The Puzzle Pieces Keep Coming Together
The Russian Papers might not complete it, but they're close
On one hand, there’s Donald Trump, insisting no collusion occurred between him and Vladimir Putin. On the other, there’s an awful lot of fishy things that occurred because people Trump hired were involved in shady business deals in and around Russia and Ukraine, which Putin clearly has designs on.
I long felt that the media was getting some of the detail mixed up because Trump has a long history of unusual business practices. When blocked by some funding institution or government agency - which could be something as simple as a city council zoning decision in Scotland - he tries to find an end around. An end around is not unusual in business, but Trump’s end arounds ventured to the edges of the regulations and laws and it appears, beyond those edges.
He enjoys proving his critics wrong and finds great appeal in advancing a ‘bad boy’ image that gets what he wants in spite of legal, financial and regulatory obstacles. But it extends to his personal life, too. If he wants it, he grabs it. He was drawn to the Howard Stern show because he enjoyed saying things that scandalized others and advanced his self-image as a flamboyant playboy in the New York party scene.
These are characteristics common to narcissists obsessed with promoting themselves due to deep seated insecurities.
Along the way, his orbit expanded to encompass a motley group of characters that included party boy Roger Stone, whose political history goes back to the Committee to Reelect the President (CREEP) for Nixon. And the political lobbyist Paul Manafort, who was directly tied to Stone. Manafort’s lobbying work included efforts on behalf of the brutal dictator, Ferdinand Marcos, and the ultimately ousted and entirely corrupt pro-Russian Ukrainian strongman Yanukovych.
Manafort tried to micromanage Trump’s behaviors and speaking styles, causing him to fall into disfavor with Trump.
On April 26, 2016, Politico reported that Trump was displeased with the direction Manafort was taking the campaign and was "taking steps to return some authority to Manafort’s chief internal rival, campaign manager Corey Lewandowski." The article went on to note, "But campaign insiders say it has become increasingly clear that Trump, for all his boasts about his ability to become more 'presidential,' is simply unwilling or perhaps unable to follow through, and resents efforts to transform him."
The mainstream media viewed a lot of circumstantial evidence that things weren’t hunky-dory and jumped to common conclusions. Manafort’s ties to Yanukovych, for example, lent credence to the idea of a direct connection to Putin.
But looking at Trump’s succession of campaign managers, another pattern emerges. Corey Lewandowski was tied to the anti-regulatory Koch Brothers. His motto? “Let Trump be Trump.” Manafort had helped manage conventions for Ford, Reagan, Bush the Elder and Bob Dole, so he seemed a natural fit as the 2016 convention drew near. But he tried to make Trump not be Trump.
So Trump replaced him with Kellyanne Conway and Steve Bannon, with the latter directly tied to the propaganda mill, Breitbart News. Bannon would ultimately be axed for also trying to micromanage Trump - or for giving the public appearance that Trump relied heavily on Bannon. It disrupted Trump’s self-image as the ultimate decider of everything, independent of consultants.
Manafort (and one of his associates) was ultimately convicted of tax fraud and other crimes related to his prior work with Yanukovych. Once again, there was an appearance of some secret connection between Trump and Putin, but no direct proof.
What was clear is the simple fact that when the USSR collapsed, former KGB guy Putin became a major player in the ensuing power struggle and emerged on top. He became one of the richest people in the world. And did so with shadowy connections to the Russiaqn mafia. Furthermore, in that same period - the 1990s - Trump was finding it difficult to obtain credit for his property development deals. He ultimately found help amid the unfolding Russian drama and did have loose connections to Putin and Putin allies by doing that. So he had a more positive view of Putin than traditional US politicians did. His public embrace of Putin just added to the suspicion that some kind of nefarious collusion was going on to meddle in the US election.
But recent events are filling in the blanks.
New books are revealing that US generals were alarmed by Trump’s actions, just as former cabinet members were. And even his son-in-law, Jarred Kushner, was utilizing surreptitious methods to interfere with Trump’s impulsive and risky decision making practices.
There’s some pretty big clues in that. Numerous people in the Trump team, be they chiefs of staff, cabinet officials, US generals, campaign managers, tried to rein in the dangerous impulses of the emotional tinderbox that is Trump. Those who did it too overtly, got dismissed. People who could do it discreetly stayed on. People like Kushner and Stephen Miller and Kellyanne Conway.
And the Russian Papers help complete the puzzle.
Vladimir Putin personally authorised a secret spy agency operation to support a “mentally unstable” Donald Trump in the 2016 US presidential election during a closed session of Russia’s national security council, according to what are assessed to be leaked Kremlin documents.
The key meeting took place on 22 January 2016, the papers suggest, with the Russian president, his spy chiefs and senior ministers all present.
and
The report – “No 32-04 \ vd” – is classified as secret. It says Trump is the “most promising candidate” from the Kremlin’s point of view. The word in Russian is perspektivny.
There is a brief psychological assessment of Trump, who is described as an “impulsive, mentally unstable and unbalanced individual who suffers from an inferiority complex”.
There is also apparent confirmation that the Kremlin possesses kompromat, or potentially compromising material, on the future president, collected – the document says – from Trump’s earlier “non-official visits to Russian Federation territory”.
The paper refers to “certain events” that happened during Trump’s trips to Moscow. Security council members are invited to find details in appendix five, at paragraph five, the document states. It is unclear what the appendix contains.
“It is acutely necessary to use all possible force to facilitate his [Trump’s] election to the post of US president,” the paper says.
This would help bring about Russia’s favoured “theoretical political scenario”. A Trump win “will definitely lead to the destabilisation of the US’s sociopolitical system” and see hidden discontent burst into the open, it predicts.
Bingo.
There’s an overwhelming amount of evidence that Russia was heavily engaged in election meddling in behalf of Trump. The missing link is Trump’s direct involvement in it. Despite Manafort’s ties and past practices. And despite the compromising info Putin had on Trump’s past deals in old visits to Russia.
Yes, it’s possible Trump is aware that Putin has info he could use against Trump, which would further explain why Trump has chosen to stay chummy with him. Yes, that would mean that Trump is putting his interests above our national interests. That’s pretty consistent with the actions of an insecure self-obsessed narcissist.
But it doesn’t prove collusion. It only indicates subservience. Trump’s ‘no collusion!’ insistence may be entirely genuine, even though he may well know that Putin could destroy him.
It’s understandable that many suspect collusion but this provides the clear possibility that he was just being played by Putin. And by Kushner. And by others around him throughout his time in office.
And Michael Flynn? Well, he definitely was involved in shady stuff but Trump’s decision to pardon him, and Stone and Manafort could easily just be Trump trying to avoid antagonizing Putin, since Putin has compromising info from the 1990s that could destroy him.
So, no direct collusion. But subservience to a foreign leader compromises US national security and is certainly impeachable. Various whistleblowers that tipped us off about Trump using hundreds of millions in foreign aid to strong arm the current Ukrainian president to fake evidence about Hunter Biden is also impeachable. Trump clearly was meddling in his own re-election there and using illegal means to do so.
And anyone in the State Department who wasn’t on board with Trump’s perfidy was labelled a part of the Deep State conspiracy and dismissed. An insecure narcissist has no concept of the best interests of anyone but himself. Everyone and anyone opposed to his policies and methods is just out to get him. There’s no possible other motive, in Trump’s brain.
Thus, we get what we got, a lot of weird foreign policy blunders made because Trump is insecure, weak and self-obsessed, convinced he has all the answers, but the only answers he really has is how best to cover his own ass. The rest of the world can go to hell. It doesn’t matter, so long as Trump continues to prove invulnerable.
NATO was nearly destroyed. An insurrection effort happened with some trying to kill elected government officials. A pandemic was so badly bungled that hundreds of thousands of our fellow citizens died early needlessly.
All to satisfy Trump’s determination not to be exposed for his past criminal activities.
There are numerous past activities that have been exposed. Settlements have been reached for the Trump Foundation charity abuses, Trump University and far more. Hush money and NDAs are regularly employed to hide more. And current tax investigations and more continue.
Just as the Stolen Election claims continue. ‘Never admit Guilt’ is Trump’s mantra. He’ll destroy important alliances, destroy the State Department, the Justice Department and let hundreds of thousands die to cover his ass and hey, another Civil War brewing? No problem, so long as Trump’s ass is covered.
Really, it’s as simple as that. That’s what weak leaders lacking any moral foundation are good at.
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