GOP = Government Of Putin
Hey Russian Republicans your time is running out..... better grow a spine.
23
Trump is afraid of Russia aka Putin because the latter leaves a trail of bodies of those who crossed him. Recent assaults on Russians emigres in London could be that reminder for Donald, Manafort and cohorts if they weren’t already convinced of their peril.
5
• He made no mention of the unfair political system that deprives Russians of a real say in their government.
Non of the USA's business if interference in US election is considered 'illegal' and 'unfair'.
Here's the pot calling the kettle 'black'!
Russia takes back Crimea, their only port on the Black Sea and Russian territory to begin with, one of the founding members of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) until 1954, when Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev gave it to Ukraine in a drunken stupor as a present, complaining of U.S. intervention and encroachment along Ukraine's borders to preempt NATO (a.k.a. U.S.A.) threatened aggression as with the CIA orchestrated coup and 'uprising' organized and fanned by U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European affairs,Victoria Nuland in Ukraine.
A little knowledge of history doesn't hurt.
The planet Earth should be (and is) as fearful of gouging, hegemonic U.S.A.
3
Since Trump loves Putin so much, he should move to Russia and give the rest of us back our country. Then they can enjoy some shirtless horseback rides and marginal golf games together.
9
To me Trump feels like a someone who could be in the process of becoming a traitor.
4
Wow! Our President is afraid of Russia? And V. Putin, too? Could this be an extortion problem dating back to the 1980s?
Seems our President and his buddy Gideon may have eliminated a woman who could have caused a lot of trouble. Gideon was indicted, but it disappeared in 1990.
Our President may have avoided, with help from the D of C, being implicated.
Stop if you have heard this one.
God Bless Americans.
6
You can smell the fear and desperation in the White House.
5
From the winner of one sham election to another: congratulations.
14
March 22, 2018
Interesting that Trump sees Putin in all ways that he would love to act.
4
He is a lackey of Russia.
His Trump organization is a money laundering scheme that gets a large amount of its money from Russia.
He colluded with Russia and has obstructed Justice
because he depends on their money to avert another
bankruptcy. Yes Putin is his real boss!
He is our greatest National Security risk .
When will the citizens of America wake up and impeach this madman and then indict him for treason?
13
Given Thomas Friedman's column today and this one, isn't the likely answer that our intrepid so-called leader is beholden to the Russian mafia in financial ways that he doesn't want American voters to know about? Please renew the call for him to provide not only his tax returns going back a decade at least, but also full financial statements.
9
Water sports?
Dictator admiration?
Just plain crazy?
2
It may be that Mr Putin like Mr Trump has a hard core cadre who will never abandon him. If Mr trump ,is compromised and being tacitly blackmailed it will come out and the rats will abandon his ship before they too go down.
It may also be simple adulation of the shirtless man's physique.
1
When Mr. Trump says there was "no collusion" during the campaign I believe him.
That's because the collusion took place well before the actual campaign commenced. The laundering of Russian mobster money in purchases of Trump properties, for example. Russian loans to help the genius businessman Mr. Trump get out of debt. And the famous "golden shower" tapes made by Russian intelligence when Mr. Trump visited Moscow for the Miss Universe pageant. Believe me, they are real and exist.
In other words, the Russians purchased their agent of influence long before the latter evinced any interest in running for President.
In time, historians will name other Russian agents of influence -- Mark Zuckerberg, for example. Jared Kushner. Mike Flynn. Paul Manafort.
It will take a while for the evidence to emerge. But emerge it will.
6
Let us state a FACT. There is as yet no material evidence that the Russian state is involved in this attack. "a nerve agent OF A KIND originally produced in the Soviet Union" is what one might call a tenuous link at best. But that's enough for credulous twits and western governments.
It is a known rule amongst Intelligence Services regarding international terrorist events, that if a foreign entity is identified as the culprit IMMEDIATELY then the terrorist attack was carried out by the victim state (I never mentioned 9/11).
By the way, all this is happening because NATO has just been humiliated by Russia in Syria and the UK is trying to create a context and a pretext for military retaliation and an escalation that will save NATO from irrelevance.
1
Follow the money, as I'm sure Mueller has. I think we will find that Trump is totally in debt to Russians because no legitimate banks will lend to him any more.
5
Forget Flint, Papadopoulos, and Gates. I'd say follow the money. His son has already said before they are in deep with Russian money.
You want Trump to prove he is not the Manchurian president, ask him to release his tax returns.
Sad!
7
once again we are going over ground that was well covered in the election campaign. it was clear then that trump was a traitor to the ideals America stood for and its equally clear he is now a traitor to the national security interests of America.
4
Trump is afraid of upsetting his Russian bankers, the only country on earth which would loan him money after multiple bankruptcies and stiffing his American bankers out of 100's of millions. Trump has also been laundering money for the Russians for a very long time and was hit with the largest fine in the history of New Jersey gaming for washing Russian Mafia money over 20 years ago. And why would Deutsch bank lend Trump $300 million when they had already sued him over $50 million. My bet is he has Russian co signers like the oligarch who gave him triple what a Palm Beach mansion was worth at the height of the worst melt down in Florida real estate history.
5
Why do Trump defenders have to note that Obama called Putin in 2012? Why is that a partisan issue? It’s a fact, but the editorial board frames it as some surprising mystery.
1
This is from a White House press release in 2012, "President Obama called Russian President-elect and Prime Minister Putin to congratulate him on his recent victory in the Russian Presidential election," So, was Obama also afraid of Russia?
1
Why should Trump be afraid of Russia? His abysmal reputation won’t suffer from the stench of rotten deals - it’s already rock bottom. If he goes to jail, then President Pence will pardon him “to heal the country” as Ford put it when pardoning Nixon.
So Trump can sit back and enjoy the furor he creates and relish Ryan & McConnell chasing each other ‘round the flag pole, lost in the dust Trump has whipped up.
Trump will not respond to a Russian attack on our election and on our infrastructure. In refusing to defend the US against Russia, he is acting as Russia's agent and against the interests of the U.S. Why speculate on whether this is done knowingly or not? Whether he is afraid of Russia for whatever reason or if he is just stupid?
If Trump's refusal is based on strengthening the public perception of his electoral victory, he is selling out his country for his personal benefit. If he is afraid of the exposure of proof that he acted with Russia, or sought business there, or is not very rich or fears that exposure of his salacious activity may come out, he is selling his country and our security for his personal benefit.
Republicans who vote for Republicans empower people without honor to maintain power. These voters should question why they would support the same people Russia supports to shield Trump and suborn our country and harm Europe and NATO.
Republicans of merit, such as McCain, Flake and a few others, would show true courage by becoming Independents and caucusing with the Dems to put a brake on traitorous behaviour until their party regains its sanity.
2
Why do we really care about Russia? It’s big but per capital gdp is 3rd world. We don’t trade with them to any great extent. We should be able to ignore them. Most of the wealth is held by 100 people.
Cut them off the internet! Cut them out of the economy and treat them like N Korea.
They won’t vote for Putin again... not that they ever did.
let's see his tax returns
2
The Times position that Trump should be criticizing Putin for his unfair system brings into relief the difference between the idiological and the realists. The former likes to preach so called American values while the latter says, what are the threats and how do we deal with them. The ideologues bring to mind the moralistic lecturing that was the Wilson presidency. I as an American am sometimes embarrassed by American lecturing of other countries, and cringe at the often obvious hypocrisy. We should worry about countering Putin's moves, and lecturing a foreign country on how great our system is. Ours is very much about money. What's to brag about there?
And... where are the tax returns? This is, surely, the most obvious starting point...
1
I would also like us to start asking why is it that Republicans are so afraid of containing their President?
Is it possible that the penetration of all our branches of government by Putin may actually be much worse that any one will ever know?
Putin and his secret services may have all of the Washington establishment compromised, and revealing the extend of the failure of our government and the Republicans to protect us may be the biggest national security failure in the history of our republic.
1
Trump is afraid, because they have his tax returns, his bank account info, and his credit rating. He's just a regular millionaire. His vanity could not take being a run of the mill millionaire. just a guess
The question is not whether Mr. Trump is Putin's lackey. But to know if Mr Putin is a villain. Understanding complex situations means not caricaturing the protagonists. When Putin came to power, he was probably one of the most open leaders in the West. The question is why this enthusiasm has turned into a distrust towards Europe and the USA?
Russia is a great country, which is facing enormous difficulties. It tries to be reborn on the ruins of communism. Can we blame a leader for wanting to restore his country to its former glory? One of the principles that should drive our diplomatic approach is methodological benevolence. For example, why call this election a sham? Certainly irregularities here or there? But nothing that shocked international observers. Why not give this benevolence and believe that Mr Putin may not be that bad. Why not consider Mr Putin just as a leader who would seek to get out of some form of humiliation that the West has put him through in the past. It is necessary to stop tightening reports and universalize methodological benevolence.
If this was a tv crime drama, Lenny from Law & Order would have slapped the cuffs on Trump and McCoy would have woven a solid circumstantial case that ended in a guilty verdict.
From the numerous contacts with Russians by Trump and his family before and after the election to the daily lies that get ignored by his sycophants and doubled down by his spokespeople to the one third of his time spent on Trump properties, the man is making a mockery of the office.
He is using his office to put money in his pockets, trying desperately to salvage the cash strapped Kushner real estate company all the while doing whatever he can to damage the legacy of President Obama, a man he resents for his higher intelligence, laudable family values and his successes in office.
2
Ponder ANY of the relationships in your life, work or personal.
Without even trying you are in possession of a ton of potentially damaging information about all of these people.
Opinions they hold, less than kosher business practices etc. The level of trust we place in other people is astounding.
Now, imagine you’re in a relationship with someone who notes and compiles all that potential dirt every time it comes up; perhaps even steers you in a compromising direction once in a while.
It’s IMPOSSIBLE that Putin doesn’t have a trove of documents and pictures dealing with Trump.
Mr. Trump seems to care only about money and power. He longs for a tower in Moscow for himself and children. I agree with Sheryl. He is courting Putin to advance the progress failed in the earlier attempts to assure that progress as only he could do it to get his tower!
TRUMP BRIBE
What is going on? Here is what I think. Trump agreed to lift sanctions on Russian individuals and entities in return for a 19% (12 billion dollar) interest in Rosneft, Russia’s largest oil and gas company. It's a case of an old fashioned, garden variety bribe of a public official. It is not about sex. It is about money.
No other scenario explains Trump’s long delayed refusal to punish Russia for interference in the 2016 election or Trump’s refusal to do anything to deter and/or prevent future attacks by Russia. No other scenario explains two high level efforts by Trump team to establish back-channel communications with Putin. A backchannel is needed because Trump hasn’t lifted Obama’s sanctions on Russia and Putin has yet to deliver full control of the Rosneft interest to Trump. It’s an ongoing crime.
Mr. Trump is easily surviving all sexually related attacks. If anyone cares, they are strangely quiet about it, or perhaps simply inured to our leader's proclivities. I believe the fear of Mr. Putin that Mr. Trump seems to reinforce with each contact is based on not the fear of being sexually exposed, but the fear of financial disclosures. It is difficult to imagine that Mr. Trump is not guilty of, at the least, illegal interactions with censured Russian banks, and more importantly, money laundering. Just the story of the property in Florida, bought from Mr. Trump by a Russian oligarch for multiple times its worth is indelibly engraved on my mind. I cannot believe this is the only example of questionable financial practices on Mr. Trump's part.
2
"Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee say Mr. Trump was “actively negotiating a business deal in Moscow with a sanctioned Russian bank” during the 2016 campaign season."
My god, why isn't just that enough to impeach and convict Trump?
2
This piece does not answer the question in the title. The point of the headline may be the last sentence of the piece: "If Mr. Trump isn’t Mr. Putin’s lackey, it’s past time for him to prove it."
There is some kind of massive issue that president Loser is hiding. This issue could be external, or it could be a deep psychological between the man's ears.
I am betting on both. There simply has been far too much reporting about Loser's business dealings with incredibly bad guys in Russia to think that one or more of them does not have Loser in a life-and-death bind.
The issue is what is the source of the leverage, and what is the nature of the treat to Loser. The number of sources of leverage over Loser include bad real estate deals, owing vastly more to Russians than he can possibly pay, the effects of Loser's direct or indirect entanglements with money laundering, or the actions of one of his children or Kushner, etc. Root causes in these kinds of areas could go back many years, and they would most likely involve untold billions. The Russians Loser has been dealing with have alleged ties to the Russian Mafia. That is about the worst group anyone could get on the wrong side of.
The nature of the threat could well include death threats to Loser and members his family. If the Russian mafia is involved, those threats are very real. We also know that Putin kills
Combinations like this would surely put Loser in a corner from which he could not escape.
Has it occurred to anyone that there is nothing - or nothing substantial - and Trump wants to make the Democrats look bad by proving their investigation wrong?
Now THERE’S a conspiracy theory. But it doesn’t seem impossible to me.
2
There’s an awful large amount of smoke here:
1
"Some Trump defenders noted that President Barack Obama also called Mr. Putin when he was elected president in 2012."
This has got to be one of the stupidest defenses of all time. Fox News front page showcases Hannity mouthing this defense and the left's "hypocrisy."
Where are you Chris Wallace? When are you going to show some integrity and quit?
6
No. Those are just facts that really can't be ignored.
Someone in the CIA knows what the deal is with Trump and Russia. Clearly this is a secret that has eluded being leaked. The Russians know, but it must be only in the highest levels, otherwise it would be out there already.
11
I think it's being held for maximum effect. Won't do much now. Late October...different story.
Why is President Donald Trump afraid of Russia and Vladimir Putin? It would seem apparent that the old KGB operative has "black-mailed" our troubled leader in some fashion. I can only hope that Special Counsel Robert Mueller will uncover the truth before the president does something rash.
Of course Congress could take steps to protect the integrity of Mueller' s investigation, but will they?
14
If Trump is being blackmailed and Mueller can prove it, then Trump will lose his wealth and freedom. An obvious danger to this country and the world. I would look forward to going to the Trump National golf course in Bedminster NJ if it is converted to a public park.
Either a lifetime of solitary confinement in prison with no possibility of parole or capital punishment for treasonous acts beyond anything comprehended in the past, please. Thank you.
12
Why is Trump afraid of Putin? And why won'[t he release his tax returns? Because Putin and his associates own Trump and the Trump Organization. Trump is very respectful of Putin. But Putin is very disrespectful toward Trump and they US. That is why he can send his Night Wolves ravaging in the Balkans. As long as the American Commander-in Chief is owned by Putin, there will never be consequences.
15
And if the GOP is not Trump's and Putin's lackey, it's long past time for them to prove that.
16
There is no doubt that Trump is stuck in a deep blackmail puddle and the Russians have used it to corrupt America. We must stop the Trump
Coverup or become a Russian satellite.
Mueller is our hope and it is outrageous that the Republicans has done nothing to protect Mueller. It must mean that they too are involved—Sessions in particular.
15
Trump should throw a ticker tape parade for Putin through the Canyon of Heroes and be done with it . It’s obvious Putin is his hero and warrior - chieftain .
9
Trump will have few places to go if his luck goes south and Moscow will be his best bet.
8
"Why is Trump so afraid of Russia?" They have Kremlin kryptonite called "kompromat" that magically changes this tweet taunting bully into Neville Chamberlain who offers "congratulations" and, of course, "Peace in our time" with this latest edition of an aggressive autocrat. What s this kryptonite you ask? Clearly, it's a magical mixture of salacious "golden shower" photos (of Ukrainian Stormy Daniels impersonators), financial records (showing money laundered through Deutsche Bank from Russian oligarchs to the cash-strapped Trump organization), and tape recordings (of a deal offering sanctions relief from both "dirt" on Hillary and the appointment of both Mike Flynn and Rex Tillerson). Powerful stuff that has Trump dangling on the strings in Putin's hands.
11
Russia obviously has some bad stuff on Trump
and he is being blackmailed. They are threatening him. Trump probably deserves the threat but Americans dont!
We must impeach Trump and arrest Sessions who fired innocent McCabe in revenge to save himself from prison. But Sessions deserves jail time. He has ruined himself and always looks terrified.
11
What the Russians have on the President must be huge, and it must be something that even he can't shrug off. What could a President of the US, who has already shrugged away racism, sexism, various business conventions, lying, and other society norms be afraid of??
10
Is it possible that Mr. Trump has entered into and agreement Mr. Putin that he would hassle the American public?
1
Putin may or may not have something on him.
What I think the Russians have managed to do is get inside his head and convince him of things that are not necessarily true or do not mean what he was lead to think they mean. basically a personalized version of what he paid Cambridge Analytica to do to the Electorate they were able to push.
17
Well, hey. At least now he actually has something in his head.
Trump only attacks people who had attacked him first. As long as Putin does not talk to him with the lack of respect shown to him non stop by the American MSM and the NYT, Trump will be gracious.
4
Too funny. Trump is the ultimate bully always picking on people.
While Trump's admiration for "strong leaders," Putin in particular, has long been known, stunts such as this one, where he shows himself, the leader of the free world, as little more than a supplicant, a servile admirer of a truly strong leader, clearly proves that he must have serious difficulty in seeing himself as such a great and strong leader.
Your country seems more in the hands of Putin under Trump than it ever did under Obama, the leader Trump repeatedly named "weak."
Something's wrong here. Probably many somethings.
9
I don't know how much more obvious it has to become before everyone realizes that Trump is just one of Putin's boys. Everything Trump does is in one way or another in Putin's favor and he has thrown the American people under the bus time and time again. With the present group of voters, Robert Hanssen, Aldrich Ames and John Walker would have had a shot at the presidency.
6
It's a quid pro quo. When Trump won and Putin called, he didn't mention a sham election and potential criminal collusion that undercut the American People. Besides, Trump seems to idolize Putin. Though Trump seems to enjoy humiliation in private (re the Steele Dossier & Stormy spanking him), he seems to be frightened of being publically humiliated by his role model (ala Trump on Christie). Trump talks tough with Biden; in a ring with the Russian Bear, Trump would spin in fright on his bone spurs.
5
This article makes several good points, but misses a key perspective. Trump's supplication before Putin is evidence of a conspiracy to fulfill Russian influence over American policy. It was never necessary for Trump to explicitly offer or agree to a quid pro quo arrangement with Russia for him to take part in an illegal conspiracy. So long as Trump believes that Putin has information to blackmail him, and Trump signals his complicity through a pattern of fulfilling Putin's wishes and Russia's interests instead of heading contrary directions from Congress and national intelligence agencies, the ongoing evidence of such a conspiracy is plain to see. What is missing is a conclusive smoking gun, such as entanglement with money laundering or a loan from a banned foreign bank with ties to the Russian oligarchy, any of which may be hidden in Trump’s tax returns and the web of shell companies he has constructed.
At this point, we can be certain that Trump is vulnerable to such influence because we now know that he has been involved in hush money agreements and lawyerly intimidation in a desperate attempt to keep embarrassing secrets, if not secret, vaguely plausibly deniable. If, after years of bragging about sexual exploitation of guests, strangers, and friends' wives, Trump can be made to squirm at the prospect of his adulterous behavior being publicly described by his former mistresses, what wouldn't he do to keep a lid on financial misdeeds that could send him to prison?
12
What ever could Trump be afraid of? Well, Russia was recently accused of poisoning a former Russian spy who turned double agent in favor of the United Kingdom - AND HIS DAUGHTER. Isn't that a powerful message to Trump that should he turn against Putin, Trump and his daughter could face the same result? There is nothing in the world more important to Trump that his daughter. I'd be scared too.
3
Trump is afraid of Putin because Putin has something very scandalous on him. It is the only plausible answer. Republican leaders probably know the nature of Trump's troubles, and know how dangerous Putin's revelations would be to our democracy. Therefore, we see neither McConnell or Ryan, or any chairs of Congressional committees working to find truth. Instead, they busy themselves getting more and more money out of tax payers to give to the rich. The water is rising in Trump's swamp.
10
Follow the money.
(Hey, what about those tax returns?)
11
At their fourth, unscheduled meeting in Reyjavik in October 1986 President Reagan turned down a surprise offer from Russian leader Gorbachev that the Soviet Union would dismantle and remove its SS-20 missiles targeting only NATO allies in Europe if the U.S. would cease its "Star Wars" anti-missile defense program. Headlines in the Monday papers and TV across Europe blasted Reagan. The American president was faulted for standing up to an unsolicited gambit by Gorbachev.
Years later, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Gorbachev admitted in a TV interview that after that meeting with Reagan he knew the Soviet Union was doomed. There was no way it could compete with American military and economic prowess and technology.
How far we have come. Our president thinks that congratulating Putin on his election "victory" is a way to improve bilateral relations. To whose benefit?Former KGB agent Vladimir Putin is attempting to reverse history. While he has built up his personal wealth and power and enriched a small, powerful class financial oligarchs at the expense of the vast majority of Russians, he has also directed a global strategy against the U.S. and its NATO allies. He can't out-compete us economically or technologically and so he resorts to cyber warfare. He has very likely forced our current president into a corner with information about his dealings with Russian bankers and oligarchs.
Mr. President, you are no Reagan.
3
Not much to laugh about these days, but congratulating someone for winning an election they could not lose is downright funny. Of, as the great leader himself said, the system is rigged, unless I win.
10
Trump knows Putin got him elected and can get him deposed just as easily. Simple as that.
12
The Editorial Board's final observation in their commentary is very wise. "Trump is Putin's Lackey" says it all and sums up very neatly and nicely why Trump will never say anything to rise up Putin's ire. In addition to being Putin's Puppet, Trump is tip-toeing through the Tulips so as not to infuriate Putin for fear of whatever bomb Putin can and will drop on Trump. It's that simple, everyone can see this, and of course, Trump has no shame whatsoever.
7
The editorial board of the NYTimes misses the point in this article. They mis-interpret Trump's response to Putin when they overlook the implications of Trump's pathological narcissism.
I believe that Trump admires Putin and imagines them, in fantasy, to be soulmates: powerful men deserving the admiration of all. As such, they both can attack anyone and do anything to elevate themselves. Trump is our "mirror, mirror on the wall" president. He's not afraid of Putin having something on him. It's self-love.
3
This is like one giant game of Clue. Every week I have another theory. This week I am really starting to believe that the Trump organization is really a Russian satellite business, owned by Russian oligarchs with all that entails including annual pay-offs to the boss, Putin. Trump is afraid of Putin because in some weird, twisted way he is an employee of Putin. It's possible that he thought he could get away with not paying his dues to the world's biggest crime boss.
5
You all want to declare war?
2
Once you accept the premise that Trump is working for the Kremlin all of his actions make perfect sense.
As my mom said:if it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it’s a duck!
9
Tim Peacock's illustration was right, on the money!
Whatever Putin has on Trump...whether it's a 'G/s' AND/OR, other sexual video(s), and/or, financial criminality, or...whatever it is...
Tray Gowdy was correct, when he stated...just the other day, that 'if trump is innocent...'
R. Mueller SHOULD BE Trump's greatest_friend!
2
Listening to trump remain silent on Russia is like listening to trump remain silent about his women accusers.
Both legitimately have something on trump and his instincts are telling him to lay low and maybe it will all blow over.
The trouble is, neither Congress, the public nor Melania will let him off the hook!
Meanwhile, he's doing Putin's work of destabilizing the US economy, making allies of enemies and enemies of allies.
9
It's well-known that DJT wants to build a Trump tower in Russia so maybe he's just keeping his post-presidential options open by not criticizing Putin.
2
Is there a thread of Russian meddling and Brexit? This move by Great Britain to leave the European Union seemed abrupt.
3
It's not fear. He believes there is a potential upside to better relations with Russia. Whether or not this is true or not is up in the air.
1
Why Is Trump So Afraid of Russia? Why was everyone so afraid of J. Edgar Hoover? Hoover knew who did what, who committed what indiscretions or crimes, and where the bodies were, so to speak, buried. Putin occupies a similar position. The Donald may have very good reasons to be afraid of Putin.
