From Russia with love? Trump's connection with Moscow
It's been less than four weeks since President Donald J. Trump took the oath of office (you know, where he swore "to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States" to the best of his ability). In that short time, he and his White House staff's ineptitude have left the Executive Mansion "in disarray."
After a disastrous week which included Andy Puzder's withdrawal from his nomination as Labor Secretary and the forced resignation of Michael Flynn from his post as National Security Adviser, the President of the United States is now mired in a drama, mostly of his own making, which centers on his alleged connections to Vladimir Putin's Russia.
According to USA Today, Flynn's resignation over his contacts with Russian ambassador Sergei Ivanovich Kislyak during the transition has "accelerated the controversy over the Russian connections of President Trump and his associates."
Per an article written by Gregory Korte, USA Today reports that Flynn, a retired Army general and former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, "discussed sanctions with the Russian ambassador to the United States in January, despite his denials. But new questions emerged Wednesday via a New York Times report that other people close to Trump also had contact with Russian agents during the presidential campaign."
As is typical of Trump's brash and combative style, the President and his staff are throwing the White House into chaos and sending mixed signals about what did the President know about Flynn's contacts with the Russian ambassador, and when did he know it.
Korte writes:
Trump's response Wednesday was to lash out at the "fake media," blaming Flynn's departure on "illegal leaks." Just a day before, White House press secretary
The growing controversy over the many connections that Trump and many of his close allies have with Russia is causing dismay in the nation's capital. Even Republican members of Congress and high-ranking military officers are worried.
Per a report on CNN.com, Sen, John McCain (R-AZ) said, "As far as national security is concerned, this White House is in disarray."
According to CNN, Gen. Raymond "Tony" Thomas, commander of the Tampa-based Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), said at a Maryland symposium, "Our government continues to be in unbelievable turmoil. I hope they sort it out soon because we're a nation at war." JSOC is the multi-service command charged with combating terror groups such as Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
THE RUSSIA CONNECTION
One of the most troubling aspects of the Flynn resignation and its murky genesis is the tangled web that links the Trump Administration. Not only has the President expressed admiration for a Russian president that has imperialistic ambitions and waged a proxy war against a neighboring state - Ukraine - but he and many members of his inner circle have business ties with Moscow.
Per USA Today, these are the key players in the Trump-Putin pas de deux:
Paul Manafort, a former Trump campaign manager who worked closely with Ukraine's deposed (and pro-Putin) President Viktor Yanukovich. He left the Trump campaign "after disclosures that his name surfaced in secret ledgers kept by the Yanukovych government that showed he was paid $12.7 million."
Carter Page, who was a foreign policy adviser to Mr, Trump during the presidential campaign. As an investment banker with Merrill Lynch, Carter handled business deals with Gazprom, Russia's state-owned natural gas production company. He recently sent a rambling memo to the Department of Justice, in which he called for an investigation of " severe election fraud in the form of disinformation, suppression of dissent, hate crimes and other extensive abuses led by members of Mrs. Hillary Clinton’s campaign and their political allies last year.”
In an article published Wednesday, The Intercept says that Page "is reportedly one of several targets of a counterintelligence investigation by the FBI into possible links between Trump associates and Russian officials."
Michael Flynn, the shortest-tenured National Security Adviser in U.S. history. According to USA Today's Ray Locker:
In 2015, Flynn traveled to Moscow to speak at the 10th anniversary gala for Russia Today in an event also attended by Putin. Flynn has acknowledged he was paid for the visit, which — if not approved by the secretaries of Defense and State — would violate federal law. He has not said how much he was paid or whether it was approved.
(Note: Russia Today, now called RT, is a state-owned Russian international television network which promotes Russian policies, particularly those espoused by President Putin. Per USA Today: "Russia Today was identified in an intelligence assessment as one of the Kremlin's top purveyors of propaganda and misinformation in the 2016 presidential election.")
Sources:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2017/02/15/trump-russia-connection-what-we-know-now/97957856/
http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/14/politics/us-special-ops-government-turmoil/
http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/16/politics/donald-trump-power-white-house/index.html
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/onpolitics/2017/02/15/trump-russia-key-players-manafort-flynn-putin-kislyak-page/97945362/
https://theintercept.com/2017/02/15/carter-page-at-center-of-trump-russian-investigation-writes-bizarre-letter-to-doj-blaming-hillary-clinton/
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