Drip Drip Drip
No surprise to anyone who knows me, I’ve always been interested in politics. I earned my stripes getting kicked out of Aunt Lee’s apartment for wearing a Kennedy for President button at four years old, and I “got hooked” laid up with a broken arm at eleven watching the riots at the Democratic Convention in Chicago in 1968.
But it was during Watergate that I truly became a political junky. For the last three years of my high school career I watched as the Nixon Administration slowly fell apart. I fought with my government teacher (a stalwart Nixon supporter) and found secret allies among the other teaching staff. As I prepared to head off to college, Nixon resigned, a fitting conclusion to his Presidency and my high school career.
From 1972 to 1974, the investigation of Watergate slowly worked it way up the chain. It started with the five in the break-in. Then the leader of the five, then the check in the account of the five, then the Nixon re-election campaign. From there, onto the White House itself and finally the testimony of Deputy Assistant Alexander Butterfield and the revelation of the White House taping system. That was the beginning of the end.
Richard Nixon resigned as President for orchestrating the cover-up of a felony break-in, and for using the entire apparatus of the Executive Branch, including the CIA, FBI and IRS to continue that cover-up. The key evidence was the tapes, all of the conversations he had in the White House – he bugged himself.
Flash forward to 2017. The question: did the Trump campaign cooperate, coordinate, and collude with the Russian Intelligence agencies to torpedo the Clinton campaign and win the election. It’s NOT proven yet. But there is a familiar (to old Watergate “fans”) drip-drip-drip, as the circle around Trump slowly gets dragged into the morass of Russian connections.
What is clear
It is clear that Russian Intelligence involved itself in the 2016 Presidential election. They did this by hacking the Democratic National Committee and Clinton Chairman John Podesta and then using Wikileaks to put those emails into the public. Russian Intelligence also planted multiple “fake news” stories about Clinton and the Clinton campaign, undermining her credibility, and using timely interventions to re-direct the electorates’ attention back to Clinton’s problems (a clear example: one hour after the release of the Access Hollywood tape when Trump made lewd and inappropriate comments, Wikileaks released the first of the Podesta emails.)
It is clear that Trump has had a strange “relationship” with Vladimir Putin, consistently praising him and defending him even to the extent of justifying Putin’s killing opponents. It is also clear that Trump can’t decide whether he’s met Putin or not or whether he knows Putin or not, he’s publicly answered the question in completely opposite ways.
It is clear that multiple figures with direct connection to the Trump campaign and administration have had conversations with members of the Russian government. Those confirmed to have had contact: former National Security Advisor Mike Flynn, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Advisor and son-in-law Jared Kushner, and former advisor on international relations Carter Page. Others accused of having contacts but denying them: former campaign manager Paul Manafort and longtime friend and campaign supporter Roger Stone.
It is clear that both Sessions and Flynn denied having contact with the Russian Ambassador. Flynn denied this to the Vice President, and other members of the administration. Sessions denied it in testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee. Once the contact was revealed, they claimed that their contacts were in the reasonable pursuit of their jobs. Their denials raise the question: if what they were doing was legitimate, then why did they deny the contact?
What is Possible
Paul Manafort was Trump’s campaign manager during the summer of 2016. Paul Manafort was a founding partner of the lobbying firm Black, Manafort, Stone and Kelly from 1980 to 1996.
Manafort had pro-Russian Urkrainian client, President Viktor Yanukovych. Yanukovych was forced to flee the Ukraine when free Ukrainian forces took over, exiled to Moscow under the protection of Putin. He left his mansion completely intact, and documentation was found showing that Manafort was paid $12 million under the table for his services (this is disputed by Manafort).
News sources have suggested that Manafort resigned from the Trump campaign because pro-Ukrainian forces threatened to blackmail him with this information. In addition, Manafort has done other business with Russia as well, but has stated that he never knowingly talked to Russian Intelligence agents.
Carter Page was an investment banker with Merrill Lynch located in Moscow, after which he returned to New York and founded an investment fund with a former Gazprom executive (the Russian Government corporation which controls gas). He has gained a reputation as a harsh critic of US policy towards Russia, and has expressed views in support of Putin. Clearly he had the ability to connect with Russian Intelligence.
Roger Stone, who began his political career as one of the Nixon Campaign’s “dirty tricksters”, was an old friend of Donald Trump, and served as an early advisor to his campaign. Stone claimed in August of 2016, that he was in contact with Wikileaks’ Julian Assange regarding an “October Surprise.” Stone has also worked in Ukraine.
What’s the Possible Outcome
What if a final investigation shows that the Trump campaign cooperated with Russian Intelligence in an attempt to win the White House? This would place the entire Trump Administration at risk, both from Russian blackmail, and from US legal and political sanctions.
But one thing for sure – somebody knows!!!! Just like the Nixon White House tapes, most communication with Russian officials are tapped, and US, British, Dutch, French and German Intelligence agencies try to reach in to get the reports sent back to Moscow by Russian representatives. And of course, some members of the Trump campaign must know. The final outcome: the story will come out – and will have consequences.
