A look at the Russian claim that surfaced this week that Donald Trump was recruited as a spy in 1987 — and the allegedly disappearing news articles reporting it.
I guess there’s a bit of Ockham’s razor here. Do we really expect that there’s an elaborate Russian spy back story or was Trump simply greedy and willing to look the other way if there was money laundering involved.
Banal reality, in this case venal money-laundering, is never as attractive as conspiracy theories, but ninety-nine times out of a hundred (if that!) it's the correct explanation.
There's a former Russia Analyst here on Substack noting that Mussayev is a known person and not someone to be dismissed out if hand. He notes it's confirmed that Trump was tracked by Czech spies through Ivanka's family. As to whether Trump was a Russian asset I.e. a spy, there's no firm evidence either way. He also notes people think "kompramat" is used frequently but compromised people are often unreliable. Flattery and creating perceived common interest are better tools and that seems to be the case with Trump. So Brian's conclusions that Trump is a "useful idiot" who has benefited from his shady connections to Russia are correct. Of course Trump has always admired strong men like Putin and Kim Jong Un. His demeanour after the infamous Helsinki meeting spoke volumes.
Note that Russia didn't invade any countries during Trump's first term. Putin DID invade Ukraine during the Obama admin. How did Obama respond? He absolutely refused to send arms to help Ukraine. Fortunately when Trump became President he sent missiles ASAP. But then Biden became President and Putin started invading countries again. Biden basically gave the green light for Putin to invade by saying that a "minor incursion” into Ukraine would not trigger sanctions.
It's sad to see someone post something like this on a Bullshit-Free Zone. Are you trying to delude yourself? Because you are not persuading anyone except those easily duped MAGA folks in who live in cloud-cuckoo land with you.
Where to start? Well, how about that Trump was impeached for trying to blackmail Ukraine, specifically to bock the supply of the Javelin anti-tank missiles that were so successful in blunting Russia's 2022 invasion? Or that the terms of the deal he approved specifically banned Ukraine from using them in the fighting in the Donbas, and that was at a time when Russia armour was regularly attacking the Ukrainian army.
Good you acknowledge Russia has been at war with Ukraine since 2014. Few people do. But I'm afraid that means Russia was indeed fighting a war during Trump's presidency. In Syria too where, IIRC, US forces fought a battle with Putin's private army, the Wagner Group.
And you need to read Putin's claims at the time of the three-day Special Military Operation. Not once did Putin, or anyone else, say that he had been deterred from invading earlier because of Trump. Oh, and if you could have torn yourself away from Fox News for a moment at the time of the SMO, you would have heard all Biden's warnings. But then you MAGAs are too fragile to cope with reality so I expect you didn't.
I guess there’s a bit of Ockham’s razor here. Do we really expect that there’s an elaborate Russian spy back story or was Trump simply greedy and willing to look the other way if there was money laundering involved.
Banal reality, in this case venal money-laundering, is never as attractive as conspiracy theories, but ninety-nine times out of a hundred (if that!) it's the correct explanation.
Thank you Brian! You keep me sane in these insane days.
This is what I do.
I shall, of course be alternating between "Turmp" and "Krasnov".
There's a former Russia Analyst here on Substack noting that Mussayev is a known person and not someone to be dismissed out if hand. He notes it's confirmed that Trump was tracked by Czech spies through Ivanka's family. As to whether Trump was a Russian asset I.e. a spy, there's no firm evidence either way. He also notes people think "kompramat" is used frequently but compromised people are often unreliable. Flattery and creating perceived common interest are better tools and that seems to be the case with Trump. So Brian's conclusions that Trump is a "useful idiot" who has benefited from his shady connections to Russia are correct. Of course Trump has always admired strong men like Putin and Kim Jong Un. His demeanour after the infamous Helsinki meeting spoke volumes.
Note that Russia didn't invade any countries during Trump's first term. Putin DID invade Ukraine during the Obama admin. How did Obama respond? He absolutely refused to send arms to help Ukraine. Fortunately when Trump became President he sent missiles ASAP. But then Biden became President and Putin started invading countries again. Biden basically gave the green light for Putin to invade by saying that a "minor incursion” into Ukraine would not trigger sanctions.
It's sad to see someone post something like this on a Bullshit-Free Zone. Are you trying to delude yourself? Because you are not persuading anyone except those easily duped MAGA folks in who live in cloud-cuckoo land with you.
Where to start? Well, how about that Trump was impeached for trying to blackmail Ukraine, specifically to bock the supply of the Javelin anti-tank missiles that were so successful in blunting Russia's 2022 invasion? Or that the terms of the deal he approved specifically banned Ukraine from using them in the fighting in the Donbas, and that was at a time when Russia armour was regularly attacking the Ukrainian army.
Good you acknowledge Russia has been at war with Ukraine since 2014. Few people do. But I'm afraid that means Russia was indeed fighting a war during Trump's presidency. In Syria too where, IIRC, US forces fought a battle with Putin's private army, the Wagner Group.
And you need to read Putin's claims at the time of the three-day Special Military Operation. Not once did Putin, or anyone else, say that he had been deterred from invading earlier because of Trump. Oh, and if you could have torn yourself away from Fox News for a moment at the time of the SMO, you would have heard all Biden's warnings. But then you MAGAs are too fragile to cope with reality so I expect you didn't.
So he's basically Krasnov without any formal training or Russian language skills?