Saturday, February 11, 2017

The Biggest Untold and Not Fully Investigated Story: Trump-Putin Ties

Trump Call to Putin Late January 2017 



Original post follows this major update from CBS News which is directly related to his story subject:

Highlights: 

1.  CBS News has learned that the 35-page dossier compiled by a former British spy is gaining credibility among law enforcement.  Before he was sworn in as President, Donald Trump dismissed the document, but sources tell CBS News that investigators continue to vet it to see whether there is any truth to the allegations. 

2.  At issue is whether the Russian government gathered compromising information on the president during his years of doing business in country as a private citizen. The FBI is leading the investigation but several intelligence agencies are also involved.  Typically an investigation of this scale would involve the sources and methods of the CIA and NSA. CNN first reported the sustained interest in the dossier by the intelligence community.

3.  The dossier first came to the attention of U.S. officials several months ago, and it took time for it to circulate. A U.S. official familiar with the document’s origin says that even people who discounted it initially have begun to take it more seriously. 

Original Post Starts Here:

I imagine that Trump-Putin call it went something like this? (a hunch only)
Trump to Putin: “Hey, Vlad destroy all my stuff, okay?”
(Translation): “Влад уничтожить все мои вещи, хорошо.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Putin to Trump: “Хорошо я уничтожу его.”
(Translation): “Okay, I’ll destroy it.”

 A recent Saudi transaction (below link) highlights the complex issues at the intersection of Trump's political and business interests.

According to that DCist article in early February: “President Trump stepped down as head of the Trump Old Post Office LLC, the company that runs the DC hotel, and his eldest son is now at the helm. However, President Trump has not renounced his ownership stake and appears to continue to be enriched by the hotel even as Don Jr. manages it.”
Further, Mr. Trump has expressed his belief that as president, he is exempted from conflicts-of-interest laws, noted in the New York Times.
So, I wonder: Since he is “exempt” does that mean he can mix his office duties as president with family income connections and have no problemo?
Related to that is this story that is simply hiding: The (any) Trump-Putin/Russian ties and/or connections:
That story is from here (from Mother Jones): Even though there are mountains of evidence. Even though the implications literally include an existential threat to the United States. Even though it is, by any measure, the greatest scandal ever to affect this or any other administration … the story has utterly vanished from any media coverage – why is that?

If there is a bottom line or conclusion to this story, which seems impossible at this stage, is pretty simple I believe: We the People, the public have a compelling need to know and indeed right to know the truth about any Trump-Putin ties or connections - whatever they may be (or may not) have been. 

Who can argue with that logic?  Stay tuned.

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