3
Why? nothing nefarious, but still a reason for grave concern. The narcissism of DT causes him to think that he has such charm, he can resolve anything. He need only speak to Putin on the telephone ( contrary to the pleading of his advisors). Or, he need only speak to Mr Mueller( contrary to the pleading of his advisors). Same with the North Korean leader.
2
"If Mr. Trump isn’t Mr. Putin’s lackey, it’s past time for him to prove it."
No, if Trump is guilty of colluding with the Russians to influence the 2016 US election, it's time for the democrats and the left leaning media sources like the NYT to prove it (or objectively report on real news where Mueller, et al is proving it). Instead, we have endless speculation for political points.
But if anyone right of center made some kind of comment disagreeing with an Obama policy, the left branded them as a "racist".
The political bias here is so blatant, it's pathetic.
And I'm no Trump fan -- but I AM a fan of the concept of "innocent until proven guilty", and of reasonable balance by supposedly responsible media sources.
4
Of course, if Hillary Clinton would have done all this, Republicans would have been the first to call her weak and anti-American etc.
Replace her with a white man, and all of a sudden, they start claiming that it MUST all be part of a big, secret and "very strong" Trump plan.
Does anybody here conclude from that difference what I do?
MeToo.
7
Whenever I read a story like this, I can’t help but think about how completely out of their minds the Trump apologists would be if Obama or Hillary (had she won) engaged in the same type of conduct. They would be making revolution and racing to the White House with tar and feathers. Which just goes to show that there is no such thing as an honest good-faith political discourse. People choose a side (based on what, I do not know) and then defend that side like grim death no matter what, rather than looking at what is happening and trying to decide what is right and wrong.
16
Why aren't the Democrats using this budget bill as an opportunity to force Trump to resign?
I understand they want to go home by this weekend.
But I live in DC. It isn't that bad. They can and should stay as long as necessary.
Shut the government down.
And I'm sorry, but it is time for Pelosi and Schumer to step aside.
Anyone who still doubts the basis for the Kremlin's ability to hold Trump in thrall needs to look up Occam's Razor.
Let's stop kidding ourselves over what is going on here.
6
How many of Potus' Republican advisors need to quit in desperation before a cabinet of a few men and woman does the right thing? Or before a Congress of the United States steps in to protect Her people.
Each and every one of the 535 men and women serving there today swore an oath to uphold the Constitution, not just the Democrats and Independents and John McCain.
Please!
Politicians and their hired pundit guns @Fox&Friends @FoxNews, drop your budget proposals, race-baiting, voter-restriction, bathroom restrictions, tax cuts, and other mundane tasks.
Focus on the priority at hand!
Do the right thing for our brave Service men and women in harm's way throughout the world.
Do the right thing for the millions of Americans who have laid down their lives in war and protest for the freedoms and values being disparaged by one Republican man.
Do the right thing for your children's world, their future.
It's time for profit and ideology to take a back seat to reality and the Republic.
Impeach the President of the United States today.
9
Trump is scared of money trap and honey trap. Given Trump’s penchant for these two it seems Russia has got him on both counts. However, when Trump’s loyal base can forgive any and all of his transgressions, what is it so bad that Trump is hiding and will go any lengths to please Putin? Trump brags about his ability to grab anything and get away with it, but looks like when grabbed by Putin he cannot get away from that tight hold.
7
Easy on the John Brennan praises.
What was he saying to the President about Russia when Mr Obama told the world and Mitt Romney that Russia was the 1980's foreign policy.
Head of Counter Terrorism
2
Lets not forget that Cambridge Analytica is the most evil and criminal enterprise ever existed, basically it's a digital mafia on steroids, not only they're responsible for destroying our fragile democracy, they've been doing it all over the globe for their clients with billions of $$$ to invest in annihilating every attempt to build a democratic government, so far with great success...
We live in alternative reality, aren't we!
6
Regarding the upcoming claimed "Arms Control" summit meeting, I liken it to a choreographed professional wrestling story line. Putin slams the U.S. with threats of new nukes, which excites his base and drives turnout for his sham election. And alarms the U.S. Both despite there being no real proof they exist.
Then, magical mystical leader Trump uses his special relationship to make the apparition disappear, saving the U.S., vindicating the Trumpian vision, and giving the idiot in chief a fake achievement for the 2020 campaign.
Don the Con.
1
The truth is that Trump does not "fear" Putin at all! But Trump, as we all should some what admires Putin, because at least Putin has the courage and loyalty and patriotism to stand up for the interests of the citizens he is sworn to protect! Unlike our backstabbing 1% and their bought-off media propagandists and our "open borders" political class who would kill 90% of Americans for a few more millions in their bank accounts. Regarding the media fantasy of Trump blackmail, among the many things the never worked a strenuous job, never served in the military and certainly were never trained in trade craft editors of the NY don't know is that many simply cannot be blackmailed with what most consider compromising information. In response to a threat of the exposure of some, to most of us embarrassing incident many dominant real men like Trump simply give a middle finger and say "MAKE MY DAY!" "If its false I'll deny it! And if its true I'll say SO WHAT! Or worst of all for your side I'll reveal the dirty truth about the hypocritical quagmire of double standards and confusing, not usually obeyed or contradictory regulations that our elites erect so that anyone can be attacked and destroyed - if they dare oppose the interests of the 1% who oppress this nation like the oligarchies of 3rd world moral horrors like China and Mexico do their citizens (who our 1% really, really do admire). "
I continue to wonder if Trump fears that Putin will kill him, as Putin has murdered others. I don't think Trump fears embarrassment or shame; those feelings are not in his repertoire. Money is certainly the other obvious motive. The GOP in Congress, with some exceptions, could inspire a book of "Profiles in Cowardice."
5
Anyone that deals with commercial real estate lives under constant vulnerability to his banker. It's called "under risk" on your tax return form. There are no 30-year fixed rate mortgages in commercial real estate. Your loan matures in 5 to 7 years, then you have to refinance. Your banker decides whether you are worthy of another 5 years of funding. If you are lucky, your banker will assume the role of your senior, but silent partner. If you are unlucky, your banker will assume the role of your boss. Trump is unlucky. I suspect that Trump borrowed from some of the most unsavory characters on the planet, and they have assumed the role of his boss. Putin is the boss of Trump's bosses. Trump is openly and fragrantly corrupt because he has to be. He is scared and desperate. The monthly payments on $600 million in debt at 5% APR is about $3 million a month. Trump is a known deadbeat. He could NEVER get funding at 5% interest. He is probably paying his Russian oligarch lenders closer to about 10-12% interest. He will lie, cheat, and steal until someone stops him. If Trump and Kushner have to choose between financial ruin and prison, they will gladly choose prison. The very wealthy can survive 5 years in prison, they cannot survive total financial ruin.
14
To summarize:
The Russian oligarchy is the only thing standing between Trump and insolvency.
5
Is it love or fear?
Trump is caught in an abusive marriage with Putin who is the dominant partner. The "and so I stayed" poem Jennifer Willoughby wrote about her es-husband and former White House staff secretary Rob Porter would seem to apply to Trump as the abused partner with complex emotions.
Meanwhile, Putin is running Trump as an agent to accomplish Putin's goal of weakening the US using his acquired KGB training as a spy handler.
Trump being Trump, he likely thought he was putting one over on Putin and his cronies when he obtained large loans and gifts (see the story of the 50+ million profit from the house in Florida). Now the fine pair of shoes he thought he stole are starting to pinch--and he can't take them off. This angers him--and it is not clear that he has the intellectual firepower and basic knowledge to figure out that he is the abused partner. He is only now discovering he can't leave.
The Republican party seems determined to wipe themselves out as collateral damage. Why they have become co-enablers of Trump with no regard for the consequences to themselves, their fellow citizens, or the planet is a mystery.
14
Trump is Putin's "useful idiot" as Madeline Albright so memorably and accurately summarized their relationship.
13
Comrade Trump is scared of Master Putin. Donald knows the pecking order - Trump is a revered captain in the Russian mob but Putin is Da Boss.
Cross Da Boss and you and your family are poisoned with painful bioagents. Lok at the guy in London.
Trump is just guarding Ivanka and Co by praising Da Boss.
2
We will eventually find out exactly why Trump placates Putin. There may be more than one reason: Trump owes Russia money, Putin has compromising information on Trump or family, Trump still hopes to build a hotel in Moscow and needs Putin's approval; it could be any, or all, or more than these. Whatever it is it probably won't be pretty when the truth comes out, which it certainly will.
13
McCain said it best. I only hope the other Republicans will start to see 45 for what he is - an apologist for dictators.
8
Let's have a look at Trump's tax returns. Maybe that will shed some light on his affection for the dictator.
12
It's amazing that sophisticated people could write an article like this. Donald Trump is the wise one. The editorial board of the New York Times are the naives.
Robert Mueller's investigation has become a farce. Yet it continues. The Russians have completely disrupted our politics by making a fool out of supposedly sophisticated Christopher Steele. The witch hunt should stop.
Donald Trump does have a good idea of how to handle Vladimir Putin. Russia pursues its interests in a relatively reasonable fashion. Crimea voted to join Russia, and Russia did not invade Ukraine. Yes, we should pressure Russia to do better in Ukraine, in Syria, and with regard to North Korea.
But the better way to do that is to engage with Vladimir Putin and see what can be done. Donald Trump is skilled at that. John Brennan, obviously, is not.
2
Wow... lots of testosterone fueled bluster and bravado out there as hard-scrabble Joe threatens small hands Trump. Stay tuned. But I do wonder what tough guy Trump would say if tough guy Vlad came at him with the same rhetoric as Joe Biden?
2
It's all about the money. Money!, Money!, Money!. Dirty Russian money and the Trump washing machine. Don Jr. said as much. Forget the girls and his behavior towards/with them. Such behavior rolls off of him like an evangelical Mulligan.
The sooner Mr. Mueller opens this Pandora's box, only then will we know what the murderous Putin has on Trump.
7
Trump's personal lawyer John Dowd has resigned as the head of the president's legal team.
Always something in the air with Trump, another rat leaving the sinking ship.
10
Lawyers find it hard to represent clients who routinely ignore their advice. I'm reading that 45 wants to meet with Mueller's team, against Dowd's advice. In this instance, I want 45 to get his wish.
3
While Putin is being congratulated for his reelection, we should also congratulate him for making Donald Trump his friend, his very good friend, without ever in fact being in any recognizable way a friend to Trump.
4
Trump has been compromised by the Russians and Putin directly. If it isn't obvious to all at this point, then those people have their heads in the sand. Trump's been deeply in-debt for decades unable to borrow money from U.S. banks. He is not a billionaire, but in the red. He did business with a sanctioned Russian banks (VTB & VEB) among many other misdeeds and corrupt acts, including depraved behavior. He likely has never paid taxes. Among money-laundering, racketeering, he's blatantly obstructed justice many times and committed treason against the U.S. If Putin exposes the dirt he has on Trump, even Trump's hopelessly ignorant supporters will not be able to save him.
12
Vladimir "I'll have a lot more flexibility after the election"
“The 1980s are now calling to ask for their foreign policy back because the Cold War's been over for 20 years.” –President Obama, during the third presidential debate, Oct. 22, 2012
Can anyone explain why there are so many Russians in the US?
Especially the Russians in Trump properties, Florida?
6
Why would 45 criticize the person who helped him win election to the most powerful office on the planet, and who is likely schooling him on how to become an autocratic ruler with unlimited treasure to plunder? The two of them will some day join forces to rule over the entire world. Unless...Mueller.
6
‘It isn’t our place to comment on how other countries conduct our elections.’
2
Whatever Russia has on Trump won't sway his supporters against him, so I don't know why he would be afraid of what they might have on him. He's weathered bragging about sexual assault, hush money paid on his behalf to keep affairs quiet during the campaign even as he trotted out Bill Clinton accusers during a debate, court judgments against his "university," multiple bankruptcies, calling Neo-Nazis "good people," threats of nuclear war, and the list goes on, sickeningly. The rest of us are appalled at the damage he's doing to our country, but with so many spineless Republicans in Congress who refuse to call him out on his ignorant, ill-informed, reckless and immoral behavior, nothing is done to rein him in. So why the fear?
6
Ms. Sanders claims that Mr. Trump feels other countries, like Russia, have the right to run elections as they please without interference or criticism. This creates an enormous cognitive dissonance as long as Trump acts like it’s not a problem that Russia interfered in our election. Inconsistent —or non-existent— defense of this principle of non-interference is turning the pompously macho Trump into a flaccid wimp.
2
In a dictatorship, having a good relationship with the dictator makes real-estate development easier.
Trump is merely feathering his family's nest.
2
Well answer lies with KGBs power- the con man is likely a KGB asset.
3
If Donald Trump isn't Putin's lackey then he's certainly doing a spot-on immitation of one!
10
How many deals have you negotiated in your journalism careers?
Probably zero.
You don't spit on your opponent before you even get to the table.
Flattery is an integral part of negotiating.
Nuff said....The unhappy JD has more than 150 negotiated deals under the belt. I would always cajole an opponent given the opportunity.
When you are qualified to comment I will listen. Otherwise your naïveté merely serves to mislead and cause public distrust.
The Cynic said:
"Yeah, 150 'deals', but Americans want deals that have a good result for America, not for Trump…"
Sounds like you've been listening.
Our fearless president is unafraid of Russia. He is afraid that an opportunity to maintain decent working relations with Russia will be missed. If you look at Russia as Putin's Mafia than the advise from the God father makes sense. Keep your friends close but your enemies closer. If the USA and Russia are not on talking terms it could be detrimental to world peace and resolving differences through dialog. Trump promised change and the change is not to do the same old same old way of doing business with the world but making his mark by thinking differently and expecting better results. I will judge his over all performance before the next presidential election in 2020. So far so good. 2017 was the best year in this century for USA and the war against terrorism even though there were several natural disasters like storm, hurricanes fires etc and the pure evil mass killer in Las Vegas.
1
i suppose I am peripherally interested in Donald's excuse for selling America down the Russian River, but the important fact is that he is not acting in America's best interests.
Let Congress force his hand and defend against Russian interference. Then I'll listen to the salacious stuff.
3
Corrupt Trump perhaps is afraid his partner in crime might reveal some unpleasant actions about him and his corrupt ways.....especially now as many of these actions are coming to the fore. That is obviously why he demands loyalty from the people around him. Mueller is stepping on his toes as well as theirs.
3
Has anyone seen this week's New Yorker cover? The king has no clothes!
As such, our Washington powerbrokers (Republicans in Congress that would be you) need to take steps to oust him.
Our democracy is a stake. What is more obvious? More dangerous?
6
My only problem with this theory is wondering if there could anything Trump has done that is worse than what we already know. Conversely, I can see him lowering the bar on his reputation so that when the Russian revelation comes out nobody is shocked or even surprised.
2
"It's hard to make a man understand something when his job depends on his not understanding it". The reactionary third of the U.S. electorate (or any other random group of humans, look at Europe these days) are no longer loyal to the Republican Party. They have switched their emotional (it's hardly political) commitment to Trump. The politicians of the Republican Party and their real constituency, the oligarchical institutions and their members, know this and understand that they have no alternative to their current course. The Republican Party has become a zombie shuffling forward with it's grasping hands outstretched, animated not by it's original life force, but by a mysterious evil that it has no control over. McConnell and Ryan are not lacking insight. They are lacking an alternative. It's going to get very, very, ugly in this country when it's Mueller Time. It will be the best of times and the worst of times and our revolution may not survive.
2
I am no fan of Trump. But, regardless of what he does, we as a people need to be kinder, more civil and more decent to each other.
Our greatest President Abe Lincoln spoke of how "mystic chords of memory" must be "touched…by the better angels of our nature."
We will always have disagreements. But let us never forget that at the heart our our Republican experiment is something wonderful , decent and good. And lets resolve to pass this wonderful country to our children intact & not let our disputes tear us apart.
And please - lets all put an end now to calling our political opponents "Treasonous" . Nothing make Russians trolls happier than to see Americans use such language
3
It wouldn't surprise me to learn that the recent poisoning of the former Russian spy in London is found to be a warning to Trump, to follow instructions. Or else. Remember Trump eats McDonald's because he fears being poisoned.
7
Good point! I think he goes to Mar-a-lago every weekend to get a cooked meal - and chocolate cake.
2
It is reasonable to assume that Mr. Mueller has access to Trump's tax returns, which in turn would lead to many avenues for investigation. Patience will guide us in determining the full extent of Trump's involvement with the Russians. For certain, Trump is behaving like one of the most corrupt politicians of all time.
10
It is noticeable that with strong leaders like Putin, Xi Jinping, Merkel, Trump's eye contact with them is nil. They are looking at him, into him, and he most often is looking everywhere but their eyes. With people he considers lesser he appears to bulldoze into and over them looking at them. His parents did us no favors.
4
I do not know if Trump is beholden to Putin for nefarious reasons. I also know I did not vote for Trump for logical reasons.
Having said that, I believe we ignore the early history of our Republic at our peril. It is so ironic that the play "Hamilton" has occurred in present days. We need to be reminded how chaotic the times were, particularly with Hamilton seemingly admiring the British system while Jefferson seemed in love with anything French. The embargo under Jefferson almost brought us to financial ruin and the New Englanders seemed to be the first faction willing to secede.
The present is fraught with danger and not all because of Trump's presidency. However, I fear his being so weakened by events particularly with the "Russian/Putin affair and,now, the China sanctions that we will not have a good outcome with North Korea. With a possible and, even probable impeachment, in the future, Trump would be more than lame in the eyes of Kim, doubling down on how much Kim could trust in any guarantees on the part of the United States. What a mess!
2
President Trump's increasingly venomous attacks on the Mueller enquiry are those of someone who's got something to hide. Not the usual statements of an aggrieved and innocent party - "The results will/demonstrate that this was a politically motivated exercise/conclusively prove my innocence/waste of money/damaging to the country..." and so on. So why?
One scenario could be:
- Trump by his own admission is rich - let's say worth $10 billion
- his wealth is based on real estate, which works best with leverage. So let's say he has debts of $8 billion and the quoted amount of $10 billion represents gross assets. Plus he loves debt and given that he was worth close to zero in 2010, it is hard to see where $10 billion in equity came from.
- apparently after 2010, the only major bank that will deal with him is Deutsche Bank. Deutsche Bank will syndicate the loan - it's too big.
- the syndicate is likely a broad one, real estate is often held in one purpose companies. It may well include Russian banks with 'ties to the Kremlin'.
- so Vlad has leverage over Trump and possibly son-in-law Jared, as he can 'suggest' that certain loans be called, bringing financial distress to the Trump empire.
What makes this scenario - that he is financially beholden to the Kremlin - a bit unlikely is that there have been no leaks - lawyers, bankers, auditors - supporting it. However Mr President could make go away entirely by opening his books and letting the public have a look.
2
The editorial ahs it wrong. Trump is not afraid of Russia. Trump admires Putin and all other brutal dictators. that is why the North Korean dictator wants to meet trump. He knows that Trump will give him the farm.
Trump envies all strong dictators because they are not hamstrung by the US Constitution and laws. All one has to do is read trump's tweets and listen to his comments that he would love to destroy the US Constitution and create a Trump dictatorship. The real shame is that the GOP and the majority of Trump supporters agree with Trump's dictatorial aims.
Another shame is that lately the NYT has be backing off from critical reporting of Trump. The only way to stop a dictatorship is to expose trump's aims and actions.
2
Donnie probably owes Russian gangsters nine figures and is probably behind on his payments. It’s either do their bidding or Novichok.
Putin is a weak man who is trying to act strong. A strong leader is not afraid of free, open elections, but Putin is terrified of running against legitimate competition, so he bans them from running on trumped up charges or he just murders them. A strong leader is not afraid of a free press, but Putin has all but eliminated the free press from Russia. The fact that our President admires Russia's tells you everything you need to know about Trump.
4
John Brennan alludes on Morning Joe that Russia has some compromising information about Trump that is making Trump afraid of going after Putin.
What on earth could it be that would make Trump afraid? There are over 19 women accusing him of either sexual assault or sexual harassment, there's a Hollywood tape with him bragging about assaulting women with his hands, he has driven his company to bankruptcy several times, he brags about his ability to bend the truth, even to our allies.
If it's videos of Trump with Ukranian sex workers as Cambridge Analytica puts it, I doubt that would cause Trump to quiver in his shoes.
What could Putin have that would make Trump afraid? It has to be something that is blatantly treasonous, something so awful that even the diehard 35% of Trump supporters would back away from him.
Video of Trump and Putin actually agreeing to collude with Russia to defeat Hillary Clinton perhaps?
Love the fact that Bob Mueller is methodical but he can't finish his investigation fast enough as far as I am concerned.
7
Trump never expected to get elected. The fact that he his not releasing his tax returns clearly indicates that there is something shady about his finances that he can't afford to make public. Russians obviously have something on him and that is why he can't afford to cross Putin. It is due to utter gullibility and ignorance of American electorate, not to mention the century old electoral college voting mechanism for electing a president that enables a candidate with less than majority popular vote to become a president, that we have a completely incompetent, ignorant, ignoble, immoral, sexist brute as President. Unless enough Americans start to make the effort to make informed decisions about presidential election and unless the electoral college election system is scrapped, I seriously doubt we will be able to get very capable individual elected as President and that could hasten this country's downfall.
7
John Brennan is merely the latest in a long line of credible sources to allude to Trump's weird fixation with Putin/Russia. Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy famously claimed, "There’s two people I think Putin pays: Rohrabacher and Trump,” Did Robert Mueller ever question McCarthy on why he said this? Did anyone happen to ask Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) why he felt it necessary to swear those present to secrecy?
7
Everyone seems to be tying themselves into knots looking for a rational explanation to Trump's obviously irrational behavior. Irrational, that is, for an innocent person who loves and wants to protect his country. Trump's behavior toward Russia is only rational for someone who is either being blackmailed (hotel tapes, anyone?) or deeply, deeply in debt to them.
6
Do I get a whiff of a new NYT narrative here: Even if there's no evidence of Trump/Russia collusion we can assume that Trump is under Russian control, which may be even worse. Let's see if this point starts popping up in other NYT articles.
2
The reasoning given here for Trump's affinity for Putin have validity, but we seem to have such a short memory span. Has everyone forgotten the deal between Putin and Exxon Mobil when Rex Tillerson was CEO and received the highest award possible to give to a non-Russian? American money was to be used to build the infrastructure to access the massive oil reserves in Russia. I believe that is why Trump chose RT for Secretary of State. The problem was and is the sanctions against Russia for its actions in Ukraine. Trump was hoping sanctions could be removed so the deal could go forward. If so, Trump could be paid untold millions of dollars from Exxon Mobil for his assistance directly into his personal bank account and it would be completely legal. That is one reason why he was so reluctant to add more sanctions on Russia. When Trump had to yield to the realization that sanctions were not going to be removed and RT was too much of a diplomat and a patriot for Trump's bully agenda, RT had to go.
10
Trump's pressure points are his money and family. Maybe I've seen too many movies, but I did notice what happened recently in the U.K. and thought it could be a message.
6
I think this is an Occam’s Razor moment. Which is for those not familiar with the principle says that when all things being equal the simplest explanation must be true. Trump does not object to Putin’s actions because he does not find them objectionable. This argument makes one assumption the other arguments that imply Putin has direct saw over Trump which allege of web of conspiracy. The more complicated argument may be true, but it does not seem to be as pure as the simple argument that Trump just does not share the same public morality that one has come to expect from the POTUS.
Just a thought.
9
There is no doubt that Trump is softer in his foreign policy approach to Russia than all other nations. We also now have fairly strong evidence that Trump’s behavior when approached by a beautiful flirtatious woman could easily put him in a vulnerable position. Putin is well known to apply this kind of leverage on his adversaries. It would start out as gift. The Christopher Steele dossier looks more credible by the day. Mueller should be looking at extortion instead of cooperative collusion.
