Dan Perkins: Russian Collusion Game of Clue/Colonel Mustard's Library, Obama's White House

By Dan Perkins:

For those of you who are not aware of the board game Clue, Anthony E. Pratt invented it in 1949. Over the 70 years the game has been around, tens of millions of Americans have played this game, myself included. It is a game of who done it. One of the most famous suspects in the game is Colonel Mustard. The object of the game is to figure out who committed the crime. I have come up with a new version of the Clue game called: Russian Collusion.

The game takes place in the White House, and the players are:

Mr. President, Obama Hussain

NSA Advisor, Mickey Clapper

CIA Director, Howard Bennigan

FBI Director, William Cody

Attorney General, Eric Lynch

First Lady, Mabel Hussain

Secretary of State, Robem Clinton

Senior Advisor, Jam Jarrett

Publisher New York Times, Fred Smoother

Publisher of the Washington Post, Alastair Cookie

Republican Nominee, Donald J. Trump

The object of the game is to find out when President Hussain, knew his team was trying to influence the outcome of the election. The person who figures out what Hussain knew and when he knew it wins the game and gets a prime seat next to Donald Trump at the 2021 inauguration. This will actually be on the game board, not really the real inauguration in Washington DC! I will not complete the game, but will leave it up to you to figure out the answer. However, I will give you some clues.

Husain, to Fred Smoother of the Washington Post, “It's just silly to think that the Russians could do anything to interfere with an American election.” “Sir, you should tell the American people that you know that your government tried to interfere in the Israeli election and that didn't work.” “Besides, I know we are smarter than the Russians.” “If you couldn't get it to work in Israel, what would make anyone think the Russians could make it work here in America.” Take two squares back.

Ex-Secretary of State and Democratic candidate for President, Robem Clinton, is speaking with CIA Director, Howard Bennigan, "You know, Howard, it sure would be nice to know what is going on in the Trump campaign. Anything you can do?" “What would you like to know, Madam Secretary?” “I guess a lot, but I should probably check with President Hussain first, and then I will get back to you. Is it possible that we could for the moment just listen in and hear what they are talking about?” “Not a problem, we will be listening within 24 hours.” “I'll get back to you after I speak with the president.” Big win, 3 steps forward.

Robem decides to call on Jam Jarrett first to smooth the way to the president. She has a conversation with Alastair Cookie first, the publisher of the Washington Post about how he will handle the information they can gain from spying on the Trump campaign. She needs to be able to tell Jarrett what

the Post and other media outlets will do with the information she will get from Bennigan. Smart move, 3 steps forward.

Attorney General Erich Lynch and FBI Director William Cody are speaking about the way the campaign is going. “Bill, it appears that this Trump fellow is gaining some traction and is starting to move up in the polls. He is attracting huge crowds everywhere he goes, including in what should be our stronghold states. Is it possible that the polls are wrong and he is closer than we thought?” “No, I don't think so. I heard that the president is considering approving listening in on the Trump headquarters.” Erich suggests, “Bill, can we get some of your agents to work undercover in the Trump campaign and get us more information on their plans? Erich, “If they get caught, it could look bad for the president. Are you sure it's worth the risk?” Two steps backward.

Robem has a meeting with Jam Jarrett and the First Lady, Mabel Hussain, in the First Lady’s Office in the White House to discuss the possible meeting with the president. “Mabel, I have a concern that Trump is getting too close for comfort. I believe I will win, but it won't be a landslide. I would like to have the president approve whatever needs to be done, legal or illegal, to assure me of victory. I know that Lynch and Cody are looking into things they can do to get more information on the Trump campaign. I want to start a campaign through our media contacts that the Russians have stepped up their interference in the election. I know that Cookie of the Post and Smoother of the Times are already on board.” Jam speaks up, “I don't think it will be difficult for me to get the major TV news networks to follow suit.”

Mabel speaks, “Robem, do you think there is any possibility you can lose this election?” “I don't think so, but it certainly is possible. That is why we need to speak to the president, because it doesn't support what I want to do. I think I could lose.” 4 steps backward.

Now you have to use your brain and develop the rest of the story. You might want to consider that Robem may lose and what will the Hussain administration do to correct the nation’s error? Will Hussain agree to use all possible means to assure that Robem will win? What can he do before he leaves office should Trump win? Can he pressure the House to impeach him, so Trump is gone before his first year is over?

A Perkins Twist, if everything else fails, will he fall back on the ultimate option? So now it is your turn to finish the game to answer the question, when did Hussain know what was going on and what did he do, if anything on his watch, to stop it? When the arrests are made at the end of the game, who is going to jail? Who is going to wear the orange jumpsuit?