Overnight, it seemed as if every story breaking had the same two things in common: Donald Trump and Russia. There was Slate's story of a server hidden away in Trump Tower that chatted only to a secretive, oligarch-owned bank in Russia. There was Mother Jones’ cloak-and-dagger tale of a spy spilling the beans on how the Russians had turned Donald Trump into an “asset.” And all of this came on top of Harry Reid's letter accusing FBI Director James Comey of covering up “close ties and coordination” between the Trump campaign and the Russian government, which was followed by learning that Comey thought mentioning Russia might influence the election … which, as we know, is something Comey desperately seeks to avoid.
Finally there came a New York Times piece that seemed to throw a cold одеяло over the whole thing.
For much of the summer, the F.B.I. pursued a widening investigation into a Russian role in the American presidential campaign. Agents scrutinized advisers close to Donald J. Trump, looked for financial connections with Russian financial figures, searched for those involved in hacking the computers of Democrats, and even chased a lead — which they ultimately came to doubt — about a possible secret channel of email communication from the Trump Organization to a Russian bank.
Which seems fairly—and oddly—comprehensive for an article that emerged so soon after some of the items noted first “broke” from other sources. But while the Times article snuggles under the title “F.B.I. Sees No Clear Link to Russia,” that’s far, far from what it actually reveals.
What the article shows is exactly what Harry Reid said is true:
- The FBI is conducting a broad investigation of Donald Trump’s connections to Moscow.
- That investigation is far from over.
Do you live in a state that will determine the presidential race and/or who controls the Senate? Get involved this weekend in crucial door-to-door canvasses and phone banks.
Rather than taking the Times story as a dismissal, think of it as an admission of work-in-progress.
The F.B.I.’s inquiries into Russia’s possible role continue, as does the investigation into the emails involving Mrs. Clinton’s top aide, Huma Abedin, on a computer she shared with her estranged husband, Anthony D. Weiner.
Yes. The FBI is looking into two things—one of these is whether a husband had some of his wife’s emails on his personal laptop, and the other is whether a candidate for the president of the United States is in direct collusion with the Russian government.
One of these stories rated every single column of the New York Times front page. Quick—guess which one.
It’s quite possible that none of the Russia stories will produce the sort of evidence that allows the FBI to say without reservation that the Trump campaign is taking direction from Moscow. In fact, it’s profoundly to be hoped. But the tippy-toe care that both Comey and the media have given to every instance of Trump’s Russia connections and the eagerness with which both have leaped on every aspect of Clinton’s email is absolutely extraordinary.
Even before Monday’s revelations, we had:
- Trump campaign manger Paul Manafort acting as a bagman for Putin, working to put Moscow’s mole into power in Uktraine, taking millions under the table, and staging anti-NATO / anti-United States demonstrations that provided a direct excuse for Russia’s invasion of Crimea.
- Trump military adviser Michael Flynn having dinner with Putin, providing briefings for Russian agencies on the situation in the Middle East, and making numerous appearances on Russian state media to criticize US policy.
- Trump adviser Carter Page, who is supposed to be an energy expert (but isn’t) and whose major role seems to be serving as a back channel to the Russian oligarchs running Rosneft, the state owned oil giant—and making speeches in Russia that “slam” US policy.
- Donald Trump Jr. noting that “Russians make up a pretty disproportionate cross-section of a lot of our assets”
And you had Trump himself, fighting to weaken the Republican position on Ukraine, constantly denying Russia’s role in hacking Democratic emails, suggesting he might allow Putin to seize additional territory, threatening the existence of NATO and openly planning a shake-down of allies, all the while throwing endless compliments to Putin while denying he has a relationship with the Russian leader … when he wasn’t loudly proclaiming that he definitely has such a relationship.
It’s no wonder that Trump’s organization is under investigation. You don’t have to be part of “new red scare” or “sound like Joe McCarthy” to be worried that a presidential candidate has this many connections, or is making so many overtures, to a foreign leader—especially when that leader is a belligerent autocrat who frequently threatens to take military action against the United States or allies. The wonder isn’t that Harry Reid is demanding the FBI be more open about the investigation into Trump. The wonder is that Reid seems to be the only one.
Taking a quick peek into just one of the new reports that emerged on Monday:
Mother Jones has reviewed that report and other memos this former spy wrote. The first memo, based on the former intelligence officer's conversations with Russian sources, noted, "Russian regime has been cultivating, supporting and assisting TRUMP for at least 5 years. Aim, endorsed by PUTIN, has been to encourage splits and divisions in western alliance." It maintained that Trump "and his inner circle have accepted a regular flow of intelligence from the Kremlin, including on his Democratic and other political rivals." It claimed that Russian intelligence had "compromised" Trump during his visits to Moscow and could "blackmail him." It also reported that Russian intelligence had compiled a dossier on Hillary Clinton based on "bugged conversations she had on various visits to Russia and intercepted phone calls."
Donald Trump may be under the Kremlin’s thumb … he may not. It’s hard to tell which is more frightening.
