Trump Explained

I have friends who are ardent Trump supporters. I’ve always been ambivalent about Trump. I think it’s obvious that he has narcissistic personality traits, tells more than his share of lies, and wastes time becoming embroiled in Twitter feuds with people we’ve never heard of, but that doesn’t automatically mean he can’t do a good job as president.

However, there is one thing that might disqualify him from being president. I’m not a lawyer and I doubt Trump could be arrested for this, but he might be impeached for it. So what is this one thing? I’m asking the question that surely others must be thinking:

Is Donald Trump a Russian operative?

That sounds harsh, but look at the evidence. Throughout his campaign and during his presidency, Trump created divisiveness both within America and between America and its longtime allies. He has publicly and vociferously attacked NATO. He has attacked the European Union. He has withdrawn the US from at least one treaty, the TPP, for which there was broad agreement that it was a good deal for the US. But he has put nothing in its place. It’s possible Trump thought he could work out a better deal than the TPP offered, but if so, it didn’t work. The other 11 countries have said, in so many words, we don’t need you. They have moved on and aren’t looking back. They are building their own trading order without us.

As a candidate, Trump accepted an endorsement from former KKK grand wizard David Duke—a virtual green light to various white supremacist groups. When anti-Nazi protesters clashed with pro-Nazi marchers in Charlottesville, Trump said there were “good people” on both sides. (No there weren’t; there were good people on one side and wannabe-Nazis on the other side.) Trump started a trade war which looks likely to cost American jobs as well as create higher prices. Trump has been trying to dismantle the ACA (Obamacare) piece by piece. He makes baseless slurs on immigrants. He enacted a Muslim travel ban when, in fact, Americans are far more likely to meet their deaths at the hands of other Americans with guns. He has nominated extreme and unqualified Cabinet and sub-Cabinet officials who then went to war with their own departments. He has criticized our court system because he dislikes any check on his power. He has even gone to war with his own executive branch (especially the intelligence community). He has relentlessly attacked America’s news media, calling any news story he dislikes “fake news”. He has attacked Congress, including belittling and insulting any Senator or Representative who is critical of him. He is un-American in so many ways, and doing so many things to damage America’s reputation, that the only rational conclusion is that he is an operative for a foreign power that wants to hurt America. Which country would that likely be? Here’s a hint: Trump’s White House has many ties to Russia. (This chart on Politico is worth a look.)

On July 27, 2016, Donald Trump called on Russia to find 30,000 “missing” Hillary emails. Within hours, Russian hackers attempted to hack into Clinton Campaign email accounts. Whether or not Trump was speaking in jest (as he later claimed), there is little doubt the Russian hackers were responding to Trump’s request.

Trump’s actions have hurt Americans (see How has Trump hurt Americans) but until now I have attributed those actions to hard-right conservative principles. But with his performance in Helsinki, I now have to consider that maybe, as some have said, Trump really is “Putin’s poodle.”

Trump Deals A Shocking Blow to Our Intelligence Community

Seven U.S. intelligence agencies including both parties on Capitol Hill have concluded that Russia meddled in America’s 2016 presidential election. Those agencies are:

1. Central Intelligence Agency
2. Office of the Director of National Intelligence
3. F.B.I.
4. National Security Agency
5. Justice Department
6. House Intelligence Committee
7. Senate Intelligence Committee

American Intelligence Community:

“Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at the US presidential election.” Jan. 6, 2017 > link
Intelligence assessment by the C.I.A., National Security Agency, F.B.I. and Office of the Director of National Intelligence

“The director stands by and has always stood by the January 2017 intelligence community assessment.” Nov. 11, 2017
Mike Pompeo, C.I.A. director

“As you can see with the FBI indictment, the evidence is now really incontrovertible and available in the public domain.” Feb. 17, 2018 > link
Lt. Gen. H. R. McMaster, President Trump's national security adviser

“In 2015, Russia began engaging in a covert influence campaign aimed at the U.S. presidential election.” April 27, 2018 > link
House Intelligence Committee

“There is no doubt that Russia undertook an unprecedented effort to interfere with our 2016 elections.” May 16, 2018 > link
Richard M. Burr, Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee

“In 2016, Russia conducted an unprecedented influence campaign to interfere in the US electoral and political process.” June 8, 2018 > link
Dan Coats, Director of National Intelligence

“The Committee concurs with intelligence and open-source assessments that this influence campaign was approved by President Putin.” July 3, 2018 > link
Senate Intelligence Committee

“The blame for election interference belongs to the criminals who commit election interference.” July 13, 2018
Rod J. Rosenstein, Deputy attorney general

“We have been clear in our assessments of Russian meddling in the 2016 election and their ongoing, pervasive efforts to undermine our democracy, and we will continue to provide unvarnished and objective intelligence in support of our national security.” July 16, 2018 > link
Dan Coats, Director of National Intelligence

Donald Trump’s responses:

“Somebody did say if he did do it, you wouldn’t have found out about it. Which is a very interesting point.” July 12, 2017

“And by the way folks just in case you’re like curious, no Russia did not help me, O.K.? Russia. I call it the Russian Hoax, one of the great hoaxes.” Sept. 22, 2017

“He said he didn’t meddle. I asked him again. You can only ask so many times. Every time he sees me, he says, ‘I didn’t do that.’ And I believe, I really believe, that when he tells me that, he means it.” Nov. 11, 2017

“Russia continues to say they had nothing to do with Meddling in our Election! Where is the DNC Server, and why didn’t Shady James Comey and the now disgraced FBI agents take and closely examine it? Why isn’t Hillary/Russia being looked at? So many questions, so much corruption!” June 28, 2018

“They said they think it’s Russia; I have President Putin, he just said it’s not Russia. I will say this: I don’t see any reason why it would be.” July 16, 2018

And In today’s news:

The White House has declined to rule out accepting a Russian proposal for the questioning in the United States of Americans, including former US ambassador to Moscow Michael McFaul, sought by the Kremlin for “illegal activities”. > link

This is an outrageous request and should have been immediately denounced as such. But Trump was willing to consider it. Is Trump a loyal American? The fact that he would consider, for even a second, turning over a former US ambassador to the Russians for interrogation is unacceptable.

Either we and our allies have the least competent intelligence agencies in the world, or Russia meddled in our election because they wanted to help Trump get elected, and Trump is okay with that. I can’t spin these events any other way.

If Donald Trump is not a Russian operative, he’s doing a great impression of one.