Embattled U.S. President Donald J. trump's claim of "total and complete vindication" following dramatic testimony from his former FBI director on June 8 actually raises more questions than it purports to answer.

If the president actually thinks sworn testimony that he personally asked James Comey to drop a government investigation into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 election seems much like anything but an effort to obstruct the probe, someone appears to be slightly delusional. Comey clearly affirmed that Trump, who initially allowed Comey to stay in his post during the transition from the Obama administration, did make legally questionable comments about existing FBI probes into the alleged involvement of Russian operatives in Trump's 2016 election campaign.

The former FBI director also said Trump told him that former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, a retired army general, was a "good guy" and that the bureau's investigation of his conduct should end. It's certainly possible that the one-on-one conversation between Trump and Comey was just like two dudes bonding after a long day at the office, but it sounds more like attempted obstruction than that.

Hardly vindication

And that, sorry to say for Trump, does not sound like a vindication of any kind. In fact, it sounds curiously like when former President Richard Nixon released White House tapes he assumed would clear him in the Watergate investigation but ended up proving coverup accusations against him.

Worse than that, Trump's repeated condemnations of leaks coming from White House staffers completely misses the point. The information leaking from the White House belongs to the public that elected him and pays his salary, not to Trump

Trump may well be unhappy that he is not in control of the public's information, but that is how it goes in a democracy.

but Trump is an elected official beholden to the citizenry. Excuse us for wanting to know what is going on in our government.

Alleged hacking

Perhaps the most troubling thing about the whole situation is how unconcerned the president appears to be about the alleged Russian government-sponsored hacking of the 2016 Clinton campaign and of election databases.

He's constantly changing the subject to his victory or to Clinton's defeat, but Comey clearly said the FBI had proof that the tampering had occurred.

The Russians tried to interfere in our election? That is an attack on the United States! OK, it's not a military assault, but where is the outrage from the White House? These are the Russians we're talking about! Remember the Soviet Union and the Cold War? Remember Ukraine?

If there's anything positive about this at all, it's that the Russian dictatorship under Vladimir Putin appears to have learned the importance of free elections to a properly functioning society. Now, if only they would allow them in their own country.