From the moment he waded into the 2016 presidential race, Donald Trump has behaved like a pro-Russia agent.
Along with touting a decidedly anti-American, anti-democratic worldview that aligns with the Kremlin’s in many ways, he literally invited Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election; his campaign reportedly worked to water down language critical of Russia in the Republican National Committee platform that year; and of course, a special counsel investigation found Trump’s campaign sought and received help from Russian officials in the 2016 race — and that Trump may have obstructed the investigation.
So when Trump openly celebrated Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine last year as “wonderful,” I was eager to remind people of Trump’s breathless support for Russia.
Monday marked the latest in a long list of examples showing Trump’s Russophile ways.
In a diatribe posted on his social media platform, Trump doubled down on controversial remarks made in 2018, in which he appeared to side with Putin over U.S. intelligence officials:
Remember in Helsinki when a 3rd rate reporter asked me, essentially, who I trusted more, President Putin of Russia, or our “Intelligence” lowlifes. My instinct at the time was that we had really bad people in the form of James Comey, McCabe (whose wife was being helped out by Crooked Hillary while Crooked was under investigation!), Brennan, Peter Strzok (whose wife is at the SEC) & his lover, Lisa Page. Now add McGonigal & other slime to the list. Who would you choose, Putin or these Misfits?
By “McGonigal,” Trump is referring to former FBI counterintelligence official Charles McGonigal, who was indicted last week on charges that his post-retirement work with Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska included laundering money and violating sanctions against Russia. (McGonigal has pleaded not guilty to the charges.) That is, the same Oleg Deripaska with whom former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort had an extensive and highly controversial financial relationship.
It’s completely illogical for Trump to suggest the allegations against McGonigal somehow make Putin more trustworthy than U.S. officials. But that nonsense makes a bit more sense when you take into account Trump’s history of nefarious fealty to Russia.
Ja’han Jones is an MS NOW opinion blogger. He previously wrote The ReidOut Blog.