RE: Will Trump Be Meeting With His Counterpart — Or His Handler? Dour conservative and professional Russia-watcher Tom Nichols, concerning the NYMag story by Jonathan Chait that BettyC linked this morning:
It's not illegal to have contacts with Russia. But this many contacts with Russia – and with the Putin govt – is astonishing. And until now, because it's dribbled out over months, it's not looked as crazy as it does when you assemble them all in one place as Chait did. /6
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) July 10, 2018
Two things, imo, are undeniable and unremarkable, even though Chait saying them has people going nuts: First, the Russians invested in Trump early. Second, that Trump's dealings with Russia provide leverage over a man whose finances won't bear scrutiny. /9
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) July 10, 2018
You can't say "Well, it was just some real estate deals." Because you can't deal with just one arm of that octopus. If you're in deep with the mob, or oligarchs, or the Russian state, you're in deep with all of them. That's just how it is. /11
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) July 10, 2018
That should be enough to make any American, and every Republican going to the mats, scared to death of the possibility that Chait raises: that a US president is compromised by a foreign power. Where things get edgier is whether Trump is knowingly doing Putin's bidding or not. /12
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) July 10, 2018
Late-Night Russiagate Open Thread: That’s A Lotta Contacts…Post + Comments (67)