5
I would like to keep this simple as possible. This is what the best law enforcement people do. Is there a possibility that tRump is "owned" by russia based on his behavior and refusal to release his tax returns. The answer is obviously yes and congress should get an answer to determine if the possibility is real and actual.
10
I read the Kurt Eichenwald article in Newsweek before the elections. Trumps conflicts of interest for holding an elected office have always been hidden in plain sight. Many people who did real research were horrified at Trumps resume, his reckless and dark business record, endless court cases, and un-democratic (small d) politics.
It dosen’t take long to see that journalism in all 50 states is near extinction, and what passes for news on our TV channels is just a cheap echo chamber for thin political infotainment. The walls between Washington’s political operatives and the press became too thin. Jon Stewart said it best when he left Comedy Central. Shocking that his staff could easily fact-check, tell truth to power better then so-called news organizations.
I’m not shocked. Decades ago, Washington found a away to undermine that pesky independent public forum that holds truth to power and the interests of the public, with the unpopular gutting of the FCC in 1987. Pick any random date in early or mid century America, and read the papers. It’s astonishing how industrious and well staffed the industry of American journalism used to be. How independent and competitive it once was.
There’s no real accountability to the public anymore, so Trump’s dubious, made up brand of politics and policy are ruling the country. Many who fled government jobs since Trump took over have reported his preference for hiring people who subscribe to authoritarian government. It’s no secret.
9
I'm afraid of Russia, almost as much as I am afraid of the Kochs and the Mercers and the Trumps and the Republican Party, but I don't think those oligarchs are afraid of Russia. They are allies, working together to bring down egalitarian democracies wherever they are for their own profit and power. Wake up media. Trump does not have to fear Putin. They share the same goals. We won't even begin to know this whole story until we elect a majority in Congress that is willing to fulfill it's constitutional mandate. Meanwhile; keep an eye on the Mercers and please do a better job of reporting their activities.
12
NYTimes (November 20, 2016) features an article "Many in Milwaukee Neighborhood Didn't Vote- and Don't Regret It" by Sabrina Tavernise.
"Four barbers and a firefighter were pondering their future under a Trump presidency at the Upper Cutx barbershop las week. "We got to figure this out," said Cedric Fleming, one of the barbers. "We got a gangster in the chair now" he said, referring to President-elect Donald J. Trump."
And so we do. GANGSTER is the ""spot on" word for Trump
Hence the President's affection for fellow mobsters - Putin , Dutarte, Xi, to name a few.
You can tell they are gangsters by their loves. Corrupt and corrupters all. They ALONE Know!
8
I think that 45's team has been involved with Russians for so long that it seems "normal" to them, in the manner that aberrant behavior, done enough times, beings to seem normal.
There's a reason he refuses to release his tax returns. No doubt Mueller has them though....
8
Why not just come out and say it: Putin most likely has some secret leverage over Trump. The evidence is overwhelming. It includes Trump's: withholding his tax returns, passivity in view of the Russian attacks on British soil and against our troops in Syria; aggressiveness against Mueller; obvious obstruction of justice; failure to take action to protect our elections and power grid; and refusal to bring together our government to initiate and coordinate counter-measures that could dissuade Putin's cyberwar against us.
Once that analysis is in place, we can view Trump's actions and inaction through a more realistic lens. It's not a matter of simply making statements; Trump could call out Putin as a dictator tomorrow and still give in to him with a nod and a wink. We need concrete leadership to protect our democracy and infrastructure and to make Putin pay a price.
Against that backdrop, this Putin summit that Trump just announced could be more about Trump reassuring his boss that Trump remains in Putin's pocket while pretending otherwise to the world.
Furthermore, Democrats need to be more aggressive. That includes making the likelihood of Trump being Putin's poodle an issue through introducing resolutions, legislation and campaign strategies that make Republicans take a stand one way or the other on this matter. Many Republicans in Congress know that Trump is probably in Putin's pocket; make them pay a political price for failing to act on this.
12
Everyone is entitled to his day in court, and Donald Trump will surely have his.
1
Trump's desired alliance with Russia is part of Bannon's and his evangelical base's agenda to unite Christian nations to create a religious alliance in accordance with the predicted rapture of the Book of Revelations in the Bible. And, best of all for Trump, he will finally get a Trump Tower built in Moscow as part of the deal. Trump and the evangelicals could care less about anything else.
2
Did Trump congratulate X Jinping on his "election" victory?
For a man, who when running for office complained loudly about rigging, to congratulation a "rigger" IS pretty strange.
7
The main reason for Trump's unwillingness to criticize Putin over his meddling on his behalf in the 2016 election is that he fears it will undermine his legitimacy as president. If his opponent still won more votes despite Russian interference, then all but Trump's most ardent supporters will recognize that his presence in the White House is not the result of a democratic election.
4
Trump is not leader of the free world because he doesn't care about the free world. That runs against autocratic aspirations.
3
I believe Robert Mueller has the answer to this question.
6
We may never know if Putin has anything "on" President Trump.
We do know, however, that the President greatly admires Putin and probably wishes he could lead this country the way Putin leads Russia.
As a business person, the President did not need to build coalitions, respect the traditions of government, or conduct himself in a manner befitting the leader of the free world. Trump considers these to be "distractions".
Putin doesn't have to worry about Congress, any meaningful opposition, or adhering to any traditional expectations. He calls the shots, plain and simple.
Envy can have a very powerful influence on what we do and how we do it. Just ask all the people "fired" by our President!
3
Mr. Brennan traveled to Ukraine just days, or was it one day, before the Kiev government decide to conduct military operations against its own citizens in the east of the country.
Brennan said:
“We here at the CIA can work with our partners in Ukraine and other areas to give them the information, the capabilities that they need in order to bring security and stability back to their country,” said Brennan.
He was speaking of a coup government that ousted a legally elected president.
1
There's little doubt that Trump is out to destroy our American Way. The thing that puzzles me is that it appears to be the Right that is supporting him, when one would expect it to be the left-leaning "Commies". But then there is a large faction on the far right that support a totalitarian regime. Or maybe Trump sees it as being good for his business?
4
Read Russian Roulette. Trump wants to be one of Putin's Oligarchs, share in the Riches, panting after money.
5
"Why is Trump so afraid of Russia?" They call it "kompromat." Given the Stormy Daniels revelation, perhaps it really is the salacious photos of a "golden shower" orgy. Or, given the Trump Organization's desperate need for financial backing perhaps it's money laundered by Russian oligarchs via Deutsche Bank. Then again, it may have been an agreement trading sanctions relief for "dirt" on Hillary Clinton and other actions like appointing Michael Flynn and Rex Tillerson. We know about the Trump Tower meeting hosted by Don Jr. and attended by the inner circle of the Trump campaign along with a Kremlin associated lawyer seeking the lifting of the Magnitsky Act sanctions in trade for the later released DNC hacked material on Sec. Clinton and the false coverup drafted by Mr. Trump aboard Air Force One. And maybe, just maybe, it's all of the above--a conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia to elect Donald Trump. We can only hope that Robert Mueller will soon let us know.
5
What would be bad enough to unhinge his base given Trump's degree of depravity? Forcing an abortion on a Russian or other woman? Sleeping with a man? Murder for hire? Buying votes or commanding it be done? Or do they have the goods or threats on a family member who Trump will defend? Ability to bring down his whole family business? Secondary threat against one of the main GOP funders from Mercers to Adelson. Putin would have to have something truly extreme.
Putin's weaponized digital threat to the U.S is so great that I cannot understand the GOP dalliance. Or the military for that matter.
7
This reminds me of that famous quote from the 1983 Louisiana governor's election where candidate Edwin Edwards claimed he would win. He said "The only way I can lose this election is if I'm caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy".
Since Trump voters don't care how Trump treat females, one has to believe it is the second of the two possibilities that Trump may be worried about.
Small point relative to greater outrages but words matter: Trump tweeted "President Putin" this week but disrespected the presidency by actually legally defaming President Obama once again, in my opinion. (And Bush too, to be sure.)
5
What we see is someone who adores the powerful and is bullying the weak. This type of behaviour can normally be found at people who feel inferior and try to disguise their own weaknesses, anxieties by aggression towards the ones in actual need. People who act this way are hierarchically oriented. They don't see themselves as equal among equals but as servants of authority. He does not even trust his own. Driven by his inferiority complex his Twitter tirades are a kind of daily reassurance, proving himself and demonstrating the rest of the world that he is (still) president.
8
It is like the deal maker sold his sole to the devil and that devil is Putin.
1
I wonder if Trump is afraid of Putin or envious of him. It's hard to tell, but I suspect it's both.
9
so, brennan, a former CIA director whose tenure is clouded by its own uncertain candor says that he thinks, (thinks mind!), that trump is "afraid of the president of russia" and the times jumps to "why is trump so afraid of russia?"
some "free press"...between you all and trump we're in a fine mess, never has mistrust as a tint or taint on our entire society been so keen...we've had shifty politicals before and self-serving media (at least since news became a part of entertainment) but the mix these days is toxic and total...the bet here is that, unless trump changes (not likely) or the media stops whining (see the effect in the comments attached to this piece) we're in for more of both until even the chickens, if you will, won't have a place to roost
1
Trump needs to read past the first paragraph of Neville Chamberlain's policy of appeasement. Perhaps he can reach the part where Chamberlain gets dumped ? Only if it is a bullet on his daily briefing and doesn't interfere with him watching Fox and Friends. Oy Vey Mir.
5
Only one thing in this world matters to Donald Trump - money. Whatever the Russians have on Trump, and they do have something, it involves a loss of wealth, a lot of wealth, for the Trump criminal organization. Bank on it.
4
Since when has the President been concerned about "fostering rapport" with anyone?
During his relatively short time in office he has fired off tweets and made comments that are negative about US allies as well as its foes.
So, two questions:
1. Why does Trump stay tight-lipped about Russia/Putin;
2. Why, whilst remaining silent himself, does he allow his staff to make negative comments about Russia?
If you consider both of these questions together the answer becomes pretty clear:
Trump CANNOT say anything negative about Russia/Putin for fear of them revealing whatever hold they have over him. HOWEVER by allowing his staff to make the occasional comment he feels he is able to hide his own reticence i.e. plausible deniability.
As this charade goes on Trump's position is becoming increasingly obvious. If he is allowed the opportunity to present them, I expect Robert Mueller's findings to be truly spectacular and without precedent in this country.
7
We must guess as to why Trump cannot represent our country’s interests when it requires that he deal firmly with Putin. However, we do know enough about him and his personality to not rely upon his word nor ethical constraints in regard to anything. The only reasonable way to deal with him is to insist that everything that he does is completely open to public scrutiny. Even his most stalwart supporters know that he is a compulsive liar and weaver of fanciful statements. I would rarely consider this fair treatment of nearly all public officials, but we know this man to be deceitful.
3
TRUMP - You're going down !
Whether by; Collusion, Obstruction of Justice, Porn Stars, or Illegal Money Deals with Sanctioned Banking Institutions -
Any or all - "You're going down" !
In my world, as the Trump Crime Empire Crumbles - Your "Brand" is torn off of everything - every place - now bearing your name.
Also in world - As you and your family crumbles - you take the "Bought and Paid-For GOP with you !
World Order will Be RESTORED -
We will once again have free and honest elections . . .
And Putin will shrink back into his small den of corrupt thieves.
In My World - - The one I want to live in.
3
Feel better? Good.
Why would any reputable attorney take on Trump as a client? Not only does he disregard all legal advice and tarnish the credibility of everyone in his proximity, but he'll probably also skip out on paying his bill.
2
What a libelous screed! Typical yellow journalism of The NY Times Editorial Board.
Even lying John Brennan has retracted his phantasmagoric statement, now admitting he has no evidence or facts upon which his “the Russians must have something on Trump” assertion was based.
Isn’t it about time you guys considered the possibility that our President is practicing detente rather than confrontation. Or is that too realistic and pragmatic to consider from an Editorial Board committed to undermining confidence in the Trump administration?
And the hypocrisy of the Times’ position is fully demonstrated by its criticism of the President when he takes on a hawkish tone in foreign affairs. You guys don’t like his “saber rattling” when it comes to North Korea or Iran but apparently that would be just fine and dandy when it comes to Russia, the one country we actually need as an ally against these rogue nations.....and China.
But this is nothing new when it comes to the Times anti-Trump policy. I’ve come to expect your warm embrace of anything rumored, speculated, falsely asserted or alleged that can be held against the President, without foundation or fact either from discredited sources or your own Editorial anti-Trump opinionators.
Your perception is not reality!
2
Trump does a fine job undermining himself without the help of the NYT. He’s not a victim.
5
This is the most unusual, immoral president in modern history. If he is not questioned in the editorial section of a paper, where can he be questioned? This is the role of our free press! Thanks be to the New York Times!
6
Why would anyone cheer war or "saber rattling"? Why would anyone cheer for blatant nepotism? Why would anyone malign the NYTimes when Fox News is obviously slanted? Good for you that you cheer Trump's crooked language. That is your right. But do not blame the free press for OPINIONS that state the obvious. Inability to determine the difference between fact or opinion seems to be a common problem for many. "Political language... is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind." George Orwell.
3
Two words: Tax returns.
7
I don’t understand why these would be worth anything. Of course Trump lies on his tax returns
Concerned Mother: The hope is that the audits chased down at least some of those lies.
1
2 things: tax returns AND Trump organization documents related the Russia. The latter is already under subpoena.
2
"But it's hard to see how praising and appeasing a bully will advance American interests."
A fine message to also send to GOP members of Congress who are silent in the face of Trump's total failure to lead our nation.
5
I don't get the impression that he has any fear of the Russians at all. Based upon simple observation, it is clear that the relationship is quite collegial and the president's reluctance to challenge Putin et al is simply his tacit way of saying well done. This should come as no surprise. When on follows the script, there is no need to explain.
3
Trump tried to defend his admiring tone with Putin by saying that it would be good to improve our relationship. But that makes no sense from a man so antagonistic in his dealings with other countries, and who trivialized the value of the State Department and of diplomacy.
And then there is the matter of Trump's hostility towards Russia investigations, including firing Comey, menacing Mueller, making an example of McCabe and seething at Sessions' recusal.
Or barking out that there was "no collusion," even when unprompted.
How about the endless lies and failures to recall what happened between his campaign and Russia?
Remember, too, Trump tiptoeing around and outright dismissing Russian interference with our election.
Add it up, and there are no innocent conclusions. Trump has skeletons in his closet, to which Putin holds the key.
5
long story short, i think trump is still in NYC real estate developer mode which means he is somehow depended on russia finance (dirty money) because he cannot get money in US due to previous trump bankruptcies. trump is also fascinated by the idea of developing trump tower in moscow.
14
This is a pathetic editorial not worthy of any publication. Brennan is a known liar, remember him declaring there was no surveillance of US citizens by the NSA. The NYT is engaging and supporting the worst impulses of conspiracy theorists.
3
I am totally sated with the news of Trump and his abettors. The sun has ceased to shine. Can we just vote today and expel these criminals and traitors from all of their offices. Please Mr. Mueller hurry. Save the nation.
12
Given trump's long history of financial dealings including bankruptcies the best guess is that trump is Putin's debtor. He that has the gold calls the shots. Who knows how much money trump owes the Russian bankers and oligarchs. If we saw his tax returns we would know. Where are they Donald?
9
The reason is obvious. Putin is a proxy campaign manager for Trump. He wants Putin to continue to help the GOP in every election as well as his own re-election bid in 2020, if he's around that long. Damage to the our democracy is collateral damage for Trump. He is more important than democracy.
2
If Donald's financial dealings with the Russians were fully known, he'd be gone, under indictment. What is truly disturbing is Republican timidity in not calling him out. Let's all start writing, calling, emailing our political representatives. Don't just write to NYT, write to your senators and representatives!
4
Trump supporters need to wake up. No longer can this be ignored. Our president has undeniable Russian ties that pose a direct threat to America and all is stands for. It's no longer time to pat him on the back just for "telling it like it is" or to laugh at his "ignore what he says and instead, focus on what he does" chatter. Provide him enough rope and the appropriate phrase will become "Make America Russia Again".....This threat is real whether his supporters want to admit it or not. It's like cancer. We can deny that it's there but it doesn't make it any less true.
9
Look into the reason why Trump did not want to release his tax information -- Russia is all over it.
7
I think the answer is 3-fold:
1. For decades Trump has been laundering Russian money.
2. Trump is dying to build Trump Tower Moscow.
3. He is fascinated with Putin, and wants Putin's attention.
8
The tie to Putin has to be financial for several reasons. First is Trump’s refusal to provide tax returns and financial data. Second is Trump’s statement that a Mueller investigation of the president’s financial deals would cross a “red line.” Third is Don jr.’s claim that the Trump organization had “money pouring in from Russia.” And fourth is the ancillary evidence that following his many bankruptancies left banks holding the bag, they refused to lend him money; Trump then turned to Russia to fund his projects. Trump knows his base doesn’t care about his sexual escapades, but fears it may turn against him if he’s financially compromised by Russia and/or if Russia pulls the rug out and demands payment of all it is owed, which in turn would destroy Trump’s empire as well as demolish his negotiator/businessman creds.
5
The real question is why are Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell
so TERRIFIED of Trump?
11
What makes this all the more perplexing is Trump's continuing demeaning of everybody buy Putin. If his Russian pal has nothing on him, why does he continue the romance he has with him? Bottom line here appears that he wants to make Russia great again. In his own word (not words), "sad."
5
Donald Trump will not say anything bad about Putin because Putin is in control of the Russian Oligarchs and their deep pockets. These guys are Trumps only source of reliable money for his projects.
Furthermore, Trump wants to construct at least 2 of his crass buildings in Moscow and St. Petersburg. To do this he needs Putins approval.
Trump looks as the Presidency as a side show to his real objective; building more properties and allowing the boy from Queens to thumb his nose at the Manhattan elites that won't give him the time of day.
Wouldn't it be suprising if the "lesser" child, Eric Trump was the most prescient? The only thing Trump believes in is GREEN, the color of money?
4
It's hard to believe that if Trump would verbally attack Russia that it would do one bit of good or accomplish anything. However, for a guy who has something to say about absolutely everybody else his silence is totally out of character and therefore very suspicious.
3
Trump can get away with his behavior only because we are a plutocracy by now. The Republican members of Congress are 'concerned', but are obviously called back by their money men. Just look at Senator McCain! He makes all the right noises, looking like the wise elder statesman, and a few days later he rolls over like a puppy. That Putin has a hold over Trump should be pretty obvious by now.
I think, it is about time that Justice Anthony Kennedy apologizes to the American people for his vote in the Citizens United case. That's when our political climate turned really odious. And let's face it, the Democrats, by abandoning the working class and engaging in identity politics, should take their share of blame for the debacle we are in right now.
3
Trump is obviously still colluding.
6
Trump is simple; he will give more credence to men with a stronger handshake than his. Most politicians are polite in this act, and won't crush your hand. Putin will, as did Emmanuel Macron in their famous tussle of the hands. That's not to say that Putin doesn't also hold sway over his American puppet by either damaging information or, more likely, promises of a Moscow skyscraper to satiate the biggest ego this world has yet seen. Meanwhile, of course, the U.S. gets sold down the river courtesy of impotent republicans hanging on for dear life.
3
I think Trump is just actually an admirer of dictators and criminals. He wishes he was not constrained by a constitution and two other branches of government which slow him down a bit in his quest to destroy the United States of America. He considers cruel, rigid ideologues to be very manly, and we all have seen how insecure Trump is about his "masculinity".
4
I don't know what it is but the quality of the Trump interaction with Putin is deeply disturbing, there's no other way to describe it.
1
FINALLY! It has been obvious this entire time. I was wondering when people would finally state it.
3
If Vladimir Putin decides that President Donald Trump’s shelf life has passed its expiration date, Trump loses everything.
The only hope for Trump is to protect as much money and as many assets as possible now, and then to resign in a plea deal with Robert Mueller, Rod Rosenstein and Congressional leaders, leaving office with loss of his Twitter account, but a pardon by Vice President Mike Pence.
3
If Putin genuinely does own Trump, helped him get elected, and has humiliated the United States in general, then, surely, it must be one of the most pyrrhic victories since the eponymous Pyrrhus set the ball rolling. The attention that Trump has attracted with his Russian connections does more to ensure Putin’s isolation by future administrations than any advantage he has garnered through his puppetry of Trump.
Chillingly, it seems long term control of a Russian-friendly President is clearly not Putin’s main objective. It seems probable that his main aim is to demonstrate that, while the Soviet Union lost its military prestige post collapse, the resurgent Russian Federation still can feature heavily in world affairs through fair means or foul.
The only way to tame Putin is complete isolation by the global community which, in itself, needs to be whiter than white. Cancel the FIFA World Cup, deny travel visas to all Russians, impose punishing economic sanctions, impeach Trump, and accept that the result will be a Cold War, hopefully without any increasing heat, until Russia is chastened.
Russia has an innate understanding of how the West works with its vulnerabilities tied to slavish devotion to social media and corporate greed and he uses these nuances against us. We are Russia’s enemy, in this conflict there is no detente. Putin embraces the notion of wealth and oligarchy: Trump seeks to emulate that and, in his mind, emulation is not collusion.
4
You mentioned the four guilty plea deals, and that there are now multiple indictments domestic and Russian. But you forgot to mention that his Attorney General Jeff Sessions and son-in-law (whatever his official title is) Jared Kushner both admitted to lying to the FBI and/or Congress about Russian contacts. And I'm sure I'm forgetting multiple others.
What a tangled web indeed.
3
It is not uncommon in the intelligence community for a mole to be afraid of his control.
2
Brennan has exposed a bitter animus to President Trump. His outrageous tweet referring to the American president over the weekend in the most scathing terms indicate a man with a lot to hide.. Then he goes on the air to continue even harsher and unsubstantiated fulminations against the president. Clearly, this man is afraid of something. His role in the plot to destroy the president will soon come to light. There is a dustbin waiting for him.
"An unfair political system that deprives Russians of a say in their country..." Are the editors sure they are not talking about the U.S. here? 80-90% of Americans favor tough gun laws. Large majorities favor single payer and action on climate change. Only the 1% were in favor of the new tax law, and nearly everyone wants to see the DACA children protected. From a prospective of the will of the People, nothing is happening here--Americans have little or no say in a political system that is controlled by the motivational advertising of the super rich and foreigners.
As to Russia, if we've got it bad, they've got it worse. But we're supposed to be the leaders of the free world. Instead we're doing their bidding.
As to Trump, he's probably noticed that Russian agents who turn against them get poisoned.
1
This is a fascinating and disturbing conundrum. On the one hand, I thoroughly disagree with the NY Times' editorial board's notions of when and where the U.S. should be involved in world affairs (the policies promoted and implemented, for instance, by the Times' can-do-no-wrong-darling Hillary Clinton as Sec. of State and Senator were disastrous to emerging democracies the world over). So I support, in broad-brushed terms, Trump's approach to Russia. What I DON'T support is his reasons for doing so, which I suspect are dark and tawdry -- that they have something on him, and so he has to tow the line with them. If you look at how he treats China versus Russia, it becomes crystal clear that his fawning attitude towards Russia has to have some ulterior reason that we don't know about. And as long as he's Putin's puppet, I'm not sure we'll find out.
2
And who was this mysterious strong opposition to Putin in 2012? And of course, the result of the election'12 (63% to 17% ) was not lopsided, it was a nail-biter.
2
Mr. Trump's silence on Mr. Putin/Russia is entirely inconsistent with his approach to everyone and everything else, domestic or foreign. The blame game is a failure to accept responsibility and be a leader (rather than a very poor manager at best).
Mr. Trump sooner or later indiscriminately spews negativity about just about anyone and everything other than himself.
The implicit message is that no one is as great and all knowing as Mr. Trump, except Mr. Putin and Russia.
