Knee-Deep in Alligators

Donald Trump's cabinet secretary for Health and Human Services, Tom Price, has been the center of controversy for months because of possible illegal insider trading whilst he was a Congressman. Price took certain actions as a legislator that benefited companies in whose stock he was investing more than $300,000.

On Friday, ProPublica broke the story (link here) that it appears recently fired US Attorney Preet Bharara was investigating whether Price's actions while in Congress violated securities laws. To refresh your memory, Bharara was the federal prosecutor whom Trump asked to remain in the new administration before the President abruptly fired him this past weekend; I wrote about that here on Wednesday.

Trump famously and repeatedly promised to "drain the swamp" when he was campaigning, but now that he's in office, the Price/Bharara matter stinks like swamp gas. Bharara was said to be investigating both Price and Trump and is suddenly shown the door notwithstanding Trump asked him to stay -- how can that not look deeply suspect?

If a President truly wanted to "drain the swamp," he probably would not have done something that looks so inherently dubious as he has done with this situation. But at a very least, to remove all cloud of doubt, he would ask for a special prosecutor be appointed to investigate the entire matter to keep their behavior from seeming sleazy.

Trump almost certainly will do no such thing. He'll try to bluster and bullshit his way through the whole scandal, with some distracting and impolitic Twitter rages to divert attention away from his odiferous behavior.

Drain the swamp indeed.