Donald Trumps Conduct Was Excused Again and Again But Not This Time
Over the years, he's made no secret that he has a soft spot for the land and its disciplinarian leader, President Vladimir Putin. Trump has proved that he is willing to reject widely held United states of america foreign policy views and align himself with the Kremlin on everything from Russian interference in US elections to the war in Syria.
Most recently, Trump has denied the veracity of US intelligence reports accusing Russia of paying bounties to Taliban fighters to kill Usa troops in Afghanistan. Pressed on the topic during an interview with Axios that was released on Midweek, Trump said he did not raise the issue during a recent telephone call with Putin, and continued to suggest that the reports are "faux news."
During the 2016 campaign, Trump'south ties to Russians were so concerning that the FBI believed there was good reason to investigate potential collusion betwixt his 2016 campaign and the Kremlin. Counterintelligence investigators besides examined whether Trump himself was somehow a Russian nugget. (Special counsel Robert Mueller did not establish a criminal conspiracy of bunco.)
In Trump'southward eyes, these allegations are proof of a conspiracy against him by Autonomous lawmakers and other "deep state" enemies within the United states of america government. He has bombastically declared, "There's never been a president as tough on Russia equally I have been" -- a dubious claim that he repeated during the Russian bounties scandal.
But Trump's narrative is simply false, based on his own actions over the last few years. Hither's a breakdown of 37 occasions when Trump was soft on Russia or gave Putin a boost.
Trump has repeatedly praised Putin
While he was a private denizen, during his 2016 campaign and throughout his presidency, Trump has showered Putin with praise. He said Putin was "so nice," he called Putin a "strong leader" and said Putin has done "a actually nifty job outsmarting our land." Trump as well claimed he'd "go along very well" with Putin. Few, if any, Western leaders have echoed these comments.
Trump hired Manafort to run his campaign
Trump raised eyebrows in jump 2016 when he hired GOP operative Paul Manafort to run his presidential campaign. Manafort spent a decade working for pro-Russian politicians and parties in Ukraine and cultivated close relationships with Putin-friendly oligarchs. Manafort was sentenced in 2019 to seven.5 years prison for, among other things, evading taxes on the $60 million he had made in Ukraine. (He was released to house arrest in May 2020 amid coronavirus concerns.)
Trump suggested Russia can keep Crimea
Trump said Putin did "an amazing job of taking the curtain" when Russia annexed Crimea in 2014. During the 2016 presidential campaign, Trump broke with US policy and suggested he was OK if Russia kept the Ukrainian territory. He repeated a Kremlin talking point, saying, "The people of Crimea, from what I've heard, would rather be with Russia than where they were."
Trump aides softened GOP platform on Ukraine
Ahead of the 2016 Republican National Convention, Trump campaign aides blocked linguistic communication from the party platform that called for the US government to send lethal weapons to Ukraine for its state of war against Russian proxies. Mueller investigated this for potential bunco but determined the change was not made "at the bidding" of Russian federation. (The Trump administration ultimately gave lethal arms and anti-tank weapons to the Ukrainian military.)
Trump made light of Russian hacking
Throughout the 2016 campaign, Trump cast doubt on the United states of america government assessment that Russia hacked the Autonomous National Committee and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman. At a news briefing in July 2016, he even asked Russia to hack more, saying, "Russia, if you're listening, I hope you're able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing,"
Trump capitalized on Russian meddling to win
Instead of condemning Russia for hacking and leaking Democratic emails, Trump eagerly capitalized on the Kremlin's meddling, and used the emails to assault Clinton on a well-nigh-daily footing in the final stretch of the campaign. The Mueller report said Trump'southward campaign "expected it would benefit electorally from information stolen and released through Russian efforts" and that meridian officials believed they had inside information about WikiLeaks, then they planned a strategy around the expected release of hacked emails.