This reflects Mr. Trump's self-evident contempt for American democracy.
Hopefully, in the end, after the Republicans in Congress take off their rose colored (or opaque) glasses, this too shall pass as an unflattering event in American history, and get beyond the negativity.
Please KEEP America Great! Mr. Trump is taking us in the other direction.
1
If it's true that Trump fears then this president is already fatally compromised.
1
Two things worry me -- terrify me actually -- about this love affair Trump has with Putin.
One is the poisoning in England that used a nerve agent so deadly that it could have easily killed thousands in that small town and could potentially do so in the future. If the President doesn't care about the fate of a Russian citizen killed on English soil, I would hope that he would care enough to protect his fellow Americans. So far no sign of that.
The other is Russia's apparent ability to shut down major American power grids, a story which keeps getting lost in all the other craziness. This is almost as scary as death by nerve agent. And again, Trump by his behavior does not seem to be all that interested in protecting American citizens.
I think there's a word for this: appeasement.
The question Robert Mueller will hopefully answer is why. Apparently Brennan already knows the answer to that. Hopefully the rest of us will know soon.
3
While Trump offers Putin praise and support there are two people working tirelessly to help protect America and many other countries from this Russian dictator and his criminal administration. Bill Browder and Gary Kasparov. One American businessman and the other Russian chess champion who are willing to intelligently take on Putin and his oligarchs. Both of these men completely understand they are risking life and fortune to make sure the world can address Putin's fascists behavior. Browder is helping governments around the world to pass the Magnitsky Act which stops the stolen money flow of Putin and his friends into foreign banks and Kasparov who has lectured and written extensively of Putin's criminal behavior. These are the two men should sit down with Trump and the Republican congress to educated them to the peril that they are putting America in with Trump's irresponsible behavior towards Putin.
3
It's not so much whether or not trump laundered Russian money. It's about how much Russian money trump laundered. I suspect that Putin can not only destroy the trump organization but he can also put trump behind bars.
3
The Mongoose and the Cobra.
The cobra raises his head, opens his hood and flashed his colors.
The mongoose watches patiently until the moment is right.
The mongoose strikes, breaks the backbone of the Cobra and settles down to a quite dinner.
With Trump and Putin we all know who is the cobra and who is the mongoose.
All that remains is to wait until dinner time.
2
Mr. Trump believes that if he is very, very nice to Mr. Putin, then Mr. Putin will allow a nice 'Trump' hotel to be built in Moscow. That is the extent of Mr. Trump's 'thought'. Everything that Mr. Trump does is to achieve that goal. Small, incongruent with the position of President of the United States? Yes. The destructive dreams of a third rate huckster are what are driving the United States of America into chaos and collapse.
1
And queue the comments making the false equivalence between this congratulatory call and the one Obama made in 2012, in 3, 2, 1...
3
He is not afraid of Russia, he just refuses to do foolish things that won't create anything good and will create bad. Simple!!!
If he's afraid of Putin why did he immediately take Britain's side in the spy poisoning? The Labor leader in Britain said while the poisoning was abhorrent it was too soon to blame Russia. If Trump is afraid of Putin he could have easily said something similar. He didn't.
If he's afraid of Putin why did he bomb Syria. He could have dithered like Obama. He could have come up with excuses, he didn't.
If he's afraid of Putin why does he allow Nikki Hayley to criticize him in the U.N.? Obviously he isn't.
The hallmark of conspiracy theories is you either ignore evidence which contradicts your conspiracy theory or you just make the conspiracy theory bigger. I have no doubt John Brennan was a loyal public servant, but I also have no doubt he's a human with foibles and allegiances. He is entitled to his opinion but it is not above scrutiny and questioning. Trump's actions belie his accusations.
It seems to me that after a year and a half of investigating we would have some evidence supporting all these accusations. If this evidence exists it is time for us to see it. The longer this goes on the more it looks like a conspiracy theory and an effort to disqualify a democratic election.
Actually, it's beginning to look like whining.
14
It looks like a thorough investigation, that had already produced some significant wrong doing of many people connected to Trump. Clearly there is more that needs to be meticulously vetted. The only whining I hear is from the president himself (and now his supporters) about the investigation. It is loud and clear.
20
Trump has indeed tolerated actions by members of his administration that criticize Russia (though his foot dragging on sanctions is notable.) But it's also clear that he hemself has real trouble criticizing Putin, and the question is why? I think it's a legitimate question.
19
He did not "immediately" take Britain's side. It took a day, which is a little slow with someone whose thumbs are usually pretty fast on the trigger. And then he did pretty quickly congratulate Putin on his election. If you believed someone had had something to do with a poisoning, would you make a congratulatory phone call about a clearly rigged election? I wouldn't. This is especially egregious when Trump also continually makes snide remarks about our allies.
A year and a half is a long time, I agree, but it's disingenuous to claim that nothing has been found. One, we don't know what Mueller has found, and two, there's a lot of stink to go through: denials on the part of several people around him that they'd had no dealings with Russia, which then turned out to be lies; Trump's continual refusal to release his tax returns, which fuels the idea that he's got something to hide, and it might be that they show indebtedness to the leadership of Russia; evidence of meddling in our elections; and more.
You want whining? How about the EIGHT "investigations" of Benghazi that found nothing? The GOP was either spectacularly incompetent or they were deliberately lying just to stir things up. I tend to go for the second theory. Quite a few Trump supporters refuse to let the issue go, not because there was evidence (the GOP would have pounced), but because they will believe literally anything Trump says.
22
Putin OWNS Trump.
And he's owned him for years.
Long before his sixth bankruptcy, New York Banks stopped lending Donnie Deadbeat money.
No bank in America would lend him money.
No legitimate bank anywhere in the world, would lend him money.
So Donnie had to start begging money from "less than legitimate" banks.
"Less than legitimate" banks, that had affiliations with Russian Mafia Oligarchs.
The oligarchs were more than happy to be Donnie's "friend".
"Friends" help each other out.
They help out Donnie, and Donnie helps them out.
Donnie HAS TO help them out.
The oligarchs wanted to make Real Estate Investments.
You know, golf clubs, hotels, condos, apartment buildings.
It's called Money Laundering.
And who do all of the Russian Mafia Oligarchs answer to?
Who allows them to do business?
Who do they fear the most?
Comrade Vladimir.
So why is Donnie afraid of Putin?
Because Putin knows all about the Money Laundering.
And the Tax Evasion.
And the Conspiracy to Commit Tax Evasion.
And Putin can put Trump in jail, faster than Bob Mueller.
8
DT's fear may be so great that when he meets Putin he may ask if he can tag along and go to Russia.
2
It's 'Russia First' for Traitor Trump. He's rude and dishonest with America's friends - and brags about it - but when it come to Putin and Russia, Traitor Trump can't be subservient enough. You can see it in the video clips where he talks to or about Russians: his voice lowers, body language looks like he's trying to avoid being punched. All that flag waiving of Trump's was and is a sham. He sold us out to an adversarial foreign power.
1
Trump is 'so afraid of Russia' because the 'Real Donald Trump' is so afraid of everyone. That is the result of his insecure ego and his malignant narcissism, his sociopathic lack of empathy and his relentless bullying.
Does Putin 'have something on him'? Probably.
Sooner or later, his balloon will collapse, and we will all pay the penalty.
2
Et tu, New York Times? Asking rhetorical questions like the one in the headline of this piece---a question that everyone knows the answer to---is beneath what I would expect from the Times. Please don't try to be fair and balanced. The last sentence in this piece should have been your headline, that is, "If Mr. Trump isn't Mr. Puttin's lackey, it's past time for him to prove it!"
1
The man who insults EVERYONE has nary a harsh word for Putin - even when it hurts him politically. This was apparent before the election; it is painfully obvious now. As Trump would throw his mother under a bus if it got him ratings or money, it is clear that the Kremlin owns him. Wake up Red America - your leader is a traitor.
1
Why hasn't there been more fuss made about Trump's tax returns? Is there no patriot in the IRS who will take the consequences and release his returns if they have damning evidence?
1
How many courageous Americans and other people around the world have fought and died to defend the ideals that Trump spits upon in order to keep his ego intact? Maybe your grandfather died on Omaha beach. Maybe you are a veteran. Maybe you have faced death to defend this country, it's people, and it's constitution. Was so much blood and courage expended to allow an at best, corrupt and incompetent person and, at worst, a traitor to lead this nation we love? This nation who's constitution and Bill of Rights offer a vision of hope to humanity? How far we have sunk...
1
When Trump is gone, the whole Trump family enterprise should be examined for RICO purposes, and if there is anything there, it should all be confiscated, including subordinate LLCs.
1
Weird that Trump attacks Biden viciously and not Putin. Pretty sure only one of those is a dictator actively undermining America's interests at home and abroad.
2
Corruption (his) seems to me a plausible cause. But quite frankly, it appears that Trump is rotten to the bone.
2
Trump is either afraid of Putin because he knows Putin can take him down, or Trump simply admires Putin's unbeholden swagger. If the latter, Trump should spend some time with Bill Browder, author of Red Notice...or at least watch some of Browder's interviews on YouTube.
After three decades of laundering Russian mob money, trump is Putin's puppet!
2
If it quacks like a duck....
1
One very basic solution to the problem of meddling - by Russia or anyone else - in our elections: restore public and observable vote counting. Yes, take the trouble to do it manually in public rather than in the partisan, proprietary, pitch-dark of cyberspace, where it is oh so riggable.
Yes this would take a few hours more - we might not have our results by bedtime. Yes it would take some roll-up-the-sleeves American labor - I've served a total of 11 days of jury duty. Are our elections and our democracy not worth the four hours it would take per voter lifetime to count by hand?
If we recognize the vulnerability of our elections - and of the vote counting process at their core - as the crisis that it is (and has been), how can we NOT respond by moving rapidly and decisively to prevent not just Mr. Putin but ______ (can you think of a few domestic operatives to fill in this blank?) from substituting their will for that of our people?
1
Too bad you didn't bother to call attention to any of the mounting evidence of Trump's love for Putin and Russia during the election.
1
We all know Trump's a cheater, a dirty dealer and a threat to national security. I did find Cambridge Analytica likes to use front men like big time developers to entrap people in compromising situations, a trick Donald erveled in with Wolff on breaking up friends' marriages. so why not bust up some foreign competition?
Posting pretty selectively on the subject of CA. Didn't they say a newspaper gave them millions of subscriber's data? Can you deny, or will this also go by the wayside? You let me go off topic recently, so why this won't be an open question is more disturbing than no answer.
Russia attacked us. Emphatically, no less than Dick Cheney called it an 'act of war. The former Vice President did not use mealy mouthed terms such as 'meddling' and 'interference'.
America was, and continues to be attacked by a foreign aggressor determined to weaken us and our democratic allies. Donald Trump talks tough but the man is a coward. Full stop.
1
The most dangerous enemy that the United States faces is the enemy within. The traitors that play the long game, they inflict the deepest wounds because of our complicity or we missed the warning signs. And that's what Donald Trump is, a one big, flashing, warning sign.
1
The fate of our Nation and the rest of the free world lies in the tiny hands of a two bit huckster. He cheats on his wives with porn stars and other compromised women whom he discards after peremptory attempts at love making that has no love, nor passion nor prowess. He is in it to take what he can so as to pretend he is competent. Yet in fact, he is a sham who repeats his TV role as a shrewd deal maker. He is at best a fraud and a cheat. He steals from all he can by exploiting bankruptcy laws. That he is sheltered by Republicans indicts them as well. They are calculating self involved frauds and lackeys for the elite campaign contributors. In reality, they have become play for pay hookers. The Republican party is filled with self serving frauds willing to exploit this two bit huckster to serve their campaign donors and not the American people. They have no moral core nor any loyalty to our Nation and its democratic egalitarian ideals. They are destroying America the beautiful and its loyal sons and daughters while defacing our democracy before the world appalled at how far we have fallen. We are now on the brink of no return.
2
Once more backstage crew:
Why is the Editorial Board leading with Brennan? The man is a criminal--the CIA international link to the Bush-Cheney torture campaign--, still works for the CIA's secret board of munchkins who used to manipulate Obama's Russian foreign policy.
Remember: "I told Putin to cut it out and stop doing it." It being meddling in US elections. That worked for Obama, didn't it? (Might as well have tried to cut an honest deal with Zuckerberg.)
And can we ever forget Obama's comments caught on mic when he told one of Putin's henchmen that after the election he would have more freedom to cut deals with him. Where was all our Sovietized Neo-Marxist condemnation from the media then?
So, now, he's not supposed to shake hands with Xi--who just made himself dictator for life, which is somehow more benign than what Putin did?
Trump didn't talk about "the unfair political system that deprives Russians of a real say in their government". China's is better? Yeah, that would really help out the US bond market.
Excuse me, but who cares what "the disparity between Trump and his advisers" is. Did the citizens elect them? If they don't like what Trump is doing, they can go work for the NYT and WP--ooops, seems they already do. So why are they getting a government check, too?
Time to fire the lot of them.
1
The Facebook profiling data was almost certainly shared with Putin's hackbots by Nix /Cambridge Analytica/ Bannon/Mercer along with their campaign strategies and messaging. They couldn't resist,; Nix's spyful boasts confirm it. Herein lies the collusion connection methinks. Siccem Mueller!
1
People keep saying that the Russians "might" have something on Trump. Of course, they do. And, it is doubtless more than just "something". Will we ever see it? Not unless it gets leaked from Russia, and they don't actually treat people who do that sort of thing nicely, do they... What they have on him probably looks a lot like money laundering with a heavy dose of all the kind of stuff he managed to get into with porn stars and centre-folds whom he has had to pay off. What we are seeing is the payoff that Russia gets. As for help in the election itself? Well, that one is just obvious. Trump is their boy.
2
I would like to think Trump is smarter than everyone thinks, but he's not. In fact by all outward appearances, he's stupid. In fact it's about time for Trump to tell everyone how smart he is again. Where he went to college and that he has a very high IQ.
Putin may have Trump locked into a verbal non disclosure agreement the penalty for breaking is even worse than serving out an open ended sentence as a traitorous rat and all around dirt bag.
2
Why is Trump so afraid of Russia? Simple. The Golden Showers bit that Christopher Steele wrote about. If true, we can all bet our lives Putin has the video. Even Trump boy would not want that bantered about. Of course there are other minor details, but c'mon Trump and ladies of the night peeing on a bed that former President Obama and his wife slept in in a Moscow hotel room would absolutely place Trump, there are no words, as the lowest of the low life that ever walked on the face of this planet. His silly little appendage would be revealed for all the world.
So, Russians have something over Trump and CIA doesn't know what? Wow. Russians are good. They go for the real stuff on the American President that allows the to control him while CIA is chasing ghost if WMD.
There is only one thing that the Russians could have on Trump that would force him to immediately vacate his office. And given Trump's consuming interest in sex, it's not hard to imagine what that might be.
1
Maybe he’s trying to be “flexible”. That was Obama’s excuse. Did you criticize that?
1
Because the left is devouring itself in Russian conspiracy theories and he's feeding that fire. He is trolling the left and that's about it - there may be some shady business deals in there of course, but he's probably not "in bed" with Putin and he gets things like the tax bill passed as Democrats waste their time chasing a dead end.
1
Why do we waste time asking why this fool is so afraid of Putin?
He has been money-laundering for years for the Russians and they can expose him at any time.
The question is why we allow Putin to run our country via Trump and his family of grifters? What's in it for the Republicans that still support him? What do they think he will gift them with when he goes down?
1
Trump negotiates with sanctioned Russian banks in 2015 just as he starts his primary campaign.
Trump attacks the Steele reports which (among other things) suggests he may have had compromising sex with escorts in Moscow.
Trump sues Stormy Daniels but forgets to sign his name to the document.
Why ever should any of us doubt he has any reasons to not cover our backs?
A more important question is why the NYT and other leading "progressive" institutions are trying so hard to inflame the public about Russia. Apparently the value of "diversity" applies only to ethnic issues in the US and not to how people in other countries choose to live their lives? I sense the drumbeat of war in your editorials--much like the idiotic analysis that you so fervently bought into, and that led us into the maelstrom of the Muslim world. No thanks. Let the Russians take care of themselves.
2
He is the new Chamberlain.
"A senior administration official told The Times that Mr. Trump didn’t want to antagonize Mr. Putin because fostering rapport is the only way to improve relations between the two countries."
And Cuba????
It's looking more and more like Trump supporters and some members of the Repuke party are silent on his affection, support for Putin and Russia which brings up the question why? Many theories but the one that I think may be plausible is that his supporters don't care. They are quite comfortable with a traitor for president who loves the enemy but trashes his own administration and country. These supporters think this anti-Russia stuff is all fake news just like Trump says.
It is likely that dark Russian money was responsible for keeping the Trump organization afloat. His sale of his Florida property looks like classic money laundering. An expensive condo in one of his buildings is the best way to stash ill gotten gains legally in a stable country. If we could follow the money and get our hands on his tax returns a lot of this would become obvious.
He might be a useful idiot, but he is certainly compromised. In almost every way that I can think of Trump has done Russia's bidding. I think he is a traitor.
Common sense seems to offer the best explanation for Trump's eagerness to appease Putin in every possible way: Putin knows exactly how his and Russian Mafia money has propped up the Trump Empire, something that Mueller also knows by access to Trump's personal and business tax returns. Indeed, Trump should be terrified that if he were to fire Mueller one or more persons with access to Trump's tax returns (which are probably all available in digital form) would choose the "Nuclear Option" and leak them all to the press. Then again, if Trump allows Mueller to complete his investigation he faces possible charges of Treason and Criminal Corruption which explains his extreme anxiety about the investigation. The GOP, Fox News and all of Trump's other enablers also should be concerned that their blind allegiance to "The Fuhrer" will mark their demise as well: a result which could save our nation.
Will the real Manchurian Candidate please stand up?
Right from the election campaign trail, Trump's relationship to Russia — his call for Russia to hack Hillary's emails, his strange blind eye to the warnings of security agencies that Russia was meddling in the election — has been aberrant. His verbal abuse of the security agencies, seeking to discredit them, began at that time and was, frankly, hair raising. It is much easier to imagine what might be the reasons for this, than it is to account for why almost the whole Republican Congress has turned a blind eye to behavior that has been so aberrant and suspicious. McConnell's remark on Trump's call to Putin is nothing but evasion. These are not men or women who needed Russians to invest in a property, or who got filmed in a hotel with prostitutes. Yet many of them are people who have not raised a finger or a voice against Russia's meddling, who have tried to discredit the Russia investigation, who tried to cast the investigators as the perpetrators, and who in fact closed down the House investigation prematurely. The history of Nazi Germany shows that many of Conservative leaning in Germany thought Hitler was a clown and wanted nothing to do with his extremism and violence, yet they supported him, figuring that Nazi violence would bring down the democracy Germany had at that time, and enable the realization of their right-wing agenda, after which they could ditch him. The result was tragic beyond words.
When an editorial asks - flat out - an obvious and important question, I think it's almost surely the time for a blunt (un-nuanced) answer.
And we are in luck. A former CIA Director - more than likely a life-long Republican - turns out to have a platinum conscience and moral compass, and while he phrased it as "COULD BE," his conjecture that Russia "has something" on Donald is akin to Galileo's figuring out that the earth was not flat. It's THAT obvious.
Donald exemplifies the thuggish side that many humans have smaller amounts of in their make-up. Annoy him and he'll do anything short of pay someone to kill you. Stroke him and he'll reward you with a position in his Cabinet.
What would Donald do? ...
If ... he ... were ... afraid of something?
If the fear object was - and, of course, I believe it is - a nation clearly led by one of the handful of people on earth as un-principled as Donald is, the nation being Russia, of course, he would stick to anti-Muslim and anti-China rhetoric and actions - even in the face of Russia's sending assassins to do their thing in or near our allies' capital cities.
Of course, Putin & Co. benefits more from pulling the strings than pulling the plug. Donald knows that, but his worst nightmare is becoming even more of a "punch line" than he is currently. The oh-so-feared fall from "most powerful man on earth" (arguably) to "most reviled in American history" has him in "Stepin Fetchit" mode!
Incomprehensible?! No, it's easily explained!!
The last time we had a traitor for a president was our 15th, President James Buchanan who colluded and sided with the treasonous southern states. The question is, will history repeat itself, and how far and what will it take to remove the current traitor.
The truth will come out, but maybe not for years. Trump will be proved to be a traitor.
1
I don't trust Brennan to tell the truth based upon his unprofessional political comments made to the press. Your Board has zero understanding of relationships and negotiating as demonstrated by this article. Obama was a lap-dog whispering to the Russians that he would have more flexibility after his election. His weakness was a major cause of Russia accelerating weapon development and military action in the Ukraine. Trump slams Putin and Russia and calls to congratulate Putin on his election. This is called being" in control" with a stick and carrot technique that you people at the NYT do not comprehend.
Because Trump knows that Putin put him in the oval office.
Talk about blackmail?
He’s weak. That surprises you? Nothing about this person exudes strength.
Trump is much less afraid of Putin than Obama was. What dirt did Putin have on Obama to prompt Obama to promise Putin "more flexibility" after the 2012 election? Why did Obama ignore Representative Nunes' 2014 letter warning the administration of Russia's cyber security threats to the 2016 election? Why did Obama ignore evidence of Russia's cyber meddling in our election presented to him by our intelligence community during the summer of 2016? Why did Obama refuse to confront Putin's aggression in Ukraine and Syria?
1
I bet you don't really want those answered.
Obama was working on the Iran deal, which Putin used to steal Crimea and Ukraine.
The Nunes question is a shame, Mitch slammed the idea of warning the US. Nunes is a Russian puppet.
Same answer, Mitch made it impossible because he wanted to leverage Russian spying to his party's advantage.
Obama does NOT let Putin direct his progress. He was after the Iranian deal, and Putin made it as costly as possible.
1
Obama is not our president, and when he was, he put meaningful sanctions on Putin's oligarchs. Trump has undermined our true allies and has allowed Putin an undeserved, prominent role as a leader on the world stage. Our president, who is supposed to protect all of us against this murderous dictator, has inexplicably opened his skirt to Putin and is now heavily compromised. Why are Russians in the White House? What is in this secret relationship for us? And why are we at risk?
If Nunez warned about Russia in 2014, why does Nunez say now that there is no evidence of Russian influence in the 2016 election? It seems Nunez has a very selective memory. Obama was an overly cautious president, to the dismay of many, and that explains many of his policies. Syria has always been backed by Russia, now and starting from 1944, when they developed an strategic alliance. Obama and every president of the US since 1944 has had to deal with Russian influence in Syria, which is pretty much a satellite country of Russia. In addition, the US had to contend with the growing influence of ISIS, created with the help of the Syrian government in retaliation for the US support of Syrian rebels. The same goes for the Ukraine, which has had a long history of Russian domination centuries ago. Yes, Obama was too cautious as a president but it does not mean he was corrupt. The same cannot be said about the current one and it remains to be seen what hold the Russian have over this president.
The Republican party as an entity is a domestic enemy. Their oligarch overlords: Kochs, Mercers, et al, could throw their money at moderates, just as well as these extremists holding all three branches of government hostage. But they don't. They subvert the democratic process at every opportunity, and the Republican party laps up the largesse at the direct expense of country, Constitution and citizenry.
Mr. Mueller and team must expose these enemies, and we had ALL, each and every one of us, get to a voting booth and vote every last one of them out.
The Republican party needs to be killed off by losing every last elected office, and the perpetrators need to be held accountable in the justice system, if there is any justice still to be had.
Of course Donald Trump is Russia's useful idiot. He has said so all along, as have his Ivana - bred offspring.
Just as Americans are waking up to the Facebook/Cambridge Analytica/election rigging (bigly), so must registered Republicans who hold with the American idea of a great democratic experiment. They must hold their noses, leave the party that abandoned them, and they must vote with their considered party of opposition until these domestic enemies are vanquished.
