Though the overall consensus of 17 American intelligence agencies is that the Trump campaign did indeed receive assistance from the Russian government as part of the 2016 race for the White House,  there are so many moving parts and different individuals that it can be difficult to keep it all straight.

But on her show Wednesday evening, Rachel Maddow did us all a tremendous service by carefully laying out the various pieces that have already fallen into place on the Trump-Russia story, which seems to get more complex and byzantine with each passing day.

Maddow began by referencing a Politico article that reported authorities have investigated Konstantin Kilimnik, an associate of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, over Kilimnik’s possible ties Russian intelligence. Specifically, investigators are “looking into a Russian citizen in conjunction with one of the incidents on the Trump campaign last year which defied explanation at the time.”

That incident? The Trump campaign’s decision to eliminate a GOP party platform that encouraged a hardline approach against Russia and the arming of Ukrainian rebels fighting against Russian incursions into their country. As it turns out, that platform plank was changed “specifically at Donald Trump’s request.”

The British Dossier

Next, Maddow turned to the 35-page dossier compiled by a member of British intelligence which suggested Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian intelligence might have embarrassing financial and personal information on Donald Trump which they could be using to blackmail the American head of state. Why is the dossier so vital to understanding the Trump-Russia matter? Because, as Maddow noted because the “baseline allegations of [it] actually appears to be about that platform change.”

Maddow ended the segment by rightly reminding her viewers:

“Everyday a new piece of it falls into place. All the supporting details are checking out.”

As for the Trump camp, their “previous denials are all falling apart.”

There can be no question that an independent counsel is needed to investigate this entire sordid matter. Let the facts take us where they will. If it leads to the downfall of Trump and the administration, then so be it. If it exonerates the Trump camp, then we can move forward without a cloud hanging over the White House.

Here’s the segment from Wednesday’s Rachel Maddow Show, in two parts:

This article was originally published by the same author at LiberalAmerica.org