Saturday, February 24, 2018

Russian Collusion? Probably Not

Trump's repeated assertions that his campaign didn't collude with the Russians is probably what he truly believes. And it may indeed be the case that although he would have liked to have had their help, the campaign didn't wittingly engaged in any acts that would be construed as collusion with a foreign power. But even if that's the case, its still no reason for America and indeed the rest of the world not to be gravely concerned.

Trump's antipathy to the investigation and his refusal to take action to protect the integrity of America's electoral process can't easily be explained as a thin-skinned defensive reaction to allegations that he didn't win the election "fair and square".  If, as he asserts, he is completely innocent, then he shoudl welcome the investigation and act to secure American democracy.

That he has not suggests something else is going on and the Manafort investigation points to what that might be. If Trump's businesses were engaged in similarly shady financial dealings with Russian entities, he may be terrified that Meuller's probe might uncover things that would land him in jail, hence his disdain (and fear) of Meuller's investigation.

And it is the threat that Russia might release that information that is behind his refusal to impose the sanctions Congress voted for overwhelmingly, his refusal to act to strengthen the security and integrity of the electoral system, and his refusal to condemn Putin and the Russian government. If that's the case, it's the threat of blackmail everyone should be concerned about.             

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