We all of us have a duty to perform for our country's survival as a republic.
7
Is Mr. Brennan suggesting that Russian “kompromat” on Trump, alluded to in the infamous Steele Dossier, might actually exist? Given Trump’s proclivities towards attractive women – which he had bragged about with Billy Bush on the “Access Hollywood” videotape in 2006 – it’s highly likely that the Russians do possess highly compromising information on Trump.
This Sunday on “60 Minutes,” we will hear what Stormy Daniels, an adult film star, has to say about her sexual liaisons with Trump. Then there is Karen McDougal, a Playboy model, who is also seeking to extricate herself from a non-disclosure agreement relating to her sexual affair with Trump. And, Summer Zervos, a former contestant on Trump’s reality TV show, “The Apprentice,” just got a New York Supreme Court judge to allow her defamation lawsuit against Trump to go forward.
These three independent cases establish a pattern of behavior with Trump that also imply the Russians most likely possess similar “kompromat” on Trump as indicated in the Steele Dossier. It is why Trump is afraid of Russia because Putin can destroy the Trump presidency by releasing this information at a time of his choosing. If the kompromat does exist, this is a very detrimental position for a president of the United States to be in. So yes, “If Mr. Trump isn’t Mr. Putin’s lackey, it’s past time for him to prove it.” The sooner, the better!
P.S. Resubmitting this comment after waiting 11 hours for it to be published!
3
The plot thickens.
The noose tightens.
3
What Vladimir Putin sees in Donald Trump is a inspector Clouseau. A bumbling fool that doesn’t notice anything around him. So easy to manipulate he’s the laughingstock of the Western world. Is this with the deplorable‘s voted for?
4
Trump has a lot on his plate. It's amazing he hasn't cracked up more than he has.
- Putin has something big on him.
- A relentless porn star.
- At least two other women with lawsuits, which will likely include depositions and possibly testimony at trail. More to come.
- Few friends in Washington (and New York).
- Last, and definitely not least, Mueller (Russia, money laundering, campaign finance violations obstruction of justice, Don Jr./Ivanka/Jarred?)
What else have I missed?
3
Like the mafia, Russians are the masters of finding dirt on people and then using it for leverage. They even have a word for it, Kompromat. So given Trump's loose morals (he clearly has a penchant for huge fake breasts for one thing) and the fact that he has spent time in Russia, is it so hard to believe that the Kremlin has compromising material on Trump and is using it to their advantage? I think not.
3
Perhaps for the same reason Obama was afraid of Putin? Obama was very friendly and gentle to Putin.
https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/03/barack-obama-vladimir-putin-congr...
1
Obama imposed sanctions on Russia after the annexation of Crimea, and again after meddling in the election came to light. Try again.
Trump is a traitor and everything he has done - or rather nothing - to Russia is and has been treason. McConnell and Ryan as well. What they are collectively doing is an act of treason and they all should be impeached plain and simple.
These acts add up to an on-going attack on our democracy and I for one would like the US and the world to be in good standing for my kids and their kids. ENOUGH is ENOUGH! They all must go!
VOTE THEM OUT!
2
Trump and Putin are ideological soulmates and Trump is afraid that, just like the porn stars and playmates, Putin may decide to make public behaviors, deals, collaborations or promises that would embarrass him.
2
President Obama showed us his birth certificate. Show us your tax return.
5
It isn't just Trump. Our entire Congress has been exceptionally mealy-mouthed when it comes to censoring Russia. Ryan and McConnell could have stepped to the microphone and insisted their committees fully investigate and recommend policies. They could be writing op eds here every day. They aren't. Whatever the Russians have on Trump, they must have the entire GOP.
7
He needs Putin to tell him how to think. It's hard work trying to be POTUS. His only real training for the job was being a reality TV star and that'll get you only so far. Besides, if anything goes wrong he can always blame Daddy Putin.
4
I'm pretty sure that some answers could be found in the un-released tax returns.
10
The people hyperventilating about the red menace and the apocalyptic and existential threat of Russians are accusing Trump of being afraid of the Russians because he heeded the polite and diplomatic practice of congratulating the winner an election?
Your Russian fixation can be treated by psychiatrists, probably.
Do you teach your children to check for Russians under the bed before retiring for the night?
1
He was told by his staff to not congratulate Putin. He did anyway.
It’s amazing how once somebody falls for a con they just keep digging in deeper no matter how much evidence that they’ve been conned comes to light.
Do you have any idea how much your fellow Americans are going to despise you and your fellow Trump supporters once the full truth about Putin’s puppet comes out?
I am more worried about Russians in my electric grid or financial system. Under the bed, not so much.
trump has some reason to be scared silly of Putin. Otherwise, why the soft touch? He certainly hasn't hesitated to criticize any of our allies, congressmen, public figures, ex presidents, etc. Why the soft spot for a dictator? We know... we absolutely know he is a philanderer. Putin would have been a fool not to set him up with a "comfort girl". Would trump have declined? gimme a break!
9
Its obvious, they own him. Through shady loans, and dirty videos. The simplest explanation is the most likely (achem's razor)
8
All the other likely outcomes have come to pass, so why not expect Trump to be Putin's chump under glass?
Um...they have nuclear weapons?
Those do not cause Trump any fear, he's more afraid of poisoning, I'm told. When four of his executives went down in a copter crash, he cashed in his chips blaming his mixed casino results on them. He considers nukes an option.
1
If Donald Trump is not a Russian agent, why does he act like one?
11
This idiot's ego is so fixated on monuments to himself (a Trump Tower in Moscow), and he is so paranoid that his so-called business acumen and wealth will be exposed for what it is - a sham - that he will do anything to achieve the former and avoid the latter. Follow the money; it will expose everything.
8
Brennan is a serial liar who lied under oath in his testimony before Congress. He should be in jail. Former spooks should not be be political, but he is a devious political hack.
2
The only relevant question is what does Putin have on Trump?
Every lie by Trump his team, his appointess, his campaign
involved Russia or its oligarchs and satellites like Ukraine.
Clinton was right, He is Putin's puppet.Too bad the press
decided to spend all its time on the emails which proved
to be, drum roll please, a nothingburger.
Follow the rubles
Howard Fineman
5
How can Trump's base and the GOP keep looking the other way from an administration that is so dirty. You don't even know where to begin anymore and what is more serious---employing wife abusers, or appointing obvious incompetents to cabinet posts, or cabinet members spending more time on office decorations and purchasing first class tickets that working their job or a son in law begging for money in the West Wing meetings with foreign governments, or paying off porn stars, bunnies, on and on and on.
7
Trump lied to the Canadian Prime Minister. He insults London's mayor after terror attack. He insults San Juan mayor after the hurricane. He insults the very AG he appointed. He lied to and insulted the President of Mexico. He said Angela Merkel is "ruining Germany". He insulted an entire continent, Africa.
And then there's Russia.
14
The Con Don is not afraid of Putin. They are Robber Baron brethren.
The Con Don wants to attack China because China is seriously clamping down on BIG "investment" crooks like him.
Thank you, China. WE THE PEOPLE will demand the same when we purge The Con Don, his Robber Baron brethren and their operatives from OUR government at every level in the next elections. Can we send them to you?
3
What creepy speculations. THIS is considered high-level thinking? It’s more like schoolboy chatter, perverse and twisted.
Truly infantile.
Strange that you would look to Mitch McConnell to give guidance on patriotic responses given he actively tanked every proposal to kick start our economy after the 2007 Republican driven financial crash.
He wanted our economy to fail so he could get a Republican President.
He is a traitor just like Trump.
8
I hope you have some of your best investigative reporters digging digging digging in Russia right now.
2
He borrowed from Russia, and can't pay it back. It's all very simple..money!!!!
2
1) Russian money that was laundered into
2) Federal Bank of the Middle East operating in Cyprus and then into
3) Deutsche Bank and then into
4) trump's so called real estate empire
5) no US tax returns by trump
plus sex tapes
3
Corrupt. Period.
1
Folks, it is Hillary's fault. She let the country down. It was not easy to lose to Trump. Notwithstanding the Russians and their honeymooners, Bernie and Jane Sanders, Hillary should have won had it not been for her incompetence and that of Jon Podesta, Robbie Mook, Donna Brazile, Huma Abedin, and Anthony Weiner.
Wasn't Pinocchio afraid of Geppetto? Same deal here.
2
Even though Trump is a bully and therefore a coward, it's never a good tactic to assign negative virtue to someone based on one's own perceptions. It just looks bad, and reads badly, and generally stinks.
1
Man, if this were a Democratic President he'd be in handcuffs already. Republicans in congress are complicit and reckless in their silence and obstruction. This is a matter of National Security and should be treated as such.
Trumpista's will never admit their dear leader is compromised. It would impact their ignorant and foolish agenda.
When will Betsy Devos begin mandating Russian language classes across the nation?
And Trump claims we should be friendly with the thug that meddled in the election, targets our electric grid, buzzes our military aircraft and warships and bombs hospitals in Syria while seeping further into the Ukraine.
Our nation is now so deeply compromised and infiltrated it will take decades to correct while we remain weak and at Putin's mercy.
Trump, his supporters or enablers and the Republican Party has an awful lot to answer for.
5
If Putin has no interest in spreading an economic system in the way that Stalin and Khrushchev did, what would be his motive in having a friend in the White House? I also do not think Putin and Russia have much interest in conquering any significant new territory. After the debacle in Afghanistan, Russia has no stomach for occupying territory where the population does not speak Russian and could involve fighting insurgents supported by outside interests. Russia has no interest in trying to subdue the populations of Poland or Lithuania even if Trump and/or NATO were willing to look the other way. Russia has already achieved most or all of the re-absorption of Russian speaking areas such as Crimea as it probably wishes.
What Russia and Putin desperately need is money. Even if Putin asked Trump to have the American Treasury transfer, say $200 billion to Russia, that is not going to happen. Even Kellyanne Conway could not spin that one into anything that would be acceptable to the American people or congress. How could Trump cause Russia to gain $200 billion? The answer would be a $50 increase in the price of oil. What has caused most of the oil price spikes? That has been wars in the Middle East. In particular conflict involving Iran which could block moves by tanker through the Strait of Hormuz, the world's most important petroleum transit choke point...” http://seekingalpha.com/article/4034048
http://seekingalpha.com/article/4034048
1
“The United States stands by the people of Venezuela, and their constitutional representatives, in their quest to restore their country to a full and prosperous democracy...We will continue to take strong and swift actions against the architects of authoritarianism in Venezuela, including those who participate in the National Constituent Assembly as a result of today’s flawed election...We urge governments in the region and around the world to hold accountable those who undermine democracy, deny human rights, bear responsibility for violence and repression, or engage in corrupt practices.”
--U.S. response to July 2017 Venezuelan sham election
"It's not America's place to tell other countries how to run their elections."
--U.S. response to March 2018 Russian sham election
Oh, yes, and the other U.S. response was "Congratulations, Vlad!"
1
In addition to knowing why Trump is so afraid of Russia, I'd like to know what he OWES Russia. It looks to me like he's doing what Paul Manafort did with Oleg Deripaska -- using public actions to clear a private debt.
2
This from the paper that sold us yellowcake, elides how Larry Summers, Clinton and Obama, administrated Yeltsin's privatization of the Soviet commonwealth, leading to its current Putin plutocracy, while NAFTAing and de-Glass-Steagaling us here, creating our current plutocracy. Trump and Putin are plutocrats—and they seem to enjoy the "global free market" deregulation that lets them be dictators in action if not in name. Trump is not afraid of Putin. They share the same interests.
This president's pandering very closely approaches treason, for he does nothing to stand up for American values, American national security, or American sovereignty. We have been attacked by a foreign power, a historically hostile one at that, and he acts as if all he can concentrate on is the next television show, the bucket of fried chicken he's ordered, and the next woman he intends to sleep with and/or sue. In any other administration, we would be at war. Benedict Donald, a bully bowing down to another bully, and handing the keys to our nation to the one man on the planet who has both the desire and the power to end the American experiment...unless a real president - a legitimate president - acts like the commander in chief and takes real action against the party which has declared war on us. But how can he, when Russia has him, his family, and his businesses all by the throat?
1
Our so-called president refuses to read or study, leaving him without even rudimentary knowledge of international issues. So he operates on his own childish fantasy planet, viewing world leaders as either nice or not-nice. US adversaries have the wherewithal to flatter Trump, so win him over, much like giving a child candy. US allies tend to be more truthful, which vainglorious Trump can’t abide. In Trump’s inverted candy-land friends are enemies, and enemies are friends. Expecting more sophistication from him is like asking a Chihuahua to do trigonometry. It won’t happen.
2
President Trump fears the truth -- Period. How he behaves towards Putin suggests Trump is wary of what he (Trump) does not know about what Putin does know about Trump. His "shyness" with Putin is a glaring "tell" from a man who lives the life of an over confident, and arrogant, bully! What else do we need to know?
2
Trump merely gave the devil his due and moved on.
1
Vote in 2018 and 2020.
2
The question that needs to be asked of Donald Trump - "Are you now, or have you ever been, a Russian?"
1
Maybe he's trying to provide balance between the NY Times, which savagely attacks the president multiple times every day, and normal people who are worried about their mortgages, rents, health care and other things, and are not trapped in the "Russia, Russia" mindset. The more politically biased you are, the more people are turning you off. Attack Trump for legitimate things, but stay away from the speculation, for which you do not have proof. You ruined your reputation with the all things Hillary before, during and after the election, when you smeared the ethical campaigners---who didn't vote for Clinton.
If the year was 1954, Trump would be considered a traitor and be brought up on charges of treason.
Trump is a Russian Stooge and that's irrefutable, but the question is what is Putin holding over Trump's head?
What Trump has done by his incompetence, he has exposed the total incompetence of the Republican Leadership in Congress and sycophant's like Mike Pence who is Donald Trump's number one bootlicker.
1
This is becoming increasingly pathetic. The highly partisan John Brennan has been demonstrated to be a liar when it suits him, yet he is allowed to make the most scurrilous of insinuations without any evidence.
No matter what Trump does, he will always be wrong in the eyes of the NYT and the Resistance, despite doing the same things as previous presidents. They are quick to cry, "But this is different!"
Eighteen months after a disappointing election loss, some are still unable to accept it and move on, including HRC herself. They have tried every maneuver from non-stop ridicule to filing daily law suits to a special counsel to articles of impeachment. There is nothing that partisans can't portray in a negative light.
They are now reduced to vile speculation and threats from former high ranking government officials and ridiculous attention-seeking by over-the-hill porn stars.
My question for months. Why does trump give putin a pass, all the time? What does putin have? Why do the House Republicans give trump a pass? Evangelicals? How does Pence manage not to strangle on his tongue? trump has been on visits to Russia over twenty years, trying to get an "in". All those deals that never come to fruition. Gambling casino in bankruptcy? Golf courses that do not pay. trump's tax returns. trump with a porn actress. trump without a wife at his side. Did trump really not want to be president but only to run so his "brand" could get a polish? trump does not like being president as much as campaigning for others. trump said president was work and he liked his other life. trump talks and talks and talks. Facts are negotiable. trump makes his own. trump has the biggest, best, strongest, loudest. he is a genius. with a fantastic memory. even when surrounded by people with iPhones and journalists with video. Vile. Venal. Vicious. Vomit.
Why is the NYT so afraid of Trump? Stop reporting on the man! He thrives on this stuff! In your own article a week ago, you talk about the sanctions he imposed on Russia. It hasn't become Trump's infatuation: it has become the Clinton-Candidate Paper's obsession with the guy who won.
Please...stop naming him. So far it has not worked. Let's start building a (realistic) viable candidate to run against him. I fear all you are doing is building his second term. Let's report on an intelligent, kind Democrat who is doing good work out there that everyone might be interested in voting for...
2
Why is the Editorial Board leading with Brennan? The man is a criminal, still works for the CIA's secret board of munchkins who used to manipulate Obama--"I told Putin to cut it out and stop doing it." It being meddling in US elections. That worked for Obama, didn't it? (Might as well have tried to cut an honest deal with Zuckerberg.)
And can we ever forget Obama's comments caught on mic when he told one of Putin's henchmen that after the election he would have more freedom to cut deals with him. Where was all our Sovietized Neo-Marxist condemnation from the media then?
So, now, he's not supposed to shake hands Xi--who just made himself dictator for life, which is somehow more benign than what Putin did?
Trump didn't talk about "the unfair political system that deprives Russians of a real say in their government". China's is better? Yeah, that would really help out the US bond market.
Excuse me, but who cares what "the disparity between Trump and his advisers" is. Did the citizens elect them? If they don't like what Trump is doing, they can go work the NYT and WP--ooops, seems they already do. So why are they getting a government check, too?
Time to fire the lot of them.
1
Does anyone really believe there is anything that would shake Trump's supporters? He could shoot someone in the middle of Fifth Avenue, remember? Maybe he's just not very good in bed.
1
Why is the Times afraid of Russia and so determined to make it our arch enemy?
Russia did not invade Iraq and kill hundreds of thousands of Iraqis. Russia did not invade and ruin Libya. Russia is not abetting the thousands of deaths and the cholera epidemic in Yemen.
Slaughtering Assad's adversaries? Assisting Assad's use of chemical weapons and barrel bombs?
How about sending mercenaries and black ops forces into Ukraine? How about giving them surface to air missiles used to shoot down a civilian airliner?
Poisoning Putin's political foes?
Yeah, Russia our old pal.
Trump International Money Laundry. Just who do you think are his biggest customers?????
1
You can’t ask a man to condemn his hero
No one EVER expected Trump to win the election . . . Especially Trump !
Trump got onto the "Self-Promotional-Campaign-Train" for the sole purpose of deepening the power of his brand - PERIOD !
. . . Well - maybe also to pompously play on a national and global stage as an upgrade from his last reality TV show.
During the campaign;
Back-Channels to the Kremlin
Special Financial Deals for Kushner
Pushing the project for a Trump Tower in Moscow
Raising the value of everything with his name on it . . .
But there was not one thought of serving his country.
His marketing scam was very slick, as manufactured by Bannon and Cambridge Analytica - with massive harvested personal data from Facebook and the various fake Russian "fronts" and trolls.
Never has a leader of our country been so terrified of our greatest foe since WWII.
The "actual goods" that Putin has on Trump . . .
We can imagine "something" pretty damning and ugly, but the exact details, albeit juicy, really does not matter.
America, once a global leader and example of Democracy, now appears very weak and xenophobic.
Trump "is who he is and always has been" -
No One should be Surprised !
The real tragedy our country is suffering is by the hands of the GOP Legislature.
While every news cycle is filled with Trump's Follies;
The GOP stealthily pulls out the rug from the American People and gives it to their greedy donors - while our infrastructure is crumbling and our national education system is plummeting.
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Legislative branch, Intelligence community, and anyone else who is able, please help save our wonderful country from this dangerous, deranged and treasonous egomaniac. Now.
“If Mr. Trump isn’t Mr. Putin’s lackey, it’s past time for him to prove it.” And if he is Mr. Putin’s lackey, it’s past time for us to impeach the traitor.
We all know why Trump is so afraid of Russia. Just follow the money.
Trump is a Teflon Don. Any criticism of him by Congress is viewed by his supporters as one of the swamp to be drained. Nothing gets through. His childish relentless tweets aimed at "insider" dissenters tell his base whom to hate next. And possibly get the Mercers and the NRA to form their next attack ads. He's reckless and can't even see the damage--it's all about looking like a Strongman.
Possible reasons:
1. Putin has some personal dirt on Trump.
2. Trump borrowed money from Russian Oligarchs and may have assisted their laundering dirty money.
3. The Trump team worked with Russians on the election campaign.
4. Trump is a bully with a coward inside - he's afraid of Russia, (so he picks on small nations like Cuba, Korea. And picks on minorities in the US.)
5. Trump is obsessed with Power over others so he admires and is infatuated with Putin.
6. All of the above.
7. Some of the above.
Trump must not care if Russia has something that’s a sex scandal. It must go to the core of his economic self image.
Simple; though speculative, answer - follow the money!
“O, what a tangled web we weave when first we practise to deceive!”
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Why is Trump so afraid? The obvious answer is because he has been compromised by Russia or colluded with Russia.
If, as he repeatedly says, there is "NO COLLUSION! then the answer is that he's a coward who can't stand up to a bigger bully than himself, and can't be bothered to arm himself with the knowledge that might make him a
As SC GOP Congressman Trey Gowdy told Trump's lawyer, "If you have an innocent client, then act like it."
Very big "if."
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It seems so odd to me that anyone should expect Trump to oppose Putin in any way. He was the beneficiary of the cheating, for heaven's sake. We certainly wouldn't expect a Mafia boss to complain about corruption on the NYPD, or to seek to end it. We wouldn't expect a student cheating ring leader to stand up for academic honesty. Trump has everything to gain by continuing the Russian interference with our elections, to refuse to help--or soon, to allow--investigations of malfeasance by Russians or his own confederates. He's not going to turn on his helpers, no matter what the original source of their offers of aid (and we may be sure those offers had their price). It's absurd to think he will. He's not the top cop; he's the top cheater.
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Whatever Putin has on Trump must be very bad indeed and I suspect Trump never thought he would be president and that Putin never thought he would be either. That said there should be rule of law and the GOP is culpable in foisting an incompetent who is compromised by a hostile foreign power led by a viscous thug.
That's treason.
Five bankruptcies drove the dotard to some sleazy options to finance trumpworld and the Ruskies simply took advantage. American banks wouldn't prop trump up. So, Putin "facilitated" some of the oligarchs lending to trump or buying trump condos, etc., thereby laundering their ill-gotten money simultaneously. Thus, trump ultimately can't reveal his taxes or cross his benefactor. Throw in some interaction with Russian prostitutes and he's completely compromised.
My guesses:
1. Trump does not care about what doesn't hurt him. Poisoning people? Invading Ukraine? It's not even on his radar.
2. Russians lend him money and prop him up when no one else will.
3. They "let" him make money off their money laundering—and now they could reveal all that.
3. He is overdue on payments on the loans and they are tolerating it—in exchange for a few favors.
4. They have now let him know that he's in hock to some really nasty characters, and that if he can't pay up in cash, he'll have to pay off some other way.
5. He really believes that his name-calling versus "niceness" to others will shape people's images of them—and for his base, that's probably true.
6. ??? See Mueller's files. Everything I've thought about Trump has turned out worse than I ever imagined, so I'm guessing there's still more.
President Trump fawns on Putin because that’s what he wants to be. They’re both bullies, Trump is just pettier and Putin has already succeeded in thwarting democracy in the name of a cult of personality.
Maybe Russia has something, but at this point it wouldn’t make any difference. Trump was a known quantity and we elected him—with Trump nothing surprises, there are no red lines.
That Trump is shameless is a given. A “pee tape”... meh; another log for a burnt out fire of outrage. This can only mean that Russia has him by the only thing he really cares about: money (the other thing isn’t publishable here).
He ran believing and wanting to lose according to Michael Wolf’s account. So he really doesn’t care about the office the way, say, Nixon did, but losing his financial “empire”.... that matters to him. A lot.
So please “Bobby three sticks” follow the money and save America from itself, because the venal, unpatriotic Republican Party won’t; you are the only hope of deliverance before 2020.
Trump is Putin’s lackey bootlicker for both psychological as well as practical reasons. In awe of an autocrat who can jail his opponents and use chemical and radioactive poisoning against his enemies as well as trample over national boundaries, Trump loves the authoritarian militaristic power that Putin wields. “Every woman adores a Fascist/the boot in the face/ the brute brute heart of a brute like you.” Take Plath’s lines from “Daddy” and change to Trump adores a Fascist, and you have his psychological profile.
As far as his practical reasons, Brennan has pointed out that Putin has the goods on Trump whether they be financial or sexual or otherwise, they can be used as kompromat to keep Trump in tow. So Donald the “strongman” is vulnerable and has to bow down at the feet of this former KGB agent. If that isn’t the definition of a Manchuria candidate, I don’t know what is.
