Day: February 15, 2017

Where There Is Smoke, There Is Usually Fire…

CNN is reporting the Trump campaign was involved in extensive communications with the Russians during the 2016 presidential election campaign. Communications between Russian operatives and the Trump campaign certainly is cause to raise owns eyebrows. If true it lends credibility to the argument the presidential election was influenced by the Russians, possibly tipping the outcome in Trump’s favor.

Any foreign influence and involvement in United States elections puts our democratic republic as great risk. Putin, who is arguably intellectually superior to Trump and clever as hell, knows how to play Trump.  Trump’s narcissism and huge ego makes him an easy mark. If Russian influenced the outcome of the 2016 presidential election Trump would theoretically be indebted to Putin.

Let the investigations continue. In great earnestness.

High-level advisers close to then-presidential nominee Donald Trump were in constant communication during the campaign with Russians known to US intelligence, multiple current and former intelligence, law enforcement and administration officials tell CNN.

President-elect Trump and then-President Barack Obama were both briefed on details of the extensive communications between suspected Russian operatives and people associated with the Trump campaign and the Trump business, according to US officials familiar with the matter.

Both the frequency of the communications during early summer and the proximity to Trump of those involved “raised a red flag” with US intelligence and law enforcement, according to these officials. The communications were intercepted during routine intelligence collection targeting Russian officials and other Russian nationals known to US intelligence.
Among several senior Trump advisers regularly communicating with Russian nationals were then-campaign chairman Paul Manafort and then-adviser Michael Flynn.
SKIP
Adding to US investigators’ concerns were intercepted communications between Russian officials before and after the election discussing their belief that they had special access to Trump, two law enforcement officials tell CNN. These officials cautioned the Russians could have been exaggerating their access.
Trump dismissed the claims that his advisers had close ties to Russia in a tweet Wednesday.
“This Russian connection non-sense is merely an attempt to cover-up the many mistakes made in Hillary Clinton’s losing campaign,” Trump tweeted.
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The FBI and US intelligence agencies continue to try to determine what the motive for the communications were.
One concern was whether Trump associates were coordinating with Russian intelligence operatives over the release of damaging information about the Hillary Clinton campaign.
“If that were the case, then that would escalate things,” one official briefed on the investigation said. Full story BELOW THE FOLD.

Flynn’s Activities While NSA Must Be Investigated, So Should The White House…

I don’t know whether Russian oligarchs own him financially or whether Russian spies own him personally because of alleged indiscreet behavior during his trips to Moscow. But Trump’s willingness to attack allies like Australia, bluster at rivals like China, threaten enemies like Iran and North Korea and bully neighbors like Mexico — while consistently blowing kisses to Russian President Vladimir Putin — cannot be explained away by his mere desire to improve relations with Moscow to defeat the Islamic State. And the Flynn ouster gives our government another, desperately needed opportunity to demand the answers to these questions, starting with seeing the president’s tax returns.

We need to know whom Trump owes and who might own him, and we need to know it now. Save for a few patriotic Republican senators like John McCain and Lindsey Graham, the entire Republican Party is complicit in a shameful act of looking away at Trump’s inexplicable behavior toward Russia.

 Thomas L. Friedman made the above comments in The New York Times op-ed pages today. These are concerns that need to be addressed. America deserves answers to the question is the president of the United States of America compromised in such a way that it renders him unable to conduct the affairs of the nation in a way that insures the interests of the nation and American people are properly served? 

With the resignation of Trump’s National Security Advisor republicans have the opportunity, as well as responsibility, to begin investigating Flynn’s activity with respect to Russian sanctions. As well the White House’s silence on the matter over the past weeks. We all know, or should know, what the reaction of republicans would have been had were the Obama administration and White House (or a Hillary Clinton administration) been involved in like circumstances.

As many republicans grow restive over the missteps of the Trump administration this could be the catalyst that was needed to start holding Trump and his administration responsible for actions that obviously are questionable.

Read full op-ed BELOW THE FOLD.