Trump denied that Russia interfered in 2016
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the FBI, the CIA, the National Security Agency, the Department of Homeland Security, the Justice Department and the Senate Intelligence Commission all confirmed that Russian federation interfered in the 2016 election to assistance Trump. Just Trump has repeatedly rejected this view, and publicly sided with Putin at the Helsinki summit in 2018, maxim he accepted Putin's denials.
Trump transition undermined Russian sanctions
Later the 2016 ballot, the Trump transition team asked Russia not to retaliate also strongly against new US sanctions imposed by then-President Barack Obama. The sanctions were intended to punish Russia for interfering in the election, but then-Trump aide Michael Flynn asked the Russian administrator non to escalate the situation so they could have a adept relationship once Trump took over.
Trump was open to lifting Russian sanctions
Days earlier his inauguration, Trump told The Wall Street Journal that he was open to lifting sanctions on Russia. He said: "If you lot go along and if Russian federation is actually helping us, why would anybody have sanctions if somebody's doing some really dandy things?" Putin has tried for years to persuade the United states of america and European countries to end crippling sanctions on Russian federation'southward economy.
Trump refused to say Putin is a killer
Bucking other US leaders, Trump has dismissed apparent allegations that Putin uses violence against his opponents. Trump said in 2015, "I think it would be despicable if that took place, only I oasis't seen any evidence that he killed anybody, in terms of reporters." Asked once again in Feb 2017, Trump deflected, proverb, "There are a lot of killers. Exercise y'all think our land is so innocent?"
Trump mulled returning spy bases to Russia
The Washington Mail reported in May 2017 that the Trump administration considered returning two diplomatic compounds to Russia. The Obama administration expelled Russian diplomats and seized the compounds in New York and Maryland later on the 2016 election, claiming they were used for "intelligence" purposes. The compounds were never returned to Russia.
Trump gave Russia classified intelligence
In a shocking move during the early months of his presidency, Trump shared highly classified intelligence with 2 senior Russian officials during an Oval Part meeting in May 2017. The intelligence, which was about ISIS, was sensitive enough that it could take exposed a vulnerable source. The unplanned disclosure by Trump rattled even many of his Republican allies.
Trump criticized and alienated NATO allies
Trump has repeatedly attacked NATO, aligning himself with Putin, who wants to weaken the alliance. Trump said NATO was "obsolete," rattling European leaders. At his first NATO top in May 2017, Trump scolded other countries for non spending enough on defense and declined to commit to NATO's mutual defence force pledge. (Trump later said he supported the mutual defense provision.) He has also said he wanted to withdraw from NATO, according to The New York Times, though it hasn't happened.
Trump was reluctant to sign Russian sanctions
Lawmakers passed a bipartisan bill in July 2017 imposing new sanctions against Russia, even though Trump administration officials reportedly tried to water downwards the linguistic communication. Trump reluctantly signed the beak, but claimed the new constabulary independent "conspicuously unconstitutional provisions." Trump had little choice in the matter considering the bill had passed with veto-proof majorities: 419-3 in the Firm and 98-two in the Senate. (The Treasury Department followed upward with several rounds of hard-hitting sanctions.)
Trump proposed a cyber unit with Russia
Subsequently the July 2017 meeting of G20 leaders, Trump said he had spoken with Putin about "forming an impenetrable Cyber Security unit" to gainsay "election hacking." Trump quickly backtracked after lawmakers from both parties said it would be ridiculous to work with Russian federation on cybersecurity considering Russian federation was responsible for egregious hacks confronting American targets, including during the 2016 election.
Trump thanked Putin for expelling Usa diplomats
Trump thanked Putin for expelling hundreds of US diplomats from Russian federation in August 2017, saying, "I desire to give thanks him considering we're trying to cut down our payroll." Putin kicked out the officials to retaliate confronting US sanctions. Trump'southward comments conflicted with the State Department, which said the mass expulsion was "uncalled for." (Trump after said he was being sarcastic.)
Trump eased sanctions on Deripaska
The Treasury Section in 2018 sanctioned Russian oligarch and Putin ally Oleg Deripaska, along with three companies linked to him, over his back up for Russian interference in the 2016 ballot. Just by January 2019, the Trump administration lifted some of these sanctions. In a bipartisan rebuke, 11 Senate Republicans supported a Autonomous resolution calling for the sanctions to remain.
Trump congratulated Putin on his sham election
Ignoring the advice of several summit national security aides, Trump congratulated Putin on his March 2018 reelection victory. Putin got 77% of the vote, but Western observers declared that the election "lacked 18-carat contest" and took place in an "overly controlled legal and political environment." Trump'south critics said he had given the election legitimacy it did not deserve.
Trump balked at sanctions for Skripal poisoning
Trump privately complained almost US sanctions intended to punish Russia later on one of its ex-spies was poisoned in the United Kingdom, according to Trump'due south one-time national security adviser John Bolton. The Usa and United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland blamed Russia for trying to electrocute the defector, Sergei Skripal. After the sanctions were announced in August 2018, Trump tried to rescind them and said the U.s. was "being too tough on Putin," according to Bolton's memoir.
Trump nixed US statement virtually Russian war
In summertime 2018, Trump blocked his administration from releasing a statement on the 10th anniversary of the Russia-Georgia war, according to Bolton's memoir. Bolton said European leaders noticed Trump'south silence and "became even more concerned about American resolve." Russian federation invaded its neighbour Georgia during the five-day war in 2008, and yet occupies two breakaway territories.
Trump praised pro-Russian leaders in Europe
On several occasions, Trump has praised controversial far-right European leaders who accept been shunned by most US officials because of their close ties to Putin. Trump met at the White Business firm with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a meridian Kremlin marry. He praised the entrada of French political leader Marine Le Pen, whose party previously got millions from a Russian bank.
Trump didn't publicly condemn Russian attack
Co-ordinate to congressional testimony, Trump declined to publicly condemn a Russian set on confronting Ukrainian military vessels in Nov 2018, even though the Country Section prepared a argument for him. Secretarial assistant of State Mike Pompeo criticized Russia's "dangerous escalation." The White Firm didn't say anything, but Trump canceled a coming together with Putin.
Trump dedicated Soviet invasion of Afghanistan
During a Jan 2019 Cabinet meeting, Trump dedicated the Soviet Matrimony'southward invasion of Afghanistan. He said the Soviet Union "was right" to invade in 1979 considering "terrorists were going into Russia." The comments puzzled many observers, who noted that the Soviets had invaded to bolster a communist government and the US had backed Afghan militants who fought the Soviets.
Trump asked allies to allow Russia dorsum in the G7
Breaking with American allies, Trump repeatedly called for Russia to exist invited dorsum into the Group of Seven. Russia was suspended from the working group of leading industrial nations in 2014 after Putin annexed Crimea. At the August 2019 G7 peak in France, Trump pressed the other leaders to include Russia at the 2020 gathering. They balked at the asking, which would have handed a huge victory to Putin without any concessions.
Trump'southward Syria withdrawal gave Putin a heave
Trump announced in Oct 2019 that US troops were withdrawing from northern Syria. The abrupt motion cleared the manner for Turkey to conquer territories previously controlled by the US and allied Kurdish militias. It also gave Russia a aureate opportunity to aggrandize its influence and swiftly accept over abandoned US outposts and checkpoints. Trump's motion was a boon for Putin.
Trump repeated Kremlin talking points on ISIS
Afterwards announcing the Syrian arab republic withdrawal, Trump repeated Kremlin talking points about ISIS. He said, "Russia hates ISIS equally much equally the The states does" and that they are equal partners in the fight. But Trump's comments don't reflect the reality on the ground: Since intervening in Syria in 2015, the Russian military machine has focused its airstrikes on anti-authorities rebels, not ISIS.
Trump spread Russian myths about Ukraine
During his impeachment proceedings in 2019 and early on 2020, Trump said many false things well-nigh Ukraine that marshal with Russian disinformation about the country. This includes claims of uncontrollable corruption, improper ties betwixt Ukrainian officials and the Obama administration, and allegations that Ukraine meddled in United states elections. This helps Putin's goal of destabilizing US-Ukraine relations.
Trump temporarily froze The states aid for Ukraine
As the impeachment research revealed, Trump personally froze $391 one thousand thousand in U.s. armed services and security assistance for Ukraine in mid-2019. Usa diplomats said Ukraine desperately needed the help for its war against Russian proxies. Previously, the Trump administration had slow-walked sales of anti-tank missiles to Ukraine because of concerns it would upset Russia, co-ordinate to a State Section official.
Trump smeared US administrator to Ukraine
For more than a yr, Trump privately and publicly attacked Marie Yovanovitch, who was the Usa ambassador to Ukraine until he recalled her in spring 2019. Ane of Russia'south goals is to weaken the US-Ukraine alliance -- Trump played into that by smearing Yovanovitch and undermining her diplomatic work in Ukraine. Her ouster was a major part of Trump'south impeachment.
Trump considered visiting Putin on Russian soil
Trump said in November 2019 that he was thinking about visiting Russia, at Putin's invitation, to attend a 2020 military parade in Moscow. The US government has repeatedly called out Russian federation's aggressive moves around the world, then a visit from a sitting Us president would be highly unusual. Obama made the last visit in 2013, when relations were warmer, before Russia invaded Ukraine. After months of speculation, Trump declined the invitation, as the Covid-19 pandemic wreaked havoc around the world.
Trump gave Putin a PR victory on Covid-nineteen
As the coronavirus pandemic exploded in leap 2020, the United states of america accustomed a large delivery of medical supplies from Russian federation, which were flown into New York City. Trump thanked Putin for the "very nice offering," even while diplomats sparred over whether the equipment had been donated or purchased. Regardless, experts said the stunt was a propaganda bonanza for the Kremlin.
Trump invited Russia to 2020 G7 superlative
Trump appear in May 2020 that he was postponing the The states-based G7 top because of the coronavirus and that he likewise wanted to extend invitations to Russia and three other countries to participate. Other G7 leaders swiftly rejected Trump's thought to invite Putin, because Russian federation still hasn't withdrawn from Crimea and has continued its ambitious actions around the world.
Trump directed CIA to share intel with Russian federation
Trump directed the Central Intelligence Agency to share more than counterterrorism intelligence with Russia, according to the national security website Just Security, which cited ii former CIA officials who had served under Trump. The officials said the US received zero in return, which is consistent with past intelligence-sharing with Russian federation.
Trump ignored warnings of Russian bounties
The President was repeatedly told during in-person briefings and in written intelligence reports in 2019 and 2020 that the The states authorities believed Russia paid bounties to Afghan militants to kill Americans, according to CNN and other outlets. Despite being given this information, Trump did not publicly condemn Russia or take any retaliatory deportment. Trump has denied receiving whatsoever briefings on the topic.
Trump called Russian bounty story a 'hoax'
Rejecting the findings from Usa intelligence agencies, Trump said allegations that Russia paid Taliban militants to kill The states troops were "some other hoax" that was "made up by fake news." Past saying he doesn't believe the allegations against Russia, Trump publicly sided with the Kremlin, which denies paying whatsoever bounties.
Trump never raised Russian bounties with Putin
Subsequently Trump was briefed on the Russian bounties, and afterwards the story was revealed past the press, he had several phone calls with Putin. Simply Trump never raised the topic of bounties with Putin during these calls, never told Putin to finish and never threatened whatsoever retaliation. "That's an issue that many people said was false news. ... I have never discussed it with him," Trump said in a July 2020 interview with Axios.
Trump ordered United states troops out of Germany
In June 2020, Trump approved plans to significantly reduce the number of US troops in Germany. The plan to remove about one-third of the forcefulness drew serious concerns from the Pentagon considering it could compromise Europe-based defenses against Russia. In a letter to Trump, nearly two dozen Republican lawmakers said his decision would "strengthen the position of Russian federation to our detriment."
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/17/politics/trump-soft-on-russia/index.html
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