Trump’s Russian connections

Trump’s Russian connections July 27, 2016

In yesterday’s discussion about whether the Russians, who apparently hacked into the Democratic National Committee’s e-mails–see this for the evidence (HT: Tom Hering)–are trying to manipulate our election, reader Rustbeltrick cited another source that listed direct connections between Donald Trump and the Russian government.

According to Josh Marshall of Talking Point Memo, Trump has long been dependent on Russian investments for his businesses, including from investors with strong ties to Vladimir Putin.  Perhaps more to the point, Trump’s campaign manager Paul Manafort was a top advisor to the pro-Russian president of the Ukraine, whose ouster was the catalyst for the Russian intervention.  Trump’s foreign policy advisor, Carter Page, has for his whole professional life been working for Russian interests.  And there is more.

True, Marshall is a liberal journalist and maybe has a Democratic axe to grind.  But I would think the employment history of Manafort and Page is a matter of public record.  Also the investors in Trump’s business dealings.

Are Trump’s Russian connections something to be concerned about?  Or does it not really matter?

From Rustbeltrick, summarizing Josh Marshall, Trump & Putin. Yes, It’s Really a Thing, Talking Point Memo:

1. Trump’s debt load has grown dramatically over the last year, from $350 million to $630 million. At the same time, he’s been blackballed by all major US banks.

2. Post-bankruptcy, Trump has become highly reliant on money from Russia — most of which has over the years become increasingly concentrated among oligarchs close to Vladimir Putin.

3. Paul Manafort, Trump’s campaign manager and top advisor, spent most of the last decade as top campaign and communications advisor to Viktor Yanukovych, the pro-Russian Ukrainian Prime Minister and then President whose ouster in 2014 led to the on-going crisis and proxy war in Ukraine. Yanukovych was and remains a close ally of Putin.

4. Trump’s foreign policy advisor on Russia and Europe is Carter Page, a man whose entire professional career has revolved around investments in Russia and who has deep and continuing financial and employment ties to Gazprom, which, in turn, is part of Putin’s financial empire.

5. Over the course of the last year, Putin has aligned all Russian state controlled media behind Trump.

6. The Trump Camp was totally indifferent to the Republican Party platform, with one exception: They changed the party platform to eliminate assistance to Ukraine against Russian military operations in eastern Ukraine. Not incidentally, this is the single most important issue to Putin.

7. Trump is also suggesting the US and thus NATO might not come to the defense of NATO member states in the Baltics in the case of a Russian invasion — another important issue to Putin.

Be sure to read all of Josh Marshall’s report.

 

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