A presidency going downhill

The latest revelations on US President Donald Trump — his confrontation with sacked FBI director James Comey and confabulations with Russia — have stoked a gathering chorus for his impeachment for “obstruction of justice” and other “high crimes and misdemeanours”. His meeting with Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and Moscow’s ambassador to the US, where he shared intelligence, reportedly gathered by Israel, on an ISIS terror threat via laptops on flights has snowballed into the biggest crisis yet for a White House already inured to tumultuous times. Mr Trump’s disregard for the norms of his high office has led to strange situations, as he moved into uncharted territory for a US President. He may have gone too far in sharing information with Russia, who many in the US still regard as the enemy.

A memo by Mr Comey on being asked to shut a federal investigation into former NSA Michael T. Flynn is being seen as evidence that the President directly tried to influence the justice department and a FBI investigation into his and his associates’ Russian links. The White House, of course, has a different spin. The point is Mr Trump got as far as the White House on a campaign of bluster, innuendo and a post-truth colour to major events, and once there has been unable to abide by conventions, even on national security matters. It is a telling comment on his first few months that bookmakers have slashed the odds on Mr Trump not completing his first term, either by resigning or being impeached. It is an understatement, really, to say that he has stirred many a hornet’s nest.