There are two claims circulating around the DNC that would give any rational person pause if they are considering voting for Donald Trump this November.
Claim one is that he profited from 9/11. Claim two is the implication that he is working with the Russians to sabotage Hillary Clinton’s candidacy. Should these claims prove to be true one would have to reconsider Trump as a viable candidate.
But are they true? The answers to both are yes . . . . and no.
Did he profit from 9/11?
Trump did receive $150,000 for one of his properties after 9/11. That’s a fact that cannot be denied. However, by his own admission, the property in question, 40 Wall Street, was not damaged in any way from what occurred at the World Trade Center. This is another fact that cannot be denied. In essence, yes, Trump profited from 9/11.
However, under the guidelines of the program to receive those funds, his business qualified. He did not break any laws by receiving the funds nor did he lie to the government to obtain them. These are also facts.
Was it ethical?
To sum up the 9/11 claim, we just have to go back to Trump’s explanation of his various bankruptcies and his admittance that he gamed the system to make money. Just like he gamed the bankruptcy laws to make himself richer, he gamed the 9/11 program as well. You can’t say he broke the law or that he lied but you can say he profited from a national tragedy.
Does he have ties to Russia?
Considering his “bromance” with Vladimir Putin, the fact that his top advisor worked for years with Russian officials and the fact that he has tried for years to build a business relationship with Russia, the answer would be, yes, he does have ties with Russia. However, that doesn’t prove he is in cahoots with the Russians to sway the U.S. election.
UPDATE: After months of praising Putin and admiring his leadership, Trump just stated in a press conference that he “doesn’t know how Vladimir Putin is.” A blatant back-pedal to distance himself from his ties to Russia.
Could he be working with the Russians?
This wouldn’t be unheard of. Working with a foreign government during an election cycle has been done before. Let’s look at the 1980 election when President Carter was embroiled in the Iranian Hostage crisis. The truth is that Carter worked tirelessly to free the hostages and it was Carter that negotiated with the Iranian government and obtained the agreement for their release.
However, in the background, Republican nominee Ronald Reagan also negotiated with the Iranian government. He offered badly needed US arms and spare parts for Iran’s war with Iraq if Iran kept the US Embassy hostages in Tehran until after election day. This move made Carter look inept at negotiating the hostages release and had a definite impact on the election. Fifteen minutes after Reagan took the oath of office in January of 1981, Iran released the hostages, thereby, giving credit for the release to Reagan and not to Carter, who had successfully negotiated the release but could do nothing to persuade Iran to release them sooner, as Reagan’s deal was too sweet for Iran to pass up.
Let’s not forget that story when it comes to Trump and the Russians. It’s important to keep in mind that these things do happen.
As of right now, there is no evidence that Trump is working with the Russians to sway the election. However, you cannot deny he does have certain ties to Russia. No matter all the bluster and denial, it is not out of the realm of possibility that it could happen. History shows us it does happen.
Let’s revisit the two claims:
Did Trump break any laws or lie to receive the 9/11 funds? No. Did he profit from 9/11? Yes.
Is Trump in alliance with the Russians to sway the election? There is no evidence to suggest that he is. Does he have ties to Russia that could make it possible? Yes.
We will have to see how these topics continue to play out through November. However, if you consider the fact that he had to once again grab the media spotlight in the middle of the DNC convention to defect the Russian claims, it should give you pause.