Ross: Trump getting dirt from foreign sources cuts both ways

We now know the President is open to hearing dirt on his opponents, gathered by a foreign country. When he was asked the question there wasn’t the slightest hesitation.

Dispelling the myth of Donald Trump the Genius
No lies in Britain, but it’s OK to ‘feed the base’ in America

“I think you might want to listen — there’s nothing wrong with listening,” he said in a recent interview.

He’s being hammered by Democrats, and even a few Republicans, for those remark. But I have to say – I actually appreciate that he’s warning us.

Most politicians who dish dirt on their opponents won’t admit they got it from a shady source. But the President – true to his promise of transparency – is letting us know that any dirt dumped by his campaign may well have been planted by foreign operatives.

“If somebody called from a country – Norway – [saying] ‘we have information on your opponent,’ I think I’d take it,” Trump continued.

Not the slightest hesitation.

Now it’s true, he did not say whether he would reveal which of his attacks was inspired by foreigners, nor did he promise to name his foreign sources. That’s too bad, because it would be nice to know whether he’s Tweeting something from “Norway,” or something from Kim Jong Un.

But what impressed me most about the President’s ethical example is it gives the news media the green light. Foreign research is not treasonous; it’s fair game, so that should a Russian source finally get hold of, say, his tax returns and offer them to The New York Times, the Times can accept them without the slightest hesitation.

Follow @http://www.twitter.com/thedaveross