Another Trump adviser has spilled praise all over Vladimir Putin, and it’s enough to worry politicians on both sides of the aisle.
In early June, a little-known adviser to Donald Trump stunned a gathering of high-powered Washington foreign policy experts meeting with the visiting prime minister of India, going off topic with effusive praise for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump.
The adviser, Carter Page, hailed Putin as stronger and more reliable than President Obama, according to three people who were present at the closed-door meeting at Blair House — and then touted the positive effect a Trump presidency would have on U.S.-Russia relations.
But going off topic in a meeting with the PM of India was one thing. What Page did next was quite another.
A month later, Page dumbfounded foreign policy experts again by giving another speech harshly critical of U.S. policy — this time in Moscow.
Donald Trump constantly goes on about how America is "embarrassed” around the world. But one of his advisers was in Moscow just last month, while part of Trump’s team, attacking the United States and praising Putin.
In most campaigns, this kind of action would be shocking. But consider the deep set of connections that have already been identified between the Trump campaign and the Russian government, Page is right in line with his boss—or is that bosses?
Other foreign policy experts from both parties say they are distressed with Page for his criticism of sanctions, praise for Putin and his advisers, and his tepid response to what most U.S. policymakers see as Russian aggression.
All of which completely matches the proposals put forward by Donald Trump. Looks like he’s not just an adviser, but someone whose advice is being followed.