‘Parallel universe’

Re “Jan. 6 panel IDs 8-hour gap in official Trump phone logs” (March 30): This eighthour gap happened during a mob invasion of the nation’s Capitol to support his attempt to subvert constitutional law.

On March 29, former President Donald Trump called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to release any information he has on Hunter Biden’s dealings with oligarchs in Eastern Europe. For more than 70 years Russia has been our enemy. I remember as a boy taking shelter in school under the desk; the Russians had the hydrogen bomb. About 10 years later: the Cuban missile crisis. About a half-century later appeared Trump.

It started with former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s emails, “Russia, if you’re listening — I hope you are able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing.” Jared Kushner, his son-in-law, attempted to establish a secret “back-channel” line of communication with Russia. In 2018 Russia hacked our electric grid. I’ll never forget Helsinki when Trump sided with Putin, in front of the world throwing mud at his own intelligence agencies in spite of irrefutable evidence from them that Russia hacked our elections.

Recall the first impeachment when Trump improperly pressured the new president of Ukraine to conduct an investigation into the son of his political rival,

Joe Biden, by holding up military aid. Now more than 1,000 Ukrainian civilians are dead, millions displaced, cities destroyed, children dead. With regard to Ukraine, all Trump cares about is Biden’s son. This man is still a potential presidential candidate and is endorsed by many Republican congressmen. I must live in a parallel universe or in bedlam.

— George DeRise, Newport News