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Financial Times
CommentaryFariborz S. Fatemi August 21, 2018
Former ProfessionalStaff MemberHouse Foreign AffairsCommitteeSenate Foreign RelationsCommittee There hegoes again. Trump, day in and day out, 18 months of soiling the White House.Trump and his acolytes, Putin’s useful idiots, are now Putin’s lapdogs. The “’lunaticfringe” now populates and dominates America’s government led by Trump, whoknows nothing, does not know he knows nothing, and does not care. What adisgusting and disgraceful cloud over America. Putin, a trained KGB agentwanting to disrupt America, found a perfect lackey in Trump. A man who can bemanipulated and, as someone said, is from the “world of fixers, flatterers andmoney launderers.” It is well for everyone to remember. On January 6, 2017, before Trump took office,America’s national intelligence leadership briefed him, Pence and others as tohow Russia interfered in the Presidential election, helping him win. They wentso far as to reveal the exact orders of Putin. Yet Trump continues to insistthere was no interference on Russia’s part, and he knows because Putin toldhim. Every day Trump, Pence and others who claim there was no interference arelying. As of today, two sets of Russianagents have been indicted. Any fair-minded person who reads the two sets ofindictments knows that, led by Russian intelligence (GRU), not only have theyinterfered, but were ordered by Putin to help Trump win his election. AnElectoral College victory, having lost the popular vote by three million votes.Many in the national security community tasked with protecting America considerTrump and those around him as a clear and present danger to America’s nationalsecurity. Some even have said, “Putinhas some kind of grip on Trump.” Putin, targeting America for anumber of years, had certain goals in mind. Who better than Trump to do his bidding? Some examples: Goal #1: Destabilize America from within. Check. Trumpattacks and weakens America’s traditional values, institutions that keep ussafe, and the rule of law. All of it enabled by the complicit Republicans inCongress, the defenders and keepers of the swamp. Goal #2: Weaken the Westernalliance. Check. Pick fights with America’s traditional allies and alliances. Goal #3: Disrupt America’seconomic leadership. Check. Indiscriminateuse of sanctions and tariffs and destruction of trade pacts. Goal #4: Build global distrustof America. Check. Withdrawal from, and disruption of, alliances andagreements. Goal #5: Discredit democracy inthe West. Check. Interference in elections in America and in America’s allies;sewing fear and suspicion among parties and groups. Why wouldn’t our nationalsecurity people be alarmed all ("red lights blinking") as they see what hashappened in the last 18 months? Then there is corruption, corruption,and scandal. Trump, the klepto in chief—astride an administration that makesthe corruption of the Teapot Dome scandal look like child’s play. To name afew: his campaign manager convicted ofcorruption; chief lawyer and fixer has pleaded guilty to corruption alsoimplicating Trump, and Trump has assembled the biggest group of kleptos ever todisgrace America. Three crooked cabinetsecretaries forced to resign. Then you have the sleazy characters as hisadvisors or in his administration. Giuliani,Bolton, Gingrich. All having taken moneyfrom a terrorist group that killed American service personnel and fought on theside of Saddam in the Iran/Iraq war (Mujahedeen Klaq). Then you have Pence who is kept in a paddedcage and let out from time to time to nod and smile beside Trump. A secretary of state who, like his boss, hasnever seen a conspiracy theory that he has not embellished and/or promoted. AU.N. ambassador who has been described as “confused.” A secretary of treasury who made his moneyselling bogus mortgages and the secretary of commerce who made money off NAFTAand is currently accused of having stolen millions of dollars. This is just thetip of the iceberg that forms the Trump administration. How very disgusting and how very sad. As the old country song goes, “Withall the lying, cheating and stealing, something funny is going on and it’s notfunny, it’s not normal.” Fifty years ago, Robert F. Kennedy, in his last speechon July 5, 1968 said, “We are a great country, an unselfish country and acompassionate country.” For the sake ofall of us and future generations, there is a desperate need to help to restorethat country that has been stolen from us.