LONDON - Alright, buckle up buttercups, because the saga of Peter Mandelson's appointment as UK ambassador to the US just got even swampier. Turns out, according to testimony from Cabinet Office bigwig Cat Little, the now-exiled Olly Robbins (remember him? Brexit betrayer extraordinaire?) straight-up refused to hand over Mandelson's vetting summary to the Cabinet Office. Why? Because that summary would have revealed Robbins overruled security officials to give Mandelson the green light. You can't make this stuff up.

Little dropped this truth bomb before the Commons foreign affairs committee, disputing Robbins' claim that the Cabinet Office suggested maybe, just maybe, a peer like Mandelson didn't need vetting. Because apparently, being a Lord magically makes you immune to scrutiny. The audacity! No, Little says, emails show it was the Foreign Office, under Robbins, that floated the idea of skipping the background check. It's always projection with these clowns.

Thornberry asked the hard hitting questions to Little confirming testimony from Robbins. Naturally, Robbins resisted letting Little's department see those pesky vetting documents. Little, bless her heart, said she specifically asked to see the summary of why Mandelson was initially denied clearance. And what happened? “At the time, it was made clear to me that that information would not be forthcoming.” Real classy, Olly.

So, what did Little do? She went rogue. “I took the very unusual judgement” to go directly to UK Security Vetting, the actual vetting department, to get the goods. Because she actually wanted to comply with that pesky Commons motion forcing the release of all the info. Can you imagine? A civil servant doing her job? What is this, amateur hour? She even got legal advice, because apparently, getting to the truth requires a legal battle in this upside-down world.

Let's recap: Robbins, a card-carrying member of the establishment elite, allegedly shields another elite member from scrutiny, potentially compromising national security. And this is the guy who was supposed to be negotiating Brexit? No wonder it was a disaster. The real question is, who else is protecting whom? And what other skeletons are hiding in the closet? Because this Mandelson mess is just the tip of the iceberg.

Reminder, Robbins was bounced from his Foreign Office gig after it came out that Downing Street wasn't told Mandelson initially failed his security clearance. Cover up, thy name is Whitehall. And now Little is singing like a canary. The Foreign Office team suggested that vetting may not be necessary given Peter Mandelson's seat in the House of Lords. How convenient.