Well, this is not particularly shocking, given what we know about President Donald Trump\u2019s obsessive man-crush on Russian President Vladimir Putin.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s also becoming the norm. That is, finding that our president found yet, another opportunity to go around his advisers and Cabinet members, in order to engage in a cozy t\u00eate-\u00e0-t\u00eate with the former KGB agent.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not just the intimate huddles, but the fact that he has shut out everyone, trusting in his own, broke brain to make decisions and decipher truth from lie, coming from a man who was trained to be a convincing liar.<\/p>\n
What we know about Trump is that his ego, combined with his alarming lack of intellect leads him to base decisions on whoever he listened to last, whether it\u2019s Lou Dobbs, Sean Hannity, or some despot he\u2019s fan-boying over.<\/p>\n
We know he came out of the July 2018 private meeting with Putin and threw our nation\u2019s intelligence community under the bus, spouting Putin\u2019s line about Russia\u2019s interference in the 2016 election.<\/p>\n
The Financial Times<\/a> is reporting that in November 2018, at the G20 summit in Argentina, President Trump and President Putin had another meeting.<\/p>\n The White House had previously acknowledged that both leaders met for an \u201cinformal\u201d talk but didn\u2019t disclose that Trump had no official member of his team present. Putin did have someone, though: his translator, although it\u2019s unclear if that person wrote anything down.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Since reports from their Helsinki meeting include the news that Trump confiscated notes from his translator, in order to keep anyone, whether his foreign policy aides or administration officials from knowing what was discussed, the natural assumption should be that they were not discussing things that he wants anyone to know about.<\/p>\n Why are there not bigger alarms over this?<\/p>\n There are, however, recent reports that suggest the room may have been bugged by Finnish officials, and those transcripts turned over to our intelligence community.<\/p>\n We can hope, because it\u2019s almost certain that the Russians know what was discussed.<\/p>\n What sort of optics are being presented, here? The man and his campaign team have been under white-hot scrutiny for the past two years, because of all those Russian connections.<\/p>\n I\u2019ll ask it again: How would a Russian asset act any differently?<\/p>\n And yes, I understand that when I pose that question, some of my colleagues on the right roll their eyes in exasperation.<\/p>\n I don\u2019t care. Under the circumstances, it\u2019s a valid question. I get the feeling that even those who have, in the past, been less than complimentary towards Donald Trump have been worn down by the MAGA assault and feel stuck between those forces and fear of finding common ground with the left.<\/p>\n Residual allegiance to a party that was once the party of men like Calvin Coolidge, William F. Buckley, Barry Goldwater, and Ronald Reagan holds them in place to a shell of what once was.<\/p>\n They would rather wallow in Trumpism and just play the partisan game than risk being called a \u201cRiNo.\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the well-being of our nation is at stake. While they quibble over image (party over country), a gilded toad is likely handing over the reins \u2013 as well as our position in the world \u2013 to hostile foreign powers.<\/p>\n How does Trump\u2019s secretive meetings with Vladimir Putin hinder the work of our government, when it comes to foreign policy?<\/p>\n Shouldn\u2019t they know what Trump and Putin are discussing? Isn\u2019t this a national security issue?<\/p>\n So let\u2019s consider what we have before us.<\/p>\n The 2018 G20 summit was held on November 30 and December 1. Somewhere in that time, Trump and Putin found a few minutes to get away to themselves. As it was with their other meetings, there was no one there to keep notes or advise. He has not shared what they discussed, other than some vague explanation about policy.<\/p>\n Hit fast forward by several weeks. Trump, much to the shock of everyone, including lawmakers and our allies in the region, announces that ISIS has been defeated in Syria and he would be ordering a \u201crapid withdrawal\u201d of our troops from the region.<\/p>\n According to an administration official, as well as a Defense Department official, by the time the Trump blurted it out to the world, plans were already underway.<\/p>\n While off-balance, ISIS was anything but defeated, and any vacuum of power in the region would be filled by somebody.<\/p>\n So who would benefit most from the United States leaving our allies in a lurch and abandoning the area?<\/p>\n Russia. Russia would benefit most.<\/p>\n Imagine that.<\/p>\n While Putin praised the decision, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis resigned in protest.<\/p>\n The outcry has slowed Trump\u2019s timetable for an \u201cimmediate\u201d pullout of the region, but it highlights the need for transparency, when it comes to his communications with foreign leaders.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s not forget. This is the same president that shared highly classified intelligence with Russia officials in May 2017, potentially risking the life of an Israeli spy embedded with ISIS.<\/p>\n This is the same president who, earlier Wednesday, took to Twitter to slam our intelligence community, once again, based on what he wants to be true about North Korea, and in opposition of what they say about Iran.<\/p>\n \u2026.Fighting continues but the people of Afghanistan want peace in this never ending war. We will soon see if talks will be successful? North Korea relationship is best it has ever been with U.S. No testing, getting remains, hostages returned. Decent chance of Denuclearization\u2026<\/p>\n \u2014 Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 30, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n