search
Sections List
American Journal News

Trump won't let his top advisers talks to him about Russia's election interference

The Russian government last year pulled off perhaps its most important disruption coup against the U.S. in modern history, by actively interfering with the 2016 election. And since then, Russia has completely gotten away with it. Not only has Donald Trump shown virtually no interest in punishing Russia for its interference or making sure it […]

By Eric Boehlert - December 14, 2017
Share
Donald Trump

Not only has Donald Trump shown virtually no interest in punishing Russia for its interference or making sure it never happens again, but he doesn’t even want his senior security