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I can easily believe that Donald Trump is a lackey of Russia, probably because of personal debts. The exposure of sexual peccadilloes must have lost whatever sting it had for Trump by now, especially after seeing that even the Evangelical "Christians" among his and Roy Moore's core supporters don't care a whit.
However, it's also quite possible that Trump is just plain afraid of Putin, the man. Trump wants to be seen as a tough guy and a political strongman. Putin is the real thing on both counts. Trump is a weakling living in fear of a bully. Putin is one of those bullies who do weaklings the favor of grinning at them and letting them hang around, as long as they remember their place.
The opinion expressed in this editorial would carry more weight if the same editorial board had written one criticizing the President for his frank admission to help the Russians on March 26, 2012. Don't remember why?
But this same editorial board refused to even criticize Obama when he thought he couldn’t be heard and overtly offered to help the Russians “after my election”….
On March 26, 2012, then-President Obama told Russian President Dmitry Medvedev that the US would have more “more flexibility” in talks about a missile defense treaty after November elections. Obama leaned in to deliver private assurances to then-Russian President Medvedev. But speaking inadvertently into an open microphone Obama said “On all these issues, but particularly missile defense, this can be solved, but it’s important for him to give me space,” microphone, Obama could be heard saying to Medvedev “Yeah, I understand,” the departing Russian president said. “I understand your message about space. Space for you ... .”
Obama then elaborated in a portion of the exchange picked up by the cameras: “This is my last election. After my election I have more flexibility.”
“I understand. I will transmit this information to Vladimir,” Medvedev said, referring to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who just won an election to succeed Medvedev.
Talk about a "Manchurian candidate president", Obama got caught admitting to helping the Russians but ... "nary a bad word" from the NY Times.
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Trump, Putin’s US branch manager........ aided by the silence of the majority Republicans in both congress and senate. The perversion of patriotism......
Where is McCarthy when we really need him?
There are probably several factors. One is he wants to rule like Putin. Second getting on good terms with Russia is good for the trump brand. Third is trump is not that bright. His whole business strategy is to do the bobby fisher and bully with cash. This man has a massive inferiority complex among other psychosis’s. Putin is who he looks up to because Putin is cool and calculating. Trump is all bluster and bling. Trump cares little for government. He cares about doing business deals. Russia looks good. Hopefully he moves there when he gets the boot.
With regard to Putin, there is an old saying that Trump knows well (see Stormy Daniels, and too many others to cite), "finance before romance". With Trump, it is all about the money; always has, and always will be. Trump is a Russian bot; bot and paid for by the Russians.
Do Trump voters care? They will gleefully ignore reality if it suits their whims.
My opinion is Republicans are a cult.
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1. Crimea has been Russian for centuries. Tolstoy was stationed there. The people there speak Russian, consider themselves to be Russian and voted by 98% to remain in the country. This is not aggression.
2. The anti fascists fighting in Ukraine are resisting a Nazi like government imposed by the US, who destroyed the democratically elected government in a CIA staged revolt. They are resisting American aggression.
3. The Russian forces in Syria are there at the invitation of the Syrian government--as opposed to the thousands of invading US troops there, allied with terrorists, to overthrow the elected government. Again, Russian assistance in a fight against aggressive US imperialism.
4. You keep stating that the Russian election was fixed in some way to assure Putin's win. Yet your own journalists have repeatedly reported that, whatever Americans think of him, he is popular with his own people and freely elected.
5. Mr. Jeremy Corbyn has pointed out that Mrs May has provided no evidence whatsoever of the Russian involvement in the sensational poison murders for which she blames Putin personally. The US press of course does not require any proof. Against the hated Foreign Enemy mere accusation is proof.
6. President Bush promised Gorbachev that NATO would not move one inch East. Instead, all of the countries of the former Warsaw Pact, and three former republics of the USSR, are now members of the US led anti-Russian alliance.
Russia the aggressor? No way.
In eight years, Obama never found anything negative to say about Hamas, Hezbollah or Boko Haram. Was Obama "afraid" of Hamas, Hezbollah and Boko Haram?
Very unprofessional speculation, but par for this crowd. The real question is what is Brennan afraid of? The chickens coming home to roost?
https://consortiumnews.com/2018/03/19/former-cia-chief-brennan-running-s...
Russia cannot compete with the US, it has no economy, no industry. Russia is a small player on a large stage. Why would he be afraid? Why is NYT/Dems so afraid of Russia?
Our "Lover-Boy" President rants, raves and threatens everyone except Putin. It makes me wonder why.
Not just impeachment. That would be wrong. Jail. Jail time for violating his oath of office. Jail time for being a traitor to America. Jail time for lying, stealing, corrupting, grouping, and dozen other things. Let's put this "man" away!
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So do we need actual militias of Dem hooligans? Nope?! Didn't think so. I will just learn Russian. Since preparedness isn't something we discuss. Sheesh.
I vacillate between:
- of course Putin has something serious on Trump from the past (sex/financial ... take your pick) and
- Putin helped Trump get elected (COLLUSION!!) and is now engaged in an ongoing blackmail originally orchestrated by Manafort because Russia "owns" Manafort. [Remember the change in platform on Ukraine at Reep convention.]
"Why Is Trump So Afraid of Russia?" On page one, Mr. Trump is a bully and most bullies are cowards, for they know how beating up on another party works, It's interesting that our right wing elected a coward to deal with our adversaries; perhaps because they are so shallow in their thinking.
Brennan is being very careful. If anyone in the US knew whether Putin had significant dirt on Trump, it would be the CIA. This is because CIA spies in Russia would have learned of that dirt and communicated it to Brennan. Pompeo knows of it, too, which means Trump knows that the CIA knows.
The CIA would advise Mueller of such facts as bear on his investigation. However, Mueller could not disclose that information because of its confidentiality and because its disclosure would endanger our CIA operatives in Russia. Therefore, Mueller is trying to obtain corroboration of this information from other sources. This is what is taking so long.
Mueller already has the goods on Trump. He just needs to get it into a form that would constitute admissible evidence. And Trump likely knows this too.
There is a high stakes race occurring. Can Mueller can pull it altogether before Trump feels sufficiently comfortable that if he fired Mueller, he would not be impeached?
Perhaps Putin does "own" Donald Trump. Perhaps there is a file somewhere in the Kremlin filled with photos and contracts and agreements, and perhaps when they met privately that's what Putin reminded Trump.
Here's a slightly different take: Donald Trump is in so far over his head that he doesn't know what to do with Putin, doesn't know how to "demand" anything from him. Putin is not Kim Jong Un, and Russia is not North Korea. Bullies don't pick out the biggest kid on the playground to taunt and tease... they go after the weakest, and Donald Trump is nothing if not a bully.
He will strut and brag, insult and attack those he knows can't, or won't, strike back. Bullies are very selective in this way, carefully reading the possibility of their target suddenly turning and smacking them in the mouth. Bullies also try to ally themselves with the the real "bad boys", the ones who they wish they were more like. In this case, the strongman dictator.
So, perhaps Putin does have something on Trump. But he's ex-KGB, and that makes me wonder if he sees leverage against the president as all that valuable compared to, say, leverage against a lower level operative who could really do clandestine damage.
I'm inclined to think Trump is afraid of Putin not because of what Putin has on him, but because if he were to ever get into a real fight with him, Putin would clean his clock.
Why is Trump so afraid of Russia? Why are we so afraid to say the obvious, that there's a traitor in the White House, a man who serves himself and the Russian kleptocracy, not simply because he is afraid but because his interests are their interests? He is and has long been one of them, a money-launderer in their global criminal enterprise. Now he and his family and friends seek to profit off the Presidency. Certainly, gather the evidence, build the case, but we don't wait until a mob boss is finally convicted to start calling him what he is. And we never believe mob bosses are convicted on even a fraction of their crimes. Let's start wrapping our heads around the obvious and stop wondering at Trump's behavior. It's not mysterious or inexplicable. We're just still fearful of the common sense answers that have been staring us in the face.
To be realistic, the time to confront the leader of another country would not be a brief phone call after he’s won an election. It might be better to do nothing. Making the call, though, could possibly lay the groundwork for a future meeting.
There is a difficult challenge here: chastising an adversary for serious assaults here and elsewhere, which requires confrontation, vs. addressing an expensive arms race, which requires negotiation.
Russia is not going to stop doing stuff just because we tell them to. Sanctions are necessary, but we need to ask ourselves to what extent they will work, meaning we must be thorough in how we defend ourselves.
Stopping an arms race is paramount. Mutually building and stockpiling nuclear weapons is not only dangerous; it is stupid. Are we going to destroy the world?
If Trump can curtail the arms race, he may, strangely, leave at least some fraction of a positive legacy. Unfortunately, he seems capable only of meaningless photo ops, followed by destructive tweets. Putin is smarter, and we simply need a different president.
It is simple. The Donald knows Putin has him in a vice.
Thankfully the truth is hard to cover up. The Donald's game of distraction is running out. More light is being shone on his affairs--literally and figuratively--and let that light disinfect us all from the illnesses he has spread.
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Trump won’t release his own tax return,
Would it show he had “hot” money to burn?
Cavorting with prostitutes in the land of the czars?
Paying off tempestuous, stormy porno stars
Fake evangelicals shouting what to do and say.
The hypocrisy can’t stand up to the light of day.
Preaching a cynical and self-righteous plan,
They’re sticking with the cheating “Family” man.
Oligarchs, trolls and lobbyists get heard.
The rest of world looks at the chaos, perturbed.
Obama, in comparison, sure looks like a saint.
While “deplorable” Donald sinks deeper in the taint.
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Trump really is the real-life Manchurian Candidate. Art becomes life. Never thought something like that could happen here, but it ppears it has.
Is Mr. Brennan suggesting that Russian “kompromat” on Trump, alluded to in the infamous Steele Dossier, might actually exist? Given Trump’s proclivities towards attractive women – which he had bragged about with Billy Bush on the “Access Hollywood” videotape in 2006 – it’s highly likely that the Russians do possess highly compromising information on Trump.
This Sunday on “60 Minutes,” we will hear what Stormy Daniels, an adult film star, has to say about her sexual liaisons with Trump. Then there is Karen McDougal, a Playboy model, who is also seeking to extricate herself from a non-disclosure agreement relating to her sexual affair with Trump. And, Summer Zervos, a former contestant on Trump’s reality TV show, “The Apprentice,” just got a New York Supreme Court judge to allow her defamation lawsuit against Trump to go forward.
These three independent cases establish a pattern of behavior with Trump that also imply the Russians most likely possess similar “kompromat” on Trump as indicated in the Steele Dossier. It is why Trump is afraid of Russia because Putin can destroy the Trump presidency by releasing this information at a time of his choosing. If the kompromat does exist, this is a very detrimental position for a president of the United States to be in. So yes, “If Mr. Trump isn’t Mr. Putin’s lackey, it’s past time for him to prove it.” The sooner, the better!
Trump is either compromised as widely suspected, or otherwise a coward who can't deal with a bigger, highly sophisticated and extremely intelligent bully.
Arming himself with facts, knowledge, historical background or sound advice wouldn't occur to Trump.
Whatever the reason, he continues to prove that he is completely unfit and out of his depth as a world leader.
I think the answer is simple. Trump has loans from Russian banks. When a balloon payment comes due they can choose to not refinance the loan and no one else will lend to him so he goes bankrupt (again). It's all about the money.
It's about time that republicans like McCain come forward and denounce the bully in the White House to confess the bromance between himself and Putin; actually, it looks more like lying crooked Trump is subservient to a despot's whims, highly suspicious that Putin is harboring damaging information about our whoremonger in chief, and scared it will leak out if he fulfills his mission as president of the United States: denounce Putin for stealing the Russian election, the systematic suppression of any and all opponents trying to show Putin's graft, the trampling of human rights, the interference in U.S. elections favoring Trump, the abusive behavior, cyber and otherwise, he is so well known for. But Trump seems culpable as charged as he won't dare tell the truth about Putin (or any other dictators, with whom he seems to have a natural affinity with). If justice is of any value to us, it is high time for Mueller to show his meddle and place the shackles on a most shameless demagogue, an expert in distracting us and in finding scapegoats to blame for his incompetence and corruption.
All of those co-conspirators who have pled guilty under Mueller's investigation were orbiting Russia----they know more about Trump's nexus to Russia. As a result, Is it any accident how on the very day that Trump's infamous Access Hollywood video was released, the one where Trump revealed how he grabbed women by their genitalia that the DNC's internal emails showing their desire to thwart Sanders was also released by Wikileaks? That's no accident, that's a propaganda campaign. Who cares what Russia has on Trump the point is he's their guy, they own him and in turn us as well.
The Russians could have something on Trump. Maybe they don’t and Trump is the coward he appears to be; bullies are usually very frightened people. Trump can act tough especially when those he confronts are in a weaker position. When it comes to being strong, he has others or Twitter do the tough, face to face work. He tries to get his people to quit by making their lives miserable rather than firing them. He has surrounded himself with generals or people who fear him. Putin is not a playmate or porn star and will not be cowed by a hollow bully. Putin is a real tough guy who frightens Trump.
What has our country become when the most pointed and articulate criticism of our President comes from a retired right wing, conservative spook, war monger and torturer?
If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck.
The flip side of Trump's coddling Putin is his blithe launching of a trade war with Europe, and refusal to endorse Article Five of the NATO charter.
He is deliberately sowing the seeds of division with allies, which directly aides our adversaries. It is essentially treasonous, regardless of the legal definition of that term under American law.
Why on earth doesn't congress pass a law, effective immediately, that all presidents must make public their tax returns? Sunshine is the best disinfectant.
These two comments by the well-informed John Brennan highly suggest that he (Brennan) knows exactly what the Russians have on Trump.
1- “When the full extent of your venality, moral turpitude, and political corruption becomes known, you will take your rightful place as a disgraced demagogue in the dustbin of history,”
2- “The Russians, I think, have had long experience with Mr. Trump and may have things they could expose.”
What should give us all pause is the fact that Trump, with all his mindless impulsiveness, never missing an opportunity to go by tweeter after anybody who says anything derogatory about him, he is keeping quiet about Brennan's comment.
Why is that? Clearly because he knows that Brennan is right and knows what he is talking about; namely that he is ineded afraid of Putin because Putin "has the goods" on him!
Using recordings of Trump engaging with Russian prostitutes as fodder for blackmail is a page right out of Cambridge Analytics playbook. So, they (Bannon, Mercer etc) clearly just used Trump to get control of the White House. The public's "realization" of this won't matter, because everyone already knows he's a philandering pig, and are distracted by the Stormy Daniels and sexual assault cases, which will cover all that...
What will ultimately come to light, though, are all the illegal financial arrangements Trump has made to launder money for Russian oligarchs, and other unscrupulous types. And, that the GOP knew about it, all along, and are therefore complicit in the obstruction to cover everything up, while ramming through their self-serving policies.
Trump only cares about any of this if it proves that he didn't win the election on his own merit.
You can tune into to our Constitutional crisis any day, any time...
Putin was the first to call after 911. Have New Yorkers forgotten?
Why does Trump need to talk about Russia 24/7? He has the NYT to do it for him!
[Separately, what would be so bad about Trump concentrating on the countries that make up the largest shares of the world economy, such as China, Japan, and Germany? Putin will eventually be gone, but Chinese, Japanese, and German economic power will remain.]
He is not afraid. He knows Putin has become obscenely rich looting the Russian economy and Trump wants to learn to do that too.
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Trump has probably enrolled in a Putin sponsored course in how to eliminate opposition prior to elections. That congratulatory call must have been tinged with envy.
The only consistent trait that trump has demonstrated is that whatever he says, the opposite is true. During the debates with Clinton, he declared “I’m not a puppet; not a puppet. So consistent, of corse, he’s a puppet!
When Obama told the Russian foreign minister on the open mike to tell "Vladimir that he would ease off after the election" this editorial page was mute in the face of the naked misleading of the American electorate. So President Trump doesn't need a lecture on his policy toward Russia from a bunch of upper west side democrat hypocrites.
Re consequence to Trump: there is no crime imaginable - be it treason, bribery, murder, blackmail .... you name it - for which the GOP-controlled Senate would ever vote to convict were he impeached by the House. Sad to say.
Trump is less afraid of Americans --finally, in the last week or so - openly calling him Russia's lackey than he is of Putin. He talks about Make America Great again, but he's a coward beholden to a murderous criminal. Putin may not have just one big piece of dirt on him, but many bits of dirt on him--financial, sexual, criminal. What Trump knows is that the ridicule and insult of Americans cannot land him and/or his family members in jail like certain informationr released by Putin. He is not going to change his stance on Russia, period. And he's hoping Putin's hackers can win Republicans the mid-terms.
It seems obvious - money or sex or both.
Fire Mueller or not; impeachment or not, the truth will out. Trump will be remembered as a disgrace to his country and the worst, most despicable President in history.
Would someone please read this to the president?
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Why did he fire Rex Tillerson by tweet? Tweeting is the easy way out today for difficult communication. The Tillerson example is Trump's laziness fueled by personal animus. Why not take on Putin by tweeting? Perhaps because Putin has not insulted Trump quite yet. For our president, you could be Attila the Hun, and as long as you don't bruise his delicate feelings, you can keep sacking Central and Eastern Europe. So Putin is probably thinking, "I could stand on 5th Avenue and shoot holes in the American democratic system and get away with it. All I have to do is be nice to this narcissist rube."
Because his owner, Vladimir Putin, will punish him if he says anything bad about him.
Dan Kravitz
Let's see... We have a president who:
- jumps into bed with any pretty woman that's willing
- has been to Russia for beauty pageants
- pals around with powerful Russians
- is easily manipulated simply by stroking his ego
What could possibly happen in this innocent scenario?
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"Huckabee Sanders, later reinforced Mr. Trump’s lack of interest, telling reporters it was not America’s place to question how other countries conduct their elections."
But its okay to begin false wars, slaughter innocent citizens & annihilate sophisticated cities & communities throughout the Middle East & stir a nuclear war with North Korea.
The world is outraged Americas so-called democracy has allowed this unqualified, recalcitrant, nut job Trump to gain ultimate power which endangers all Americans and the whole world.
Three quick guesses why obsequious Trump grovels to Putin:
Sex tapes which reveal his sexual perversions
Business dealings with Russian criminals & spies.
Trump, his family & associates owe Russia billions not millions.
Now whats America going to do to rein pretender Trump?
Nothing so expect the worst.
We watched video on the evening news showing thugs stuffing ballot boxes in Russia and this White House doesn't care! Hold it, aren't they the ones that keep screaming there was voter fraud in the US election. I just can't wait until his moronic base realizes he is a con man. He will do nothing to deal with opiods, create jobs or build a wall.
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Follow the money.
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TRUMP: “Russia has never tried to use leverage over me.
I have nothing to do with Russia – no deals, no loans, no nothing!”
Jan 11, 2017: Trump’s tweet.
LETTERMAN: “Have you had any dealings with the Russians?”
Trump: “I've done a lot of business with the Russians.”
Oct 17, 2013: Trump interviewed by David Letterman.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PR_SoJpWzOA&feature=youtu.be&t=1...
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Lackey? I think you mean Putin's Puppet. She called it a long time ago.
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"The Manchurian Candidate", great movie.
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Is Money-Laundering the Forgotten Trump Kompromat? - The Atlantic
Jan 19, 2018 ... Perhaps the most interesting thread is Simpson's suggestion that the Trump Organization could have been used by Russians to launder money—an arrangement that would have both allowed Kremlin-linked figures to scrub cash and would have created possible blackmail material over the now-president, ...
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/01/.../551024/
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If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is Donald Trump trying to duck and cover.
Remember Putin wasn't out to elect Trump, he was out to beat Hillary, who Putin is afraid of. Trump -- clearly one of the Kremlin Bank's best and most indebted clients -- was just icing on the cake.
It's likely why he's so crazed about the legitimacy of his election and why he's Putin's number 1 sycophant.
Can anyone imagine Trump making a deal with Putin over nuclear weapons that doesn't sell America short?
Thanks to Trump, with kudos to the Mercers, Bannon, Cambridge Analytica, and 40,000 Putin dupes in three states, our children will now have to learn Russian as well as Mandarin as Trump kowtows to the new hegemons.
Clearly Trump didn't win. Putin did.
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So, this man took an oath to protect this country. He has broken his oath. Why doesn't really matter, it is broken, he's broken and he's breaking up all the tools of goverment, daily. He likes breaking people and norms and conventions, and he's a willfully malignant liar.
The allies we used to have are incredulous that this display of fealty towards a murderous undemocratic regime lead by Putin, continues in plain sight and congress DOES NOTHING to control or stop the treasonous behaviors.
Of course it would be nice to know why he continues But looking at the MO, modus operandi, of this man, looking at his character traits and personality, it is evident that he will do anything to make or keep money.
The trail of rejected wives, porn stars etc, White House employees, speak to his focus on self. The enormous amount of repeated lying, confabulations, vicious attacks on others and the pleasure he derives from these destructive interactions, places his relationship with Putin in a class of its own.
trump must be stopped. Putin is a very dangerous "friend" a skilled ex KGB operative who is actively trying to destroy western democracies any and every way he can.
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Mr. Brennan nailed it. Trump appears to be beholden to Putin and puts our nation at risk. Trump has failed to uphold the oath he swore to protect and defend our constitution and walks/talks like a traitor with loyalty to Russia. He is a disgrace.
Trump and Treason. It has a certain ring to it.
We don’t want to look too closely at our side mirrors of history, for indeed as this article and the preponderance of NYT coverage of our leader implies, in that particular mirror the “objects are closer than they appear.”
And who is it now on a dais and now on a tweet storm, now railing about fake news and now...well, now it’s equal portions of venality and boorishness, pathetic ineptness side by side with endless bragging. Day after day after day. And seeing that newsreel of his doppelgänger, the object in the mirror that is now much closer than it first appeared? I am seeing the newsreel of a future and its disgraced ending we could all do without...it’s Il Duce on the balcony, in the Piazza and in the venal hall of history, it’s our very own Mussolini.
Our very own.
Wrap your mind around that.
Shouldn't Donald Trump been stripped of his White House Security Clearance?
He’s afraid because they finance him and they have sex tapes on him.
Sex tapes. Actual graphic sex tapes.
“Engaging Russia and preventing an arms race are important “. One of the few accurate comments from The Times in recent memory, the drumbeat for war with Iran and Russia is on full display, this is worse than the lies leading up to the Iraq invasion. Nearly every article in today’s paper is either an attack on a Trump, Russia or both what happened to responsible journalism? Sad to say after sixty years I need a different news source.
1
I fully expect to see Putin wearing a MAGA hat, red of course, the next time he meets trump. trump will be so excited he'll tell Putin every secret we have.
Follow the money.
“It never ceases to amaze me how successful you have been making yourself so small, petty, and banal with your tweets. Your insecurity is well deserved, as is your concern over Russia investigation,” Brennan tweeted on Tuesday.
Therein lies the answer. Trump fears not Putin, but us. He fears that his stupidity will be exposed.
On that, 'the horse done left the barn'.
Perhaps, just perhaps Mr Trump recognizes that the winners of the Cold War did Nothing but gloat instead of helping the Russian People, and that what goes around can come around.
This is among the most idiotic articles in recent history coming from a Staff that apparently knows little-to-nothing about Global economic inter-dependency.
So Emotionally caught up in homosexual rights, there's never a nexus between the standard of living we comparably enjoy, and the vital resources necessary to support existing and emerging technologies, such as Palladium and Iridium.
And work with me here....guess where 90% of the world's supply of the aforementioned elements are found? No, it's not China nor is it Canada...
Trump, Xi, Putin are BusinessMen, who see politics as a function of business, not the gay Kumbayah song that is perpetually sung in this version of People Magazine.
