A MONTH INTO THE TRUMP DARKNESS

So here we are a month into Trumpness.

Instead of things calming down, the cause for concern grows.

Over the weekend, on the heels of a Donald Trump news conference meltdown, we learned that the Trump-Russia connections are growing darker and darker — as though the certainty that Russia interfered with our presidential election could be darker.

The New York Times has reported that a week before Mike Flynn resigned as national security adviser, the president’s personal lawyer hand-delivered to Flynn a sealed proposal outlining a way for President Trump to lift sanctions against Russia. The proposal was pushed by Michael D. Cohen, the president’s personal lawyer, Felix H. Sater, a business associate who helped Trump scout deals in Russia, and a Ukrainian lawmaker trying to rise in a political opposition movement shaped in part by Trump’s former campaign manager Paul Manafort. The Ukrainian lawmaker is Andrii Artemenko, who is allied with Putin’s government.

A Washington Post story says Cohen met with the president at the White House, but did not drop off any documents.

Either way, in context with the saga of Flynn and Russian sanctions, this is jaw dropping.

Check the timeline:

› Dec. 29, 2016 — The Obama administration announces sanctions against Russia in retaliation for Russia’s interference in our election — the one Trump won. Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announces Russia will respond in kind and toss out U.S. diplomats. Flynn speaks by phone to Russia’s ambassador to the U.S., Servey Kislyak several times.

› Dec. 30 — Russian President Vladimir Putin announces Russia will not take action against the sanctions. Trump tweets “Great move on delay (by V. Putin) — I always knew he was very smart!” The White Houses insists Trump had no prior knowledge of Flynn’s conversations with Kislyak.

› Jan. 12, 2017 — The Washington Post’s David Ignatius reports that Flynn and Kislyak spoke around the time of Obama’s sanctions announcement.

› Jan. 13 — Incoming White House spokesman Sean Spicer denies sanctions were discussed.

› Jan. 14 — Vice President-elect Mike Pence and Flynn talk, and Pence later says Flynn assured him sanctions were not discussed.

› Jan. 15 — Pence, on “Face the Nation,” and incoming White House chief of staff Reince Prebus on “Meet the Press” defend Flynn and say sanctions were not talked about.

› Jan. 20 — Trump takes office.

› Jan. 26 — Then-acting attorney general Sally Yates tells White House counsel Don McGahn that sanctions were discussed (the FBI interviewed Flynn about the calls sometime between Jan. 23 and 26) and Flynn is vulnerable to blackmail. “The president was immediately informed of the situation,” Spicer later said.

› Feb. 6 (or so, a week before Flynn was forced to resign) — the president’s personal lawyer, Cohen, meets with the president over a so-called peace plan for Ukraine and Russia.

› Feb. 9 — The Washington Post, citing nine sources, reports that Flynn discussed the sanctions with Kislyak on Dec. 29. Flynn’s memory suddenly became fuzzy. Vice President Pence learns Flynn gave him false information when The Post’s report appears.

› Feb. 10 — Trump says he’s not seen the Post story, but he’ll look into it.

› Feb. 13 — Flynn is forced to resign.

So 10 days after the White House is told Flynn misled the vice president and chief of staff, and three days before the story breaks in the national news while the VP is still in the dark, but before Flynn is fired, three close ties to the president — including one who had been working on a plan for a Trump Tower in Moscow until the fall of 2015 — gives Flynn and/or the president a proposal that would help Trump make lifting the sanctions look OK.

The proposal would provide Trump cover as it would purport to show a good-faith move on Russia’s part to reach some peace with Ukraine — though it is hard to see how giving Russia long-term control over a territory it seized in 2014 is particularly peace-inspiring. Russia on Monday denied knowing anything about the proposal.

If your head isn’t spinning, it should be.

With investigations flying left and right over Trump’s ties to Russia, this seems to be yet another handful of questionable connections.

Is it any wonder that Trump is flailing at the media and making wild and false claims about a Brussels-like attack in Sweden?

He’ll try anything to steer America’s focus away from his ties to Russia.