Accused of being a “Putin puppet” Oct. 19, 2016 in the last presidential debate in Las Vegas, 71-year-old Donald Trump answered his critics slapping the Kremlin with a new batch of economic sanctions. Democrats without any proof insist that Trump colluded with Russia to win the 2016 presidential election, citing WikiLeaks disclosures unfavorable to former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. Wherever the leaks came from, Russia or otherwise, the contents of the leaks implicating Hillary in subverting the campaign of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), as well as receiving debate questions in advance from former interim Democratic National Committee chairwoman Donna Brazile, were all true, whether hacked or not. Former National Intelligence Director James Clapper issued his Jan. 6, 2017 report two weeks before Trump’s inauguration, claiming Russian meddling in the 2016 election.
Citing hacking exposing corruption at the DNC and in the private emails of former Hillary Campaign Chairman John D. Podesta, Clapper concluded that Russia tried to fix the election for Trump. Only two month earlier on Election Day Nov. 8, 2016, Hillary insisted that former FBI Director James Comey sabotaged her campaign announcing publicly Oct. 19, 2016 he was reopening her controversial email investigation. When that didn’t fly, Hillary went back to blaming Trump for colluding with the Kremlin. When you consider that Comey and Special Counsel Robert Mueller used Hillary’s paid opposition research, “the dossier,” against Trump as “proof” of his Russian ties, it’s beyond outrageous that it’s the government’s primary case against the president. With Hillary winning nearly 3 million more popular votes than Trump, you’d have to believe Putin only targeted battleground states.
No one knew at the time of Clapper’s report, that former President Barack Obama’s Justice Department, FBI and National Security Agency were heavily involved wiretapping Trump campaign officials. Once Trump wrapped up the Republican nomination May 26, 2016, the Hillary campaign realized they were up against a formidable opponent. Dispatching 16 experienced GOP candidates, the political neophyte Trump pulled off the improbable, beating a well-funded GOP field. No one new much about Hillary’s “dossier” then but Podesta and Hillary advisor Sidney Blumenthal coordinated with Trump’s GOP enemies to get “the dossier” into the FBI’s hands. Democrats knew no one hated Trump more that Sen. John McCain (R-Az.). Blumenthal turned the dossier over to McCain, who, in turn, gave it to Comey. No one at the time knew Trump had enemies inside the FBI.
Hillary’s brain trust figured to win the election they’d have to implicate Trump in a nefarious conspiracy with the Kremlin, something she carried over to the presidential debates. No one could have imagined that a campaign ploy to beat Trump would turn into a Special Counsel investigation. No one from the Hillary camp really believed that the Russians handed Trump the election, other than leaking damaging emails about her personal corruption. When the U.K. was hit with another Russian poison attack March 4, sending 66-year-old Sergei Skripal and his daughterYula into intensive care, Trump realized it was the right time to hit Russia with new sanctions. Trump has less certainty over Clapper’s Jan. 6, 2016 report but more over recent Russian trolls on the U.S. energy grid. Whether the cyber attacks or past hacks come from the Kremlin or private individuals, Russia must be held accountable.
Democrats know that keeping the Russian probe going gives them the best shot at winning back Congress in the 2018 Midterm elections. With Republicans on the House Intel Committee ending the probe into Trump collusion, the Democrats led by Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) will stop at nothing to keep Trump’s bad publicity in the headlines. Schiff doesn’t believe after a year-long investigation that anything new will turn up. Yet keeping the Russian probe in the headlines hammers down Trump’s approval ratings and gives Democrats the best chance of winning in November. “The administration is confronting and countering malign Russian cyber activity, including their attempted interference in the U.S. elections, destructive cyber-attacks, and intrusions targeting critical infrastructure [electrical grid], said Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, explaining the new sanctions.
Trump’s decision to apply news sanctions comes at a perfect time to show Great Britain all the support possible after the recent Russian nerve agent attack. Putin’s been flexing his muscle for years without repercussions from the European Union, NATO or United States. Slapping Putin with new sanctions two days before Russian national elections sends a clear message to the Kremlin that the U.S. isn’t intimidated by Russian aggression. When Putin invaded South Ossetia and Abkhazia in Georgia Aug. 7, 2008, former President George W. Bush yawned. Former President Barack Obama did nothing when Putin invaded Crimea March 1, 2014, sending Putin the wrong message. Other than economic sanctions, Putin’s gotten away with without real consequences. Trump would be well-advised to work with the EU, NATO and China to draw a firm line on Russian aggression.