Try getting a grip on reality. Just pathetic
Just follow the money
We already know Trump is a liar and a callow fellow. It seems likely Putin and Stormy know the truth about the short-fingered vulgarian’s proclivities.
I can clearly hear Bobbie Mueller's footsteps getting closer and closer. The prospect of Trump impeached and behind bars is looming larger by the day.
1
Years back, there was a two hour special on TV. "The Wild Wild West." Featuring you know who. At one point, our two heroes are kidnapped--not by the wicked Dr. Lovelace but his son. Who conducts them through the woods to an clearing. And there it is! A la Mount Rushmore! An immense likeness of that wicked father. Smiling broadly, he gestures with his gun.
"I think some show of RESPECT might be appropriate here." His two captives (glowering) drop to their knees. "Dad," intones our villain, "I SWORE I'd do this for you."
And now--our President. A man beloved, respected by ALL Americans. . .
Or maybe not. But New York Times--it's impossible to avoid the comparison. DOES Mr. Putin have something on the egregious Mr. Trump? Lord knows, the man has (I expect) many a finger stuck in many a pie. Are some of those pies sitting in the Kremlin?
Is Mr. Putin (so to speak) gesturing with a pistol? (Metaphorically, of course.) "Ah Mr. President!. . .some show of RESPECT would certainly be appreciated. . . .some small token of ESTEEM. . .your esteem for ME, you understand. . . .'cause Heaven save the mark! I have none for YOU. . .. "
Well--who knows? To quote Mr. Sherlock Holmes--"These are deep waters, Watson. Deep--and rather DIRTY." I trust Mr. Mueller (and his faithful cohorts) are toiling away. Pulling away the dusty, cobwebby curtains in many a dark room. Throwing light on. . .on. . . .
. .. well, on WHAT?
Time will tell.
Stay tuned.
Putin probably has black blackmail, money laundering, or huge loans holding over Trump's businesses and personal life.
We know that Trump is a coward and a liar. He's showen it ever since he dodged the draft with his spurious bone spurs. He's just the sort of person that Putin could easily manipulate.
Trump might as well be Putin's agent. Getting Trump elected makes the Cambridge spies look like nothing. Putin and his old KGB buddies must be congratulating themselves over and over that Trump is president.
We're living through a real Manchurian candidate. God help us.
You do not have to be Dick Tracy to know Trump is in deep with Russia. There is no doubt that hey have something on him. He betrays this country. Move over Benedict Arnold you have company.
‘You do not know anyone as stupid as Donald Trump. You just don’t.”
Fran Lebowitz, in the Guardian
The only explanation we need is that this is true. His profound stupidity is demonstrated daily not only in congratulating Putin and for misconstruing the Initial FBI briefing with former director James Comey and firing him as a consequence. Never interpret his cagy whiles as intelligence. He is a Huckster, and a gifted spieler, he is also is deeply ignorant and lazy. He demonstrates that is he is uninterested in or incapable of learning. His only ability is to ascertain an animalistic advantage in the moment and take it, without conscious or awareness of the consequences.
President Obama laughed when Mitt Romney said Russia was a strategic threat to the United States, and The Times agreed with Obama. Obama said the 1980s wanted their cold war back, and The Times agreed. Obama stood by and did precious little when Russia invaded Crimea. Obama did very little while Russia meddled in the Ukraine, and The Times seemed to be happy with Obama. Obama drew his red line in Syria, and then abandoned any pretense of action, while standing by idly while Russia enabled President Assad in Syria. Obama stood by and did very little while Russia meddled in the 2016 election (other than telling Putin to knock it off), and The Times thought Obama's response was measured (until, of course, Hillary lost the election).
Now The Times wants what, a shooting war with Russia? Other than the election of Trump, what has Russia done since Obama was president that warrants such a dramatic shift in The Times' opinion on Russia? What has Russia done since January 19, 2017 that warrants such a dramatic shift in U.S. policy towards Russia? Maybe all that has happened is that Obama has left office, and The Times has seen how weak Obama's actions were in his 8 years in office.
Maybe all Trump really needs to do is give Putin another "Reset" button.
1
I believe there are either two possibilities. One is that there is incredibly personally damaging material on Trump, likely in the form of video and audio. IF (a big if) that's the case, it is either something deeply illegal, such as murder, or deeply embarrassing for someone like Trump, such as engaging in sexual behavior with a man. If it were the latter I suspect it would have come out by now, so perhaps it's more likely to be something of a serious criminal nature. This is the "deeply damaging" hypothesis.
The other possibility is that there is nothing at all, and that Trump, knowing exactly how people will react and having a very distorted view of what is right or wrong, is playing his part to see how twisted he can make the people go in trying to explain what he's doing. This is the "playing games" hypothesis.
I am extremely confident that it's one of "deeply damaging" or "playing games", and if it is something deeply damaging I'm guessing it's WAY worse than just financing some deals, given how distorted his behavior is.
57
On "deeply damaging": the most likely and most damaging thing for Trump would be a tape of Trump advising one of his mistresses to get an abortion. He would lose his base of hypcritical White Evangelicals.
While I doubt this is the case, I fantasize that someone like Stormy has such a tape.
3
@Think Strategically.
There is no evidence for your second possibility--that Trump is playing games "to see how twisted he can make the people go in trying to explain what he is doing." And there is solid counter-evidence. Were Trump playing that game, he would be happy and serene with his current state of play, but in fact he is frantic, angry, disturbed, frustrated, and lashing out. That means he knows at some level he is losing, but the "game" is different.
Your first possibility--Putin has something personally damaging on Trump--is far more likely. No, it is not any sort of sexual picadillo, for Trump is utterly shameless on this score. It has to be a crime, something that the American legal system will per forece deal with, something that is beyond Trump's immunity from conviction in the court of public opinion. But not murder, something much more in line with Trump's prior history, something money related. And I don't think it is financial indebtedness because loans have terms for repayment, and Trump's business are doing well, thanks to his presidency.
That leave money laundering as most likely. A good guess would be that Trump agreed to launder oligarch money as the price for getting the loans he has needed since American banks judged him a bad investment.
Only one thing is certain--we will find out. Money laundering always leaves some sort of trail, and the larger the amounts moved, the more difficult it is to devise plausible deniability.
15
Former Secretary of State Madeline Albright voiced the opinion of many at the time that Trump was a kind of Manchurian Candidate, referred to even before the nomination as "The Siberian Candidate'. This was based on the many shady characters with ties to Putin's Russia that had high positions in Trump's campaign. Hilary's claim that he is Putin's puppet is more borne out every day, Any traditional campaign would find a character like Paul Manafort's background a troubling disqualifier, but for the Trump campaign quite the opposite.
3
The GOP wants Russian interference. Putin helped them win the last election, so why would they try and address the problem with legislation? For the GOP power is all that matters. They will do nothing but talk.
2
When Obama put sanctions on Russia because they took over Crimea, the goal was to put stress on the Russian people making them turn against Putin. How did that work out? Russia has 6,000 missiles with our address on them. Twice high-ranking military or ministers warned about their nuclear options. About a year ago, an analysis found that Russia's military was so powerful it could drive through Western Europe and NATO in four days. In the past week Putin warned the UK not to mess with a nuclear power. So, am I afraid of Putin? Yes. I’m also afraid of Kim Jung-un, as well as the nuclear capability on India and Pakistan who have had four wars between them and each have approximately 100 nuclear weapons. India has a nuclear sub which can carry twelve nuclear tipped missiles. Today when we see a nuclear explosion on TV or the movies, it is a mushroom cloud in the distance. After we dropped two on Japan, the photos and nuclear destruction were show in horrible detail. It is estimated that a bomb detonated in DC would kill 60,000 instantly and over 100,000 seriously wounded with nowhere to treat them. Trump is going to talk with Kim Jung-un and maybe a meeting with Putin. Why wouldn't he want to meet with them to see if there was a way to reduce a nuclear exchange? in 1983 it was a Russian officer who decided to not push the button when their surveillance said we had launched a nuclear attack. The next time there may not be another Stanislav Petrov
1
Perhaps your assertions of Putin's tactical potential are true. However, even if true, they bear little relevance to the argument at hand.
The leading question is why is Trump afraid of Putin. The rest is old anti-Trump rhetoric. As far as the headline question , what makes Putin even more scary is that Stanislav Petrov has retired.
Sadly, we are as familiar with Mr. Trump's numerous characteristic acts of obsequious subservience to Putin as we are with the backs of our hands these days, with no end in site to new examples.
2
Russia could very well have something on Trump, or on Trump's campaign. Trump himself might know what Russia has, or he might not and can only speculate, which might be even scarier for him. And then there's the possibility that Russia has nothing on Trump, whether Trump knows it or not (he might still think they have something), but that Trump either just admires Putin's ability to do whatever he wants and silence any dissent or criticism, or he has seen what Putin is capable of and fears crossing him. We really have no clue.
Sure, there are plenty of connections between members of Trump's campaign and business, and Russia, and Trump and his family have done business in Russia (although they've somehow never done a hotel or condo). There are many key figures in the campaign that would not have been allowed anywhere near any other serious political campaign--because of compromising relationships, or policy beliefs that are out of touch with reality, or both. There are enough connections to Russia and other foreign governments that would give any reasonable person pause, but without more evidence these may always be mere coincidences.
But if these are just coincidences, why is everyone acting like they're hiding something, and troubled by a guilty conscience?
1
Comrade Trump.
Where is the "silent majority" in congress?
He is not my president and this is not my country!
Patriots, let's put and end to this presidency.
5
If Vladimir Putin has only one file in his catalog of peckerdillos, it will be on Donald Trump. Trump has been an obvious candidate for recruitment since Day One.
3
It's troubling. When Trump starts reaching for words like "excoriate" you know he's playing defense. By the way I like to think he started with "exfoliate" but was corrected by Ivanka. Yes. it's true they may have tapes showing him doing nasty things, but that type of thing doesn't seem to rattle him. He's by nature an exhibitionist.
2
I once thought the training film for the Trump presidency was The Godfather--so although Don Sr. is hardly Don Corleone Ivanka in Michael, Don Jr. is Fredo, etc. But now I guess I have to agree with reader David Macauley that maybe an even better training film is the Manchurian Candidate. As tragic as all this is for our country, I have to make the guilty admission that I find the whole thing fascinating, and I can't wait to see what happens in the next episode.
You want us to believe that Putin was not an authoritarian leader a dangerous ex-KGB agent when Obama called him in 2012. That assertion alone shows total ignorance and total bias. You continue to lie for your man Obama. Trump simply wants a good relationship with our most dangerous foe. Trump wants to end the cold war. Hillary would have escalated it. So of course anti-Trumpers will make wild claims about sex tapes - the same insane people who claim Bush knew about the Trade Center terrorists and let it happen.
Trump adores authoritarian leaders and scorns allies from democratically run nations. This apparently doesn't bother you, but it should. Trump wants to have a good relationship with Putin to the point that he rolls over on command like a dominated animal. This is not strong leadership and it isn't diplomacy. It's cowardice.
2
It was foolish of Obama at that time, though he was acting in the same interests in wanting a good relationship with our most dangerous foe, and he was excoriated, rightfully, by Republicans for doing so. We generally expect people to learn from other's mistakes and not repeat them. Considering all that Russia has done in the six years since that call from Obama, it is a far worse act now than when Obama attempted the same.
1
I can't imagine what Putin could have on Trump that would make his base turn on him. He could, as they say, shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and not lose votes. Sex tapes would likely be seen by his devotees as evidence of their leader's uber-masculinity.
So, I believe Putin's hold on Trump is worse than mere kompromat. Maybe our dear leader fears that his Russian friends will not add their very heavy fingers to his side of the scale in the next election. Or, perhaps they have the means to physically remove him from office at a time of their choosing. Whatever it is, it is likely much worse than simple sex tapes.
7
Trump fears Putin than Special Counsel or anyone.
2
It has been said that the United States at times must deal with people, countries and organizations that are unsavory and hold views that the United States does not share. President Trump, in speaking and dealing with Mr. Putin, is doing what other Presidents have done. But when an American President openly and forcefully denigrates, castigates and mocks American institutions, leaders and principles and refuses to call out, challenge and stand up to a foreign leader such as Mr. Putin, something is very wrong and disturbing. Foreign leaders such as Mr. Putin, as well as President Xinping and others, are keenly aware of the joke that Mr. Trump is as America's President and have had him figured out long before he became President. They and others know we have a Commander in Chief in name only. These foreign leaders are taking concrete actions to advance and further develop their countries and and their interests while President Trump is content to sit and tweet nonsense all day and let America languish. Taking one of President Trump's favorite phrases, he should be fired.
182
Head out of the clouds time. Trump will not change or prove anything to anyone.
While we wait for him to become presidential, Jared and Ivanka are out selling state secrets to the Saudis, Israel, and all other currency bearing countries.
We are witnessing the largest Rico case unfold before our very eyes, and smart people are either along for the ride, (like Melania) or jumping ship (like Vanessa)....we get to watch what they do with our national treasure...now all labeled TRUMP.
4
I suspect that Putin's true motivation for damaging western democracy in general and American democracy in particular is taking revenge against the West for winning the Cold War. Putin would like nothing better than to reconstitute the Soviet Union (without the communism) with himself as premier for life. Much as Hitler's Germany sought vengeance against the Allies for the humiliation of the Versailles treaty, Putin will make it his life's work to bring the West as far down to destruction and ignominy as he can. I fully expect that, assuming Trump wriggles out of Mr Mueller's clutches, Putin will make clear exactly what he has on Trump, thus throwing us into absolute chaos. One way or another, Putin wins.
2
They are laughing at Trump and America in the Kremlin.
Putin can't believe his good fortune.
Khrushchev was right; "We will bury you".
6
Trump regards Putin as his soulmate.
Putin is way sharper than Trump and much more careful with his emotions but if I had to hazard a guess, I'd say he regards Trump as a useful fool/tool and enjoys playing cat-and-mouse with him. But ultimately, Trump is nothing to him. It's control over the USA that he wants.
Putin owns Trump. This isn't about sex tapes. It's about money.
9
That for some reason Trump kowtows to Russia and Putin is obvious on it face. I for one don't think Putin has anything sexual on Trump. That he is a pig is well known, nothing to blackmail here.
In his attraction to power he admires people who have no limits on their desires. He envies them. He wants to be like them.
In his ignorance of republicanism, democracy, governance, constitutionality and history he sees no reason he can't behave like a 16th century monarch.
Being a big developer in New York City, he is accustomed to being able to buy, bluff or bully his way out of anything,
Like many "big shots" he thinks he made himself. He thinks the million dollar loan from his father was small. He doesn't give credit to anyone else for his climb to great wealth or the Oval Office.
All of these character flaws make him think he can overcome any attacks. He thinks he can bully United States of America to bend to his will, forever. These character flaws put him in deep financial trouble, and Putin has the strings on that. He knows he can't bully Putin, so he kowtows. And the Republican party aids and abets his manifest unfitness.
7
Donald Trump is the most Un-American President in the history of this country, he is doing his best to alienate our Allies since World War II and the Cold War, in a way that can only be described as irresponsible and someone who is completely ignorant of the world we as American's live in, he's acting like a man who is only in it for his own self-business interest; actually he's acting like a guy who is incompetent and has presided over at least 4 bankruptcies
5
You did not ever answer your own question. As Brennan said it is likely something terrifying personal , such traditional soviet compressing intelligence : sex or money issues that could servery hurt Trump. My money is on both the perverse sex tapes and the wanton money laundering.
1
Can we just deport Trump to the Russia he loves, have an election do-over? Of course, we would have to seize all of his assets in the US.
2
Trump realizes that, even if Putin takes down our electrical grid, the White House and Fox News have their own generators, so he can continue to remain in touch with the fake news.
3
What a question. Trump is afraid of Russia because he's clearly compromised, financially and quite probably sexually. I fully expect Mueller's investigations to uncover money laundering and illegal loans routed through Cyprus, Deutsche Bank and Delaware mailbox companies.
No, don't laugh at the last name: Delaware is the world's leading conduit for money laundering and illegal drugs/weapons sales:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/01/business/how-delaware-thrives-as-a-cor...
Trump, and the U.S. itself, are both up to their ears in financial improprieties. That's why the Panama Papers and Paradise Papers scandals were suppressed after initial revelations of hundreds of billions of dollars illegally parked in offshore accounts.
Trump should be afraid of Russia, but the U.S. also needs to review how it strengthens foreign and domestic dictatorships through lax financial controls.
2
As always, you are absolutely correct.
1
Comrade Trump is happy that Putin funds his projects and helped herd electoral votes thereby overturning the popular election. And Comrade Trump is loyal like good little soldat should be. However, President Trump was never a good actor -- look at his eyes when he talks about Putin. That man is scared.
2
Why alienate the guy who helped you win in 2016?
Trump, even without Putin holding compromising material on him (it would be surprising only if Putin did not! Trump compromises himself on a regular basis), must be hoping Putin will help again, Big Time, in 2020.
Crazy like a fox? More like a hyena. But still...
2
Wow....it is one year and two months since inauguration - nearly a year and a half since the big election theft. The bigger question is why the NYT and other media is still playing this game? Trump is afraid of Russia because Russia is the reason Trump is president. period. Bob Mueller better wrap this thing up quick and start the wheels in motion to remove this cancer from the presidency...of course, it will take the equally craven cabal of republicans - not a single true patriot among them - to accomplish this.
We are in a truly bad place - it is happening in broad daylight - the destruction of our country - and everyone seems powerless to prevent it.
2
After reading this article it sounds like the authors are afraid of Putin not Trump.
Read it again. There's enough reason for concern for both.
This is all about revealing Trumps personal life, business and otherwise, that he doesn’t want the public to know about. He’s been able to get away with this mirage as a duplicitous businessman ....as POTUSA, DIFFERENT STORY.
1
I am hoping, but far from certain, that his duplicitous behavior is finally going to be called out. He's somehow gotten away with it his entire life. 87% of Republicans approve of the job he's doing.
“The simplest explanation is usually the right one.” 14th-century Franciscan friar and logician William of Ockham
1
The Trump family must be up to their neck in money laundering. Mr. Mueller's team should contact Vanessa Trump for insight into the son's tax returns. Follow the money!
We are living a nightmare no Hollywood screenwriter would dare concoct. The President of the United States, indebted to more than his net worth to Russia oligarchs, can be outed by the president of Russia who is also probably blackmailing him with material so embarrassing it boggles the mind. Meanwhile, our president who a year and half ago did not know what the nuclear triad was, thinks he can undo a nuclear deal with Iran and sign one with North Korea.
Even if we somehow survive Trump, he has already done permanent damage and has taken us down the road to becoming a banana republic. The American people, by a margin of 2% wisely rejected him, but our archaic electoral system allowed an immature, ignorant, degenerate, lunatic criminal become president. The word nightmare is grossly inadequate.
2
He's compromised. Our Commander-n-Chief is compromised. Russia is holding something over him. It's helpful to start saying it out loud.
1
Widely-respected retired four-star U.S. Army Gen. Barry McCaffrey has concluded that Donald Trump is ‘a serious threat to U.S. national security’ and ‘under the sway of Mr. Putin.’ One of my favorite quips from Irish satirist and playwright Oscar Wilde is “A man is known by the dilemmas he keeps.” With an individual of Gen. McCaffrey’s stature and credibility so concerned about threats posed to our nation’s security from Russia, it is indeed frightening and distressing to see that a female porn star has now apparently shot to the top of the list of Donald’s Trump’s dilemmas, with Alec Baldwin, Andrew McCabe and James Comey, to name just a few, not far behind. Russia is apparently far down the list. Why? Putin obviously has the goods on Trump and Donald doesn't want that dirt made public.
One way or another, the Russians own DJT.
It's the biggest secret in the world, hiding in plain sight.
He was told not to congratulate Putin.
So he did.
He was told to condemn Putin for poisoning.
So he didn't.
So someone squealed on him and let us know what had happened.
Whoever you are, Sir or Madam, we thank you.
John O. Brennan, ex CIA chief, believes that Trump is compromised, that Putin has "something" on him.
Far too many of us agree, 100%.
Republicans: Remember, if you know what it is that Trump is guilty of, then that is the legal crime of "collusion".
That includes the Vice-President, Mike Pence.
The only person who is going to get a pass on all of this is whoever is leaking. Just make sure you can prove that you were the one.
Frankly, we're not taking the word of anyone in this White House.
2
Trump seems to be motivated by three things (in no particular order):
sex, money, and acclaim.
Over the years the Russians have been masterful in using all three to control their puppets. There's no reason to believe that Trump is immune to such blandishments. Quite the contrary.
It all seems so obvious, transparent. Too much evidence to support the accusation that our President is a traitor. We have to also hold the GOP responsible, especially the hard core supporters who would support Trump even if he became the dictator he wishes to be. The Christian's who forgive all for Trump are as complicit. That core of Christians, Evangelicals, give hypocrisy a new meaning. They have abandoned Christ so how can they continue to call themselves Christians?
How to combat this horrible charade? Boycott products advertised on Fox? Press D's to stay together as opposed to falling for the radical left's false, unrealistic demands that only alienate voters? Voting while we have what remains of our democracy can help. Yes, to all and more.
1
Does the word "puppet" ring any bells? Trust Hillary to have correctly summed up this man in one word. He is owned by Putin, just as his son-in-law is owned by the Saudis.
2
Trump has no problem heaping abuse on California, but Russia? No issues there.
2
When the president of the United States puts the interests of Russia before the interests of America and Americans it's time for impeachment.
2
Why is Trump so afraid of Russia, Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell?
1
Here is precisely what is at stake. Russia is not the old Soviet Union. It is little more than another petro-state, thugocracy with an economy smaller than that of Italy. While Trump kneels, Republicans bow
"If Mr. Trump isn’t Mr. Putin’s lackey, it’s past time for him to prove it."
Well, he will never prove it because he IS a lackey. There are no two ways about it. Sad for the great United States of America to be led by a Putin lackey.
1
The leaders of Germany, France, Italy, Japan, India, and most other major countries sent their congratulations to Putin.
Yet the NY Times and John McCain believe it's wrong for President Trump to do the same?
1
Manchurian candidate? No, he was manipulated unconsciously to betray US and support Russia. Trump's treasonous support for Russia is conscious and willful.
Why is the editorial board so afraid of the neocons?
It believes that it shows moral rectitude to describe Putin as a bully. It doesn't. It just shows the arrogance and contempt of a superpower.
1
I didn’t vote for Trump and won’t next time, given his political incompetences and vindictive behavior.
On the other hand, this paper is on a mission to get rid of Trump so I don’t take seriously these editorials any more.
If Obama spoke nicely to and of Putin, he would be regarded as politically savvy, but Trump is just criticized for whatever he does.
Just because Trump is an incompetent fool, doesn’t mean he’s always wrong, and on this one, I’m just not sure.
Everyone on this planet knows what a Duck looks like; acts like; walks like; sounds like; Yes, everyone, except Trump followers and Fox who still believe that a Duck is really a Dove who is only doing what is good for America. So Sad.
I dont even know where to begin
Just ask yourself one question. If this was Obama, the GOP, Fox News and every other right wing outlet, would go absolutely apoplectic. They would be calling for immediate impeachment hearings and of course, a special counsel.
The hypocrisy is not only tantamount to treason, but in a sense, collusion with the Executive branch to hold onto power.
Trump is unqualified and unfit to be POTUS, that is no longer up for the debate. Americans can turn a blind eye to his racist remarka, anti-immigrant mentality and lies. But when it comes to being in the pocket of a thug and dictator, he crosses the line into treason and THAT IS an impeachable offense. But will the GOP ever move on, vocalize or condemn such actions? Never. And that makes them as complicit in treason as Trump.
Putin owns Trump. Maybe Trump is so in debt to the Russian and his Oligarchs that he'd just be another poor slob if they called in their loans. Maybe he's so in debt he can never get out from under it - which means that Putin owns all of America by extension of owning Trump.
