Letter to the Editor:

A challenge to Iowa’s Senators Grassley and Ernst:

How dare the president refute on the world stage the unanimous findings by our country’s national security agencies of the concerted, prolonged, and successful program by Russian cyber operatives, under the direction of Mr. Putin, to determinedly influence the outcome of the last presidential election.

By Trump’s unequivocal refutation of these findings, and by his disparagement of the continuing investigations by special counsel Mueller into a full and complete understanding of Russian meddling in our country’s election processes, Trump has reneged on his Constitutional duty to defend American national security, in that he has betrayed our nation’s democratic ideals of free and fair elections, of the rule of law and of a commitment to justice based on facts.

It is to these ideals that Trump swore allegiance. Senators, you can no longer excuse or attempt to whitewash what this man says and believes. Trump is a traitor to his own country and to what it stands for. Any attempt by you to speak or to act otherwise on Trump’s behalf is a self-indictment of your own traitorous sympathies. Stop being Trump’s lackeys.

Set aside partisanship and start being citizens of patriotic conviction. The gravity of the times demands it. You are either true Americans or, if you continue to be Trump’s enablers, you are Russian sympathizers. No man (or woman) can have two masters.

So, which shall it be for you?

Steven E Pokorny

Ankeny