Trump Putin Puppet Proof

The number and severity of President Trump’s Russian appeasement items, aka Trump Putin-puppet proof, continues to build at a horrifying pace. Trump’s acquiescent policies toward Russia devastate tradition U.S. alliances and endanger homeland security on a grand scale.

Trump Wins a Big Bad One

But to Trump, he’s winning and winning and winning. And guess what? Because he puts all of his chips on malevolent adversaries, Trump has won something grand and big to wear like a tattoo on his forehead – a Shamey Award for treacherous malfeasance.

Trump Putin-Puppet Proof

Special thanks to newfound friends at Just Security Org for compiling a shockingly long list of misdeeds that prove Trump deserves infamy beyond a shadow of a doubt.

List items in this post are greatly condensed from the originals at Just Security Org. Follow the link for much greater detail: https://www.justsecurity.org/42642/timeline-trumps-acts-appeasementaccommodation-russia/

Trump Russian Appeasement Policy Items

1. Trump Ignores Russian Threats: FBI Director James Comey testifies before the Senate Intelligence Committee and tells Senator Joe Manchin that during meetings with President Trump he showed no “concern or interest or curiosity about what the Russians were doing.” Comey said he did not recall any conversation like that–“never.” (Politico – full transcript of testimony)
2. Trump Agrees to Agree: November 14: In their first official phone call, President-Elect Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin agree on the “absolutely unsatisfactory state of bilateral relations” between Russia and the U.S., and the two leaders agree to meet at some point in the future. (New York Times)
3. In Like Flynn: November 18: President-Elect Trump names retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn as his National Security Advisor, stirring controversy in part because of Flynn’s ties to Russia. (Washington Post)  In 2015, Flynn accepted payment from RT – a Russian propaganda channel –  to attend the station’s gala event in Moscow. President Putin also attended the gala, and RT later publishes photos of the two dining next to each other.
4. Russians Begin Popping Up Everywhere: Early-December: Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak meets with former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn and Trump Senior Advisor Jared Kushner in Trump Tower.
5. Secure Channel with Russia? What About Our Security? The above meeting’s purpose was to “establish a line of communication.” (New York Times). It is later revealed that in the meeting, Kushner suggested setting up a secure channel between the Trump transition team and the Kremlin, to be hosted at the Russian embassy or consulate. (Washington Post)
6. And there’s Rex Tillerson, Secretary of State, with close relationship with Russia…
7. And Sergey Gorkov, chairman of Russia’s government-owned VEB (bank)…
8. What Sanctions? Wink-Wink: December 29 – Michael Flynn speaks with Russian Ambassador Kislyak… Flynn discusses the sanctions.
9. And shortly afterwards President-Elect Trump issues a written statement saying “it’s time for our country to move on to bigger and better things.” (Fox News Politics)
10. And Trump flatters Putin: December 30 President-Elect Trump tweet: “Great move on delay (by V. Putin) – I always knew he was very smart!” (Twitter) Putin’s decision came as a surprise in part because Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had earlier said in televised remarks, “Of course, we cannot leave these sanctions unanswered.
11. Secret Faraway Island Meeting (seriously): January 11 secret meeting in the Seychelles between Erik Prince, the founder of Blackwater and a Trump supporter (and brother of Betsy DeVos), and a Russian official close to President Putin… to set up a communication channel between President-Elect Trump and Moscow. (Washington Post)
12. What Russian Hack? January 11, President-Elect Trump diminishes significance of Russian involvement in U.S. hack… blames the DNC, the victim. (CNBC)
13. Lift those Sanctions: Post-January 20: In the “early weeks” of the administration, “top Trump administration officials, almost as soon as they took office, tasked State Department staffers with developing proposals for the lifting of economic sanctions.” … Blocked by Congress (Yahoo News’ Michael Isikoff)
14. January 20-early February: National Security Advisor Michael Flynn advocates for closer military communication with Russia to fight ISIS. (Daily Beast)
