner.

And you can bet your ass that one of the messages that was delivered to Trump in his Oval Office meeting with the Russian Foreign Minister and their Ambassador was a reminder of how bad the Russians can make life for Trump if he doesn't do what they want. One little data-dump from Moscow and the next Trump family reunion will be held in either a place of exile or in a Federal slammer.

So if any sanctions get passed by Congress, it'll be a safe bet that it will have to be over a veto. If any investigation gets concluded, it will be in spite of presidential interference (which has already been on full display).

And when this is done and proven (as I expect most of it eventually will be), we will need to remind Republicans for the next fifty years that they stood beside and covered for the most egregious traitor since the founding of the Republic.