Excellent points. Especially the fallout of Trump's overriding self-interest. Which in a strange way could explain what the author notes, the incredible amount of STUPID people associated with Trump.

Thanks for posting

is way out of line. Trump bought a FL property for $40 million in 2008, slaps on paint, property doesn't sell for 2 yrs., then along comes Russian Fertilizer King who buys it for $100 million.

Just an innocent little TrumpCo. sale of real estate, right? And did Trump pay taxes on the capital gain?

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/new-commerce-secretary-at-nexus-of-lucrative-trump-russian-deal-886220355575

He also notes that there are a lot of other aspects of this that don't fit in the 'innocent' viewpoint. I think precision is important, and it's best to not reflexively assume the worst or else we'll over-reach and be easily nullified.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]TECT in the name of the Representative approves of this post.[/center][/font][hr]

#trumprussia and "other" here and everywhere.

VERY clear the contacts are part of a Big Picture going back to Trump bankruptcy, biz deals including money laundering for Russian oligarchs/crime bosses.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RbpBxJ3QNyvts_w16UcSSGeH7cSrXK9U3wIq0OOq-Xs/preview

explanation does not require murky conspiracy theories to cohere and make sense. And it does explain why Trump has so adamantly resisted releasing his tax returns.

Who didn't feel in their gut, the day after the election, that something was terribly wrong?

Then, his almost immediate reluctance to criticize Putin or say anything bad about Russia, all the while criticizing NATO and many of our allies.

Then, hiring Paul Manafort to be his campaign manager, with his connections in the Ukraine and in Russia and his pay-offs from the criminals in Moscow.

All this, after we were told that the different intelligence agencies had verified that Russia had interfered in our elections?

Then his refusal to be honest or transparent with the American people. His failure to show his tax returns and the unknowns about where he had his business interests.

Then, more and more Russian connections, including some he hired for his Cabinet, including Tillerson and Ross, and their shady dealings with the Russians.

With our own government intercepting phone calls that indicated a secret Russian connection, that was being kept secret from the American people and his own Vice President and Cabinet and the Congress.

And the leaks that kept coming.

It would be very foolish and naive to think there is an innocent explanation and there's really not much there, in my opinion.

has to be clean, precise and based on evidence and facts.

I think that we all, in our gut, knew something was wrong only a few hours into election night.

It's not simplistic like a children's book.

There is going to be a LOT more that comes out, this right here is a very good analysis of things we know.

Trump painted himself in a corner because he really could not live with being broke.

Clearly, 45's world view / "reality" has been shaped by 7 decades of personal experiences and the experiences of those he associates with.....

The author accurately identifies the cause/effect relationships behind 45's established behavior patterns and in isolation (i.e. The private sector) there is nothing scandalous about someone engaging in transactions & supporting policies that ultimately benefit themselves & their associates.
This is why candidates have differing positions on Economic related issues ... and why voters choose one over another... purely on the basis of how it will effect them (& their associates). Acts that are innocent & natural for humans

HOWEVER.....

The questions that need to be answered are:

1. Which members of the current administration and/or members of the Trump/Pence campaign team, if any,
have been offered by (or on behalf of) a foreign govt
any: token, benefit, reward, or interest of value
in return for having (or promising to) engaged in specific actions &/or ensuring desired outcomes?

2. If so, who has agreed to accept or has already received that which was offered?
3.What were the terms of each agreement?
(Who, what, when, where, how)
4. Who facilitated the negotiations/transactions?
5.Who was aware of such arrangements?
6.When did they become aware?

7. Which members of the administration/campaign currently stand to substantially benefit personally or financially from any policy decisions which may made by this administration?

8. Which members of the administration/campaign have an agreement with any domestic entity or individual in which their formal position & influence on specific policy decisions have been pre-determined in exchange for a specified "value"?


Just because 45 is a self-centered, self serving businessman who believes that, as President, it is his right to make National decisions based solely on the criteria of what he believes will result in outcomes that are in his /associates best interest-- does not eliminate the very real possibility that 45 &/or his Team have agreed to use their offices/positions of power in a specific manner in return for personal "benefits/ value" which have been offered by either foreign or domestic entities.

Vlad does not care HOW 45 goes about lifting sanctions & fulfilling other requests ... only that the specific OUTCOMES are achieved......

What a lot of people (outside the beltway and outside intel ) might not be aware of is this:

People who run into financial woes have a REALLY hard time getting a NatSec clearance because they could easily have been compromised. Bankruptcies are a HUGE red flag.

When Trump fell into serious financial issues -- he was compromised. He was compromised when he was blacklisted from American banks and has to use foreign ones. His need to remain on top led him down this path and he had no way out.