15. January 26-February 13: Acting Attorney General Sally Yates meets personally with White House Counsel Don McGahn about National Security Advisor Flynn’s conversations with Russian Ambassador Kislyak in December. Yates warns the White House Counsel that Flynn lied about discussing sanctions with the Russian Ambassador. (ABC News).
16. Trump Fires Flynn 18 Days Later. It is not until February 13 that Flynn is asked to resign following a Washington Post story revealing the meeting with Yates and the White House Counsel. (New York Times)(Washington Post) … must have been like Trump pouting, “You’re fired! But I still love ya. … Don’t turn me in … Let’s play golf … Yada, yada)
17. Trump acquiesces to Russian aggression. February 14: The New York Times reports that Russia has deployed a cruise missile in violation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Force (INF) treaty. Trump “would bring it up” with President Putin “if and when we meet.” (New York Times; Reuters)
18. No Handshake for You! March 17: Trump comically ignores handshake with German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the White House.
19. And Trump criticizes NATO — a lot.
20. Another NATO Diss: March 21, the State Department announces that Secretary Rex Tillerson will not attend his first NATO meeting in Brussels on April 5-6
21. But on March 31: Secretary of State Rex Tillerson meets with NATO leaders in Brussels. In his remarks, Tillerson says: “As President Trump has made clear, it is no longer sustainable for the U.S. to maintain a disproportionate share of NATO’s defense expenditures. Allies must increase defense spending.” (Washington Post)
22. And when U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley steps too far astray on Russian policy, Secretary of State Tillerson sends UN Ambassador Haley an email instructing her to clear comments with Washington. (New York Times)
23. April 23: President Trump expresses strong support for far right candidate Marine Le Pen in upcoming French elections; Le Pen is supported by President Putin and promises to remove France from the EU, a long-term goal for Putin. Le Pen had also visited Trump Tower in January. [AP; Politico]
24. May 10: Secretary of State Tillerson meets with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov and Ambassador Kislyak and says the US would no longer require Russia to unfreeze the construction of an American consulate in St. Petersburg before it considered handing back seized Russian diplomatic compounds in Maryland and New York as part of the Obama sanctions for election interference – a reversal of the position staked out two days prior by Undersecretary of State Thomas Shannon. (Washington Post)
25. No More Nut Job: On May 10: during the Oval Office meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov and Ambassador Kislyak, President Trump tells the Russian officials that he had fired the “nut job” FBI director (James Comey) 
26. Trump discloses highly classified information to the Russian officials. The intelligence was provided by Israel which had not authorized the U.S. to share it. (Washington Post)
27. Private Meeting with Russia and Not-So-Free Press: Trump does not allow any US press into the Oval Office, but does allow TASS, the Russian state-owned news agency (Washington Post).
28. Trump hides Kislyak attendance at Oval Office Meeting
29. Trump apparently avoids the issue of Russian election interference (ABC News).
30. May 25-26: Arriving in Europe with President Trump, White House economic advisor Gary Cohn tells reporters regarding the future of sanctions on Russia. “Right now we don’t have a position.” (ABC News)
31. May 25: In Europe, President Trump chastises NATO leaders for their “chronic underpayments” to the alliance and does not reaffirm U.S. commitment to Article 5.
32. Russian Meddling in U.S. Elections Just Not a Concern: June 13: While testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee, Attorney General Jeff Sessions says that although the intelligence community “appears” to agree that Russia interfered in the U.S. election, he “never received any detailed briefing on how hacking occurred or how information was alleged to have influenced the campaign.” Senator King followed up by asking, “You never sought any information about this rather dramatic attack on our country?” Sessions replied that he never did. (Politico – transcript)
33. June 24: Several government officials report that the Trump administration has not taken any significant steps to prevent future election interference.
34. June 26: The Associated Press reports that President Trump’s is “eager” to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in July.

And there is more … at Just Security … and I’m betting there will be much more! #Sad.

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