Salacious stuff probably also exists, video, pics and all, but I really think it's all about money. He's so under the thumb of this despot and the Republicans will do nothing about it.
The only remedy is to (if we make it to the midterms) vote out every POC Republican (Party Over Country). Vote. Them. All. Out. I pray that not one R is left standing. That's my daily prayer to the god that the R's swear to love but really don't because they support Trump who is one of the most evil men to have ever walked the earth much less sit in the Oval Office. And, by the way, the Biggest Boor That Ever Lived.
2
If the "five military service deferments" so called "president" turns out to be a traitor, no punishment would be too harsh. The harshest penalties are for "the worst of the worst," and there could hardly be anyone worse. Likewise for the enablers at Faux and the GOP. How shameful that we even have this conversation. We need a serious national examination of conscience. Only good ol' American misogyny could have achieved such a spectacularly stupid presidency and "president."
1
What Putin has on Trump, that terrifies Trump, is financial.
Videos of Trump with Russian prostitutes don't bother Trump. In fact, Trump would probably enjoy the videos (if he hasn't already) and his evangelical Christian supporters would praise him for his "Christian" life. So, porn videos of Trump is not what scares him.
There is only one thing that matters to Trump - money, the image of having money, the life of privilege that money pays for. Putin holds the purse strings on Trump's life and image of wealth.
Trump's finances were in ruin not long ago. How did he emerge from making financial blunders, fleecing lenders and dodging creditors?
Trump fears Putin exposing not his porn videos, but Trump's financial sham and Russian money laundering. Trump fears being proven to be owned by Putin. Trump fears losing his lifestyle of the rich and famous (funded by Russian oligarchs).
Trump does not fear humiliation. He doesn't know the meaning of shame. He could care less what his supporters will think about his business "brilliance." He only cares that he could end up in prison for breaking US laws prohibiting money laundering, lying to the FBI and treason against America.
A prison cell is where Trump should live out his life. With many Republican members of Congress in nearby cells.
2
Peru is ridding itself of a president by impeaching him on the grounds of being morally corrupted. What is stopping America from doing the same?
One word: Money
Why? The Fake President might be having a recurring nightmare of that scene near the end of "The Shawshank Redemption", when the corrupt warden in terror realizes, with approaching sirens screaming, that the jig is up, with all the nefarious schemes publicly revealed. Only, he wouldn't have the ability to pull that trigger.
Trump the leader of the free world? Don't make me laugh!
We will all find out the truth in 3 weeks
The Americans final seasons starts
Trump enough. All but 3 opinion pieces today is about Trump or related to Trump. Why is that? Is that where the hits are as far as readership goes? Trump, Trump, Trump. It's like listening to the same song over and over with different singers doing it but saying the same thing. Furthermore, I only scanned the opinion page, I didn't look at coverage to see how many of those pieces were about Trump. Enough already, Op-Ed and editorial writers. You people might as well be copying and pasting each other because you basically say the same and sound alike in this NYT echo chamber where you play.
Trump represents the biggest threat to American (and world) democracy since the Constitution was adopted. Would you rather read editorials about the race for dogcatcher?
1
DO you talk about the weather while having a heart attack? The apparent fact that the leader of our country is a witting or unwitting tool of a hostile foreign power shouldn't be covered and discussed all day, every day? There should be MORE coverage. Your nation is at stake. "WAH! Stop talking about all these horrible things that are happening and maybe they will go away!" It doesn't work that way.
I find Sarah Huckabee Sanders every bit as, if not more, disgusting than is Trump. Her too-willing embrace, and straight-faced embellishments, of Trump's lies and actions are those of someone whose soul is also owned by a third party. And, believe me, that third party is not the big "G" God of her earthly father. There isn't an antiemetic strong enough to dispel the nausea she induces. She makes Kellyanne Conway a delight to listen to, if only for the unintended comedy of her word-salad prattling.
Trump soul is in Putin's pocket. His heart is...belay that thought, Trump has no heart. It is that lack of the latter that is the reason Trump is in terror and in thrall of Putin. Lacking heart, Trump is unable to love anything or anyone other than himself, and this includes, when push and shove face off, his family. Every act is purely for self-preservation.
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Well Trump is still a billionaire even though no reputable bank will deal with him, and even though he has publicly stiffed partners and workers. His motto: “Failure to fail fully is a fool’s folly.”
“Too big to fail” was the conclusion by financiers of his Atlantic City debacles. Bankers understand that concept, of course.
So Trump, having been forced by incompetence and idiocy into dealing with Russian Oligarchs, does he care if these deals become public? It’s not like his reputation will suffer.
The only “fear” Trump has is that he’ll end up in prison. And if he does, then President Pence will pardon him. So Trump’s got a get-out-of-jail-free card.
Trump has nothing to worry about - he does crazy stuff because he can. And it’s fun to see Washington nitwits chase their tails.
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He is not afraid of Russia, he is afraid of his master, PUTIN. Trump has exhibited his three weaknesses - Greed (it is all about money. money defines morality), sex (with white attractive young women, anywhere, anytime, any price), and exhibitionism demonstrated by his behavior. And it is these three things that will land him in jail like Manafort , I hope.
His problems have absolutely nothing to do with a sex scandal. If sex tapes of Trump existed and were to be made public, his supporters would nominate him for "Real Man of the Year" honors. In a heartbeat they would forgive him and offer heartfelt thoughts and prayers.
I'm guessing that his fears are almost entirely about financial matters including money laundering and life-long tax fraud with perhaps a dollop or two of treason in the mix. I hope he lives long enough once out of office to be procecuted, convicted, and imprisioned. I wish nothing but the worst for this nasty bottom-feeder of a man with the intellectual wattage of a refrigerator light and the morals of a porn actor.
Given the unqualified support of his base and our syncophant Republican congresss, there is only one way to save our country--a wave election this November to retake the House and Senate and again in 2020 to vote this horrid excuse for a human being and his supporters out of office. Vote!
I not sure his supporters will cheer watching someone p on him.
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The better question is: Why does the NY Times claim to be so afraid of Russia? After all, President Obama was recorded as saying: Tell Putin I'll have more flexibility after the election." And one of the ways Obama showed his flexibility was by congratulating Putin on his re-election in 2012.
I'm sure the NY Times will "re-set" its view of Russia, if and when the Times succeeds in getting Trump out of office.
Why be afraid of Russia: 1) it is determined to undermine Western democracies by meddling in elections and sowing discord, 2) it invaded the Ukraine and unilaterally and illegally annexed a major portion of that country, 3) it has taken positions against US interests around the world, 4) it is aggressively building new generations of weapons that cannot be defended against, 5) it brazenly and openly assassinates people in other countries.
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He is such a child. He is totally unreliable. He was specifically told not to congratulate but did so anyway. He said he would be "so presidential". Obviously, he still doesn't understand what that means. When will this farce end?
Putin and his wealthy oligarchs supporting his regime have poured hundreds of millions of dollars into Trump Holding real estate for 25 years or more. Trump, our Putin Prototype, is working hard to turn America into another Russia. Jr. and Kushner defied national security concerns and sought out Putin contacts twice for a secure safe backchannel to Putin and also to acquire stolen emails from Hillary's server and work with a foreign enemy agent against an American and our democratic process. Treason.
I agree with Mr. Brennan who has a lifetime of career service and experience within our intelligence community that Trump is a Putin puppet and it will come to light everything he holds over our first Russian-endorsed president.
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Trump is not afraid of Russia; he's respectful of the powerful country. Also, Russia is an ally on the war on terror. Also, Russia has vast resources, and if Trump can someday create more trade with them, we can rely less on other countries. Democrats? Well, they suddenly hate Russia only because their election-meddling might have helped, in some questionable degree, to get Trump elected. That's it. Dems cannot criticize Putin's actions in the Ukraine or Syria or against his own people without condemning China or Saudi Arabia or Iran. But they're mostly silent on those countries.
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You're wrong on all counts!
@Foehn
To begin with, I have to disagree with practically everything you say -- especially when you state: "Russia is an ally on the war on terror." If you had any idea of what is happening now in Syria, you'd know that Russia IS part of the terror.
Another thing.
It's not only Democrats, but most Americans who value our democracy and the right to free and democratic elections that "hate" Russia -- because we don't want to end up with a President-for-Life, like Vladimir Putin, and Russia has no business dabbling in our domestic affairs.
No offense. But I suggest you look beyond Norway to get a more informed opinion of what is actually happening here.
So we should congratulate Russia for meddling in our elections and annexing a major portion of the Ukraine?
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The editorial board makes more accusations and still there is no proof of collusion. Mean while Ukraine Poland and Baltic countries are getting defensive arms,NATO countries are upping defence spending. Trumps domestic energy program will result in the ability of the US to undercut Russian oil and gas exports if necessary. Remember the damage caused by the reset button?
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Muller hasn't finished, so don't be so quick to jump on the 'no collusion found' bandwagon a la the partisan House of Representatives investigation. There are several examples of attempted collusion by members of the Trump campaign and administration involving the Russians that are deeply disturbing to those of us who don't want the United States to segue into being a second world dictatorship.
Any political or economic successes that this administration can claim do not outweigh the damage being done to our environment, civil rights and democracy.
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Everything you point to was done under the Obama administration, other than ramping up US energy production, which will have no impact on Russia. As to collusion, you must have your head in the sand if you can't see what's going on. But even then there is no denying their election meddling nor Trump's inexplicable failure to do anything about it.
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This was evident since he first declared for president. When he refused to release his taxes, it should have indicated to the public not that his wealth was as great as he claimed, but where his wealth was coming from. Trump and is family believe in the motto, family first, and his whole family is linked to this unholy alliance with the Russians. A month ago, American troops were attacked by over 300 Russian mercenaries, but has Trump even mentioned that incidence or has anyone from the White House either? Putin ordered the murder of numerous Russians and what has Trump done in the meantime? What has he said? Actually, he claimed we are just as bad and did far worse. Even more problematic, Trump has not furthered American interests or values anywhere. Following that train of thought, he continues to say nothing because of fear of exposure. That's why he attacks Robert Mueller because Mueller is an existential threat to Trump's links to the Russians. It is not only Trump that is at the heart of the problem, but also his American moneymen like Robert and Rebekah Mercer who bankrolled his campaign, but also linked him to Cambridge Analytica, who have ties to Lukoil and Russian oligarchs tied to Putin. More troubling, who benefits from the domestic chaos in the United States and our diminished role in the world? The answer is clear - Putin. Don't expect Trump to change, because Putin likes it that way and Trump is Putin's Manchurian Candidate.
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When an American woman who was promoting the site Being Patriotic was told that it was an illegal Russian project design to undermine US election, she could not process, it did get through her skull regardless how explained to her, the proposition was too remote from her comprehension.... And we expect for Trump supporters to understand far greater, more complex issues related to Russian policy to deligitimize democracy all over the world?! Ignorance coupled with a most despicable form of religious fakery are becoming the greatest existential threats to USA!
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Putin's cunning enough to know that revealing something, even a video something, would be the end of leverage and would be denied by the champion denier of all time. Even videos can be claimed to be faked: see deepfake.
Trump isn't cunning enough to realize this.
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The "kompromat" Putin has on Trump is the financing deal that Eric loose-lips-sinks-ship Trump bragged about. It is the same reason that Trump refuses to release his tax returns: financings of some entities are likely tied to Russian money - that Eric bragged about.
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/05/eric-trump-russia-investment-gol...
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Putin’s objective is to damage the US. For as long as Trump is useful in achieving this objective, Putin will withhold whatever compromising information he has on Trump. The moment Trump ceases to be useful, and someday that moment will come, Putin will release that information along with a torrent of related misinformation. This will produce a toxic mix of recriminations and accusations within the Americans body politic. His objective will be to destroy whatever still holds America together. It will work.
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He wants to remain on good terms so he can finally at some point start doing business there..a hotel, golf course or the like.
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Trump, for all his bluster, is a weak man. He avoids confrontation, preferring his attacks to be from a distance via tweets. Even though he "fired" people on TV, in real life he hasn't fired one former staffer in person. He tweets insults about world leaders, but when he meets those leaders he's meek in their presence. And, when he meets a real bully, a real strongman, someone who has no problem invading other countries, poisoning opponents, taking over elections, Trump is a lamb. Trump is a junior bully compared to Putin, and like all bully-wannabes, he is afraid of someone who is stronger than him. Trump is definitely afraid of Putin, so he shows him respect he shows no one else.
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Trump's refusal to never criticize Putin is highly suspect. This arrogant, thug-like president time and time again impugns long standing reputable institutions, e.g., the FBI, as well as honorable civic and social leaders. But if one studies his demeanor in photos with Putin he becomes amoeba-like, no spine, no shape, just present. The only time this man does not spew venom from his mouth is when he is referring to that ruthless dictator from Russia.
Yes, it seems as if Trump is beholden to Putin for reasons some day we will hopefully learn. What is most frightening for me, however, is not Trump himself. If left alone, he would certainly self-destruct. It is a Congress, a Cabinet, and rabid supporters - the affluent, the nativists, and Christian hypocrites - who protect him with a vengeance. There lies the danger to our nation's democratic principles.
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if Trump isn't a traitor in his relations to Russia, he's close. I never thought the Republican party, which trumpets its patriotism at every turn, would nominate and support a treasonous president.
The notion that DJT is basically being blackmailed by Putin is the fakest of fake news. Brennan throwing around conspiracy theories that support his personal partisan positions don't help either. Trump doesn't view the fact that some Russians, or some Ukrainians, or some Ethiopians, or some whatevevers leveraged SM tools to circulate political propaganda had any impact on the election results, so he feels no need to retaliate. More importantly though is the fact that DJT counts on developing personal relationships as part of his negotiating strategy. He clearly recognizes the threat Russia poses, but in his mind the way forward starts with him sitting down with Putin and finding common ground. Coming out *personally* against Putin before forging--or at least attempting to forge--that relationship torpedoes that whole strategy. It's that simple. No nefarious intent. Let's drop the "what is he afraid of" narrative NYT...please.
Mike
Your argument makes no sense. Trump talks nice to Putin because he wants something from him but he excoriates Canada Germany and Mexico?!! His business model has always been you bully people and threaten them to get what you want. By the way, Brennan is a republican so this is patriotism not partisanship.
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The Trumpians, of course, continue with their rationalizations.
Then how do you explain the way DJT attacked the leader of North Korea?
He has called him names in front of the UN General Assembly as well as in his Tweets, etc. He has even threatened "Fire and Fury" to rain down on North Korea, and now....he plans to negotiate to denuclearize the Korean peninsula.
Your point is completely broken in this example. People really need to wake up and see DJT for who he really is.
Anyone that visited Russia knows that surveillance is everywhere and that foreigners are watched closely. Secondly, there are honey-pot schemes for the likes of big business types like Trump. Trump seems to like big or tall buxom women with a come heither style, and a sassy or raunchy, I'll get naked demeanor. He further presumed with ample evidence that he can payoff any dalliance with money or power that he has in spades. However, he forgot that every high style, expensive hotel suite is wired for HD movie making as was evident and well-known to every security expert word-wide. So, the bet is simply Trump got snookered into a bedroom scene with a big, tall, beautiful Russian operative skilled in spy inspired sexual documentary techniques and filmed in Award Winning format. Or, he got filmed signing an IOU with banking transfer codes regarding deposits into a German bank that freely cleaned Russian tainted deposits and kicked off the relocation of big cash.
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It must be infuriating Trump and his Fox friends that Mueller doesn't take a blind bit of notice when they attack him.
Don't tell me that Trump now has the confidence to trust his gut. He's scared out of his wits and it shows. He knows he's up against someone who is more than a match for him.
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My five cents worth:
Mr Putin is playing a long game to humiliate the United States, as a way to shift the levers of power, by reducing American prestige, and separating us from our allies. Mr Trump is a humiliation. He provides Mr Putin with both those outcomes and more. Trump's ignorance positions us as a pariah state on the world stage.
I doubt that the Trump campaign ever colluded with the Russians. Why would the Russians do that? It would be like appointing a fool for your town, and then appointing him to the board of your company. Putin and his experienced spy service was perfectly capable of running the Trump campaign without engaging with them.
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There is another explanation tbat is so obvious, I'm surprised it's not discussed more often. That is: Trump is afraid of Putin not because of any particular "hold" that Putin has on him, but simply because Trump knows that he is no match for Putin in any arena of confrontation or conflict.
It's common knowledge that Trump is a bully, so like any bully, he picks on the weak and steers clear of the strong. He dares not call out Putin or Russia, because he knows that Putin will hit back hard and expose him for the feckless incompetent that he is. So, just pretend the problem doesn't exist. It works for climate change, so why not Russia?
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Soon, anyone who opposes the frenzy for war with Russia will be labelled a disloyal American. I've seen it before and I am seeing it again. . .
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NO ONE wants war with Russia. It would likely mean the death of the vast majority of the human race. BUT appeasing tyrants is no way to avoid war. On the contrary, it only delays a bigger war. Every president before Trump has stood up to the Russians when necessary and we have yet to see missiles fly. A leader of integrity, with the interests of the American people in mind, can stand up and say "this won't be tolerated and there will be consequences" while still maintaining dialogue and avoiding lose-lose military conflict. When has "just taking it" ever made a power-hungry bully like Putin back down?
Oh, nonsense. No one is calling for war with Russia -- they are calling for concern about interference in our elections and protecting our democracy. A concern Trump supporters seem to lack.
Putin appears to be a better student of Washington’s warnings against the danger that foreign interference could present to our union -- our unity -- than members of today’s GOP.
If you are fine with Russia’s support for your side you might consider this; holding your little party together in DC, as difficult as it may be, is a lot simpler than holding this huge and diverse country together. Owning Washington is not the same thing as owning the country. When our union is finished, DC -- and the power lobbyists depend on -- will be meaningless.
Destroying our democracy, an idea Republicans have become increasingly fond of, means destroying our union. It means destroying the ideas on which the union was founded and depends.
Putin seems to have this uncanny ability to bend politicians to his will. Lets not forget that Putin came to power after the abrupt and unexpected resignation of Yeltsin. Yeltsin had a nasty habit of showing up drunk to important international gathering. God knows how Putin could have entrapped him, just like he appears to have entrapped Trump.
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I prefer him afraid and compliant to boldly pressing nuclear buttons.
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I have my own opinion that what Putin has on Trump is much worse than money laundering, shady deals, or prostitutes. It has to be so abhorrent, that even his base and his family would ditch him. Well maybe not his family....the money is too good. Since his base is not interested in facts, just feelings or bravado, it has to be something repulsive. I have my own theories. Time will tell.
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Trump cares more about hiding his financials from view than any single thing. Perhaps tapes of some sexual fetish. More than anyone judging his prowess with women or in business, I think his self worth is completely glued to his money and by extension, his perceived power. I think he is completely owned by Russian money and would never be able to extricate himself on his own. I think he's been groomed by Putin for a really long time and is not self aware enough to realize it fully, or if he does, he's in denial that it will, eventually, all come to a very unpleasant end. I just hope he doesn't take all of us with him when that time comes.
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Stating the obvious: Why would Russian intelligence know so much more than the CIA or any other NATO country spy organisation that the CIA cooperates with? They have had plenty of time to find out what the Russians know or don't know by now. Either thousands of spies all over the western world are very bad at their jobs or this is a load of nonsense.
John Brennan is just proof of the Deep State's existence. And also, real journalists would have pressed him on what grounds he has for making such an accusation. Truth matters, as the slogan goes.
Trump is kowtowing to Putin!
"Sarah Huckabee Sanders, later reinforced Mr. Trump’s lack of interest, telling reporters it was not America’s place to question how other countries conduct their elections." Sarah is at best ignorant. We went into Vietnam in order to give the populace free elections. Same with Iraq, and we are still there. Yemen, Chad, Niger, Somalia. And good old Sarah does not think it is America's place to question how other countries conduct their elections. WE, are in trouble.
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Until this so called President of the United States stands before the American people and says Russia interfered in our election and has hacked our electric grid, nuclear power plants and water systems I can only assume he is under the thumb of Putin. What other explanation is there?
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The bigger question is why the GOP is so afraid of Russia. What does it have on EACH of them? There is a Republican VP and the GOP controls the Congress and Supreme Court nominations. Why are they doubling down on support for this catastrophe of a President?
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"Why Is Trump So Afraid of Russia?"
Is it fear? Is fear making Mr. Trump behave like Mr. Putin's lackey? I think so. Bullies are cowards, and Mr. Trump is a bully. For many decades his circle of acquaintances included many ruthless men who were mean and tyrannical, e.g., Mr. Cohn. To get along, Trump must have learned how to generate the necessary impression of warm, friendly and respectful submission.
Some have said Trump's response to Putin is actual affection. Is this likely? To some degree, Putin's public praise for Trump will certainly have taken Trump in. However, I do not know whether Trump is capable of affection in the usual sense of that word.
Some have argued that such genuflection is his natural response to dictators and autocrats. A case can be made for this. For instance, recall the photo that depicted Trump meeting Mr. Duterte. Trump takes a pose that we never see him in here: warm and respectful. It takes a murderous autocrat to bring out the best in Trump.
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I suspect it is financial, big enough that would ruin the Trump empire. I also think the Russians have whispered in his ear what could happen to him and his family. I’m not so sure this last attack on the Russian traitor and his daughter with nerve agent isn’t a reminder to Trump of Putin’s reach. Yes Trump is very afraid especially of Mueller finding out.
I also think Putin gave Trump his marching orders to get elected no matter what. This business with Stormy and the other women getting these payoffs done, was to shut them up. Otherwise he could care less about this getting into the press, it never bothered him in the past, but it could keep him from being elected. Yes Trump is afraid of a lot of things.
It really Robert Mueller who is "draining 'The Swamp'.."....and it is about time
that the GOP cheer him on....instead of drowning by being flushed down the drain with Trump and his feckless remaining few.
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by the way , USA and Russia were ally in Second world war and mr. Tramp appreciate very much that alliance. actually Russia want to be faithful friend and reliable ally for USA . but interest group of the USA's the Istablishment doesn't want it. Because they cherish a hope to see Russia is shared on few parts . Why is it? No one know it and nobody are able to explain it.
Time to put up or shut up. Let's have it. What exactly does Russia have on Trump? All I hear after over a year of investigation by multiple bodies is wild speculation.
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These statements from GOP leaders suggest that they do not know as much as we think they do and that they are farther from Trump than we understand. Trump is his own island of horrible and the GOP do not have the guts to attack him.
The GOP and Trump were beneficiaries of the Russian cyber attack on the US, and they will therefore do nothing to stop the behavior. The GOP wants Russian influence, as they will do anything to maintain power. Trump must have a GOP controlled Congress to insure against impeachment. The attacks will continue, and GOP will simply talk tough until after November.
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“Why is Trump afraid of Russia?” He isn’t.
Trump’s reputation is so bad, he has no worries about it becoming worse.
Trump’s motto is: “Failure to fail fully is a fool’s folly”. Bankers understand the principle but don’t want customers that think that way too. He has to deal with crooked Russians and Deutsche Bank for financing because he’s stiffed so many other bankers they won’t deal with him further.
If Trump’s “deals” land him in jail, then President Pence will pardon him. So Trump has a get-out-of-jail-free card.
“What? Me worry?” Trump is just enjoying pulling the cat’s tail.
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Ridiculous, he’s got fear written all over his face when he meets with Putin. Look at the video and see for yourself. He’s acting frantic with Mueller, those tax returns would’ve told us everything, how his business is hanging by a thread based on Russian backed Deutsche bank. Then there’s those poisoning’s of the Russian trader and his daughter, a strong message to Trump.
The Trump Pinyin relationship is a binary one. Putin gets to mess with the US's psyche and Trump gets to torment Putin with his knowing that he has to talk to this pageant promoter who he brushed off 8 years ago.
Unfortunately for the world these two men are more interested in their personal staring contest than in improving their respective countries.
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