Donald Trump: Traitor, Liar, Danger to the World?
It seems increasingly, frighteningly possible that the U.S. presidential election may very well be influenced by Russian president Vladimir Putin. In our current political contest, the Russian president has clearly chosen a like-minded candidate to support, and mounting evidence suggests he is not just rooting from the stands, but possibly actively engaged in trying to ensure Donald Trump comes out on top. There is considerable evidence that Kremlin-backed actors are behind the cyberattack on the Democratic National Committee, and as Trump himself has suggested, they may possess thousands more stolen emails, potentially timed to create an October Surprise.
In other words, Putin, an anti-democracy autocrat, may be trying to move the pieces in a U.S. election to ensure a president who will help the Russian leader realize his expansionist vision and save his country’s economy. Considering Trump’s team of Moscow loyalists, his reported reliance on oligarch cash, his endless praise of Putin—and his invitation to Russia to commit espionage against this country—it seems that Putin may be getting help from the Trump campaign.
There was already evidence that Trump, whom conservative writer Max Boot recently described as “more pro-Russia than any previous presidential candidate,” has a vested interest in keeping close ties with the country. As Boot notes, Russian investors have been indispensable to Trump, “especially after most American banks stopped lending to him following his multiple bankruptcies.” John Marshall of TPM points to lawsuits against Trump that reveal sketchy sounding “secret financing” on real estate projects, and “unexplained infusions of cash from accounts in Kazakhstan and Russia.” The Washington Post reports that in 2008 Trump’s son Donald Jr. stated that, “Russians make up a pretty disproportionate cross-section of [his family’s] assets.” Since launching his candidacy, Trump’s liquid assets have shrunk, while his debt has ballooned from an estimated $350 million to $630 million. A continued influx of Russian dollars is probably crucial to any illusion of a Trump empire.
George Will, who departed the GOP over his disgust with Trump, sees in the candidate’s refusal to release his tax returns probable cause for suspicion that they may reveal questionable dealings with rich Russians closely connected to Putin. “Perhaps one more reason why we’re not seeing his tax returns,” Will opined recently, “[is] because he is deeply involved in dealing with Russia oligarchs and others. Whether that’s good, bad or indifferent, it’s probably the reasonable surmise.”
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http://www.nationalmemo.com/donald-trump-traitor-liar-danger-world/
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