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Financial Times
CommentaryFariborz S. Fatemi January 2, 2018Former ProfessionalStaff MemberHouse Foreign AffairsCommitteeSenate Foreign RelationsCommittee There he goes again, Trump, Putin’s “useful idiot.” In less than 12 months, Trump has gone from Putin’s “useful idiot” to Putin’s lap dog. What an embarrassment. As one national security expert said, “Trump is a clear and present danger to America’s national security and America’s democracy.” Here is an example. In an extraordinary December 14, 2017 article about Russian interference in the election of 2016, in a part missed by most, the Washington Post reported about America’s intelligence agencies’ January 6, 2017 briefing of Trump, Pence and Flynn. The intelligence briefers presented those assembled the actual and specific instructions of Putin on the operation to interfere. This was not “belief” or “bulk of evidence,” but the actual instructions. What this means is that every time Trump, Pence and their acolytes have expressed doubts about Russian interference they have been and are lying. This fits perfectly with the way Trump has conducted himself. Analysis shows Trump tells at least five lies a day. This does not include the mindless tweets and other stupid actions on a daily basis. Despite the preponderance of evidence of Trump/Russian collusion and Russian interference in the 2016 election, Trump insists Putin told him that the Russians did not interfere. Another example missed by most is the European Union finance ministers blacklisting Bahrain and United Arab Emirates. The reason being, they are countries that allowed tax avoidance schemes to individuals and companies so that they can hide their illicit activities, such as money laundering from Russia. Along with Saudi Arabia, these countries happen to be the major funders of terrorism in the Middle East, according to the US Treasury Department and the Kurds. Furthermore, these are the same countries that are also great friends of Trump, his family and associates. Take the United Arab Emirates. It is here where Erick Prince, the brother of Trump’s education secretary and the former head of Blackwater (rent a mercenary) has set up headquarters. Prince is also advising Trump to set up a global, private spy network, totally off the books. Intelligence gathered by this spy network would only be shared with Pompeo (pretend head of CIA) and Trump (pretend president) to justify Trump’s political agenda. Professionals in intelligence warn any such illicit, dangerous idea is a first step to a police state, very much akin to that of Trump’s friend, Putin. Trump, who knows nothing and does not know he knows nothing, and does not care, has the lowest approval ratings in the history of polling, hovering in the low 30s. In 2017, all his endorsed candidates at all levels were soundly defeated. Sixty per cent of the US citizens polled think he is unfit for the job he aspires. This also parallels what Pew Research found recently, that global confidence in the US president has fallen to 22 per cent from a high of 64 percent during President Obama’s administration. Could there be a bigger embarrassment? Look at Trump’s announcement recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. He did not understand that he unilaterally cannot determine something that has been in dispute for 60 years. A person involved in protecting America’s national security for many years told me “imagine if the president of France, Macron, decided that since France helped America win its independence, that France can determine the capital of the United States and declare Omaha as such. How absurd is that?” Then there is pretend Ambassador Nikki Haley who got snookered by a Saudi false flag operation against Iran. Haley put on a show trying to demonstrate that Iran supplied a missile fired by Yemen’s Houthi’s at the Saudi capital. Either like Trump, she is a plain liar, or just a fool being played, or both. If she had checked, she could easily find from public sources (Investor Business Daily and New York Times, December 4, 2017) explaining that the missile was a souped-up Russian scud missile similar to the ones used by Saddam in the Iraq war. This was another attempt by Trump to use Haley to make Iran the villain. Whereas it is Saudi Arabia which is killing scores of civilians with its bombing campaign in Yemen and funding terrorists everywhere. Saudi Arabia, a backward, 14th Century country, where eight out of 10 workers are foreign, where the pretend head reformer owns a $300 million villa and just recently bought a painting for $450 million. This is the same Saudi Arabia that is bankrolling Trump, his family and associates, as are the Russians. As the saying goes “follow the money.” The Chinese, the Russians and the Saudi’s flatter Trump to salve his ego, at the same time, they eat his lunch, as Trump bends over backwards not to be critical of their policies. In the meantime, Trump has alienated Iran, “a foolish act” as a national security expert called it, a nation of 90 million people sitting at the crossroads of East and West in the Middle East. Iran is a country whose cooperation is vital to our national security interests in the region. How very sad.