Bush ethics lawyer Richard Painter: 'Substantial chance' Trump is being blackmailed by Putin

[bdamomma]

https://www.rawstory.com/2019/01/bush-ethics-lawyer-richard-painter-substantial-chance-trump-blackmailed-putin/

snip of article:

There are reports that a draft version of Mueller’s report has just been written and it concludes that Trump was used by Vladimir Putin and Russia to destabilize America.

That makes sense and is plausible. Given Trump’s behavior during the campaign, electing him president would certainly destabilize America and the country’s democracy.

Now, how much Donald Trump has actively been working with Vladimir Putin to destabilize the country is what must be discovered and made publicly known. Do not overlook that Donald Trump is an inherently unstable person. He’s never been able to have stable businesses or stable marriages. It is then wholly predictable that Donald Trump would be unable to have a stable presidency. It could be that Putin put Trump in the presidency knowing that he is just an unstable person to begin with. But it could be true that Putin has information to leverage and blackmail Trump too.


This is sick just like tRump.

[Iliyah]

1. Stop covering up for shithole.

Meanwhile is fucking up the USA.

[COL Mustard]

2. Just look at the picture of the two of them together at Helsinki

Trump looks like he just got pwned, and Putin looks like he just...well...pwned Trump. The body language in that pic is devastating.

[unblock]

3. so basically, he's doing exactly what a putin puppet would do.

and for some reason we think it's very important to know whether he actually "is" a putin puppet or is merely completely indistinguishable from one.

[renate]

8. This deserves a thread of its own

We’re so mesmerized by his roiling personality and so focused on trying to figure out WHY he’s behaving this way, when what really matters are his actions, which are plainly benefiting a tyrannical enemy of the United States. Why doesn’t matter, in the end... what he’s doing does.

[Botany]

4. " ...Donald Trump has actively been working with Vladimir Putin to destabilize the country..."

This!

BTW but what about HRC's emails?

[Achilleaze]

5. republicans OK with their Draft-Dodger-in-Chief being compromised

because the republican party is compromised and is no longer representing the American people.

[Hortensis]

14. Yes. My questions aren't Trump, but who else?

Where and how many. You're so right: "the Republican Party is compromised" and has become a Russian asset, but some must have Putin's hook in their noses specifically. And he must have assets elsewhere, such as in the media and other and other areas of politics.

Someone on TV was pointing out four types of assets:
* useful fools who don't realize they're being useful, often denying it when told,
* zealots who believe in authoritarian dictatorship, Marxism, or whatever's in their heads, and believe in bringing it here,
* those forced to cooperate, and
* those with eyes open and willing.

I also just looked up Trump and Stockholm syndrome, wondering where a clinical narcissist forced to knuckle under might fit. It seems reasonable that Trump wouldn't be able to accept seeing himself as a helpless victim of his captors. Turns out a whole book has been written about how Obama was an agent of Islamic terrorists due to unconscious Stockholm syndrome and Trump triggered him to confess, or something.

Oh, well. I haven't abandoned my theory.

Some authors do analogize the behavior of Republican legislators to Stockholm syndrome victims.

[Turbineguy]

6. Trump would do this without

pressure from Putin anyway.

But I think Putin would hedge his bets. In the same way they hacked into voting systems, but did not change vote counts because they did not need to.

[FiveGoodMen]

7. "but did not change vote counts because they did not need to"

We don't really know that, do we?

[Turbineguy]

9. It was looked at

but not determined to have happened. At some point it comes down to trusting somebody.

[FiveGoodMen]

10. "not determined to have happened"

is considerably different from "determined not to have happened"

Russia interfered, they hacked our machines, but we're just SURE that they didn't change any votes.

Whom, exactly, does it comes down to trusting?

[Turbineguy]

11. I think you are parsing my language too much.

I don't think I can give you an answer you would like.

[FiveGoodMen]

12. None of which changes the fact that you're making an assumption and stating it as fact

[Turbineguy]

13. Have a nice day.

[NightWatcher]

15. Everything trump tries to hide or lie about, Putin knows and can exploit him with.

That in and of itself is problematic. When you get a security clearance, the biggest thing investigators look for is whether or not you've done something that someone who knew about could use it to blackmail you.

It's not always WHAT you've done, but just that you've done SOMETHING that you want to keep quiet.

Putin owns trump!