Is Trump Being Manipulated by Putin? This GOP Lawmaker Says YES

Let it be known for the record that I no longer feel President Trump is acting like a Russian asset.

Donald Trump is a Russian asset.

That was his role, even before he was elected.

No, I don’t think he began his run for the presidency as one. I believe his initial purpose for running for the presidency was a publicity stunt, in order to whip up supporters for a new television venture he had in mind.

However, I believe the kompromat was already there, and Russia saw their chance to break into the highest office in the United States, because one of their puppets was in the race, so the campaign to get Trump to the White House began.

Democrats were complicit in the plot by running the most unlikeable, most unelectable candidate in their entire stable – Hillary Clinton.

Americans were in the worst possible spot in 2016. As I said from the beginning: The good news is, Hillary lost. The bad news is, Trump won.

I haven’t always believed Trump to be directly working with Russia. Given the evidence and what we have seen from the ongoing Russia probe, it was always my belief that he was a dunderheaded old man, weak and incapable of seeing how those around him were manipulating him. He was simply the blunt tool being used by ruthless players that made up his circle.

You have to admit, from Carter Page to Michael Flynn, Paul Manafort and beyond, there was an uncomfortable number of Russian connections surrounding Donald Trump.

I actually feared for a foolish old man being drawn into this web of conspiracy and treason. I mean, no, I’ve never been a fan of Trump and his vile, abusive, misogynistic ways, but I would not see an old man hurt because of the misdeeds of others.

I still get a twinge of sympathy at the thought of someone elderly being dragged off in cuffs, but in the case of Donald Trump, he’s making his bed, and he’s making it hard.

I’m not the only one on the right making a stand on this. Texas Republican Representative Will Hurd has had enough, as well.

Hurd gave his thoughts in an op-ed for the New York Times on Thursday.

“By playing into Vladimir Putin’s hands, the leader of the free world actively participated in a Russian disinformation campaign that legitimized Russian denial and weakened the credibility of the United States to both our friends and foes abroad,” Hurd, a former undercover CIA officer, writes in a scathing op-ed for the New York Times.

As a former CIA officer, you can see why Hurd might take offense to Trump’s sniveling subservience to Vladimir Putin.

Trump stood beside a murderous tyrant and cast doubt on our nation’s intelligence community, while lending support and aid to an enemy of the United States. Even his begrudging walk back a day later was inadequate and nonsensical.

In Hurd’s view, President Trump is being manipulated.

That is correct.

“Somehow many Americans have forgotten that Russia is our adversary, not our ally, and the reasons for today’s tensions go back much farther than the 2016 election,” he writes. “For more than a decade, Russia has meddled in elections around the world, supported brutal dictators and invaded sovereign nations — all to the detriment of United States interests.”

Hurd then cautions that Russian “disinformation campaigns” are working, and stresses that Congress must act to give “the men and women of our intelligence agencies the tools they need to confront Moscow and prevent this from happening in the future.”

“Without action, we risk losing further credibility in international negotiations with both our friends and foes on critical trade deals, military alliances and nuclear arms.”

Given Trump’s poor performance in all those areas, I’d say that is a ship that has sailed, unless our lawmakers suddenly sprout a spine and take action to censure Trump, as a first move.

Our nation needs to be saved from the man in the Oval Office. His gross incompetence and inability to stand against our foes puts us all in danger.

He’s not even attempting to hide it, anymore. Even with all the outrage and huffing over his performance in Helsinki, Trump has invited Vladimir Putin to Washington in the fall.

He has his orders, and now that he sees that there is no stomach for reprimand from the [alleged] co-equal branches of government, he’s going to get increasingly more insolent and reckless with our republic.

Of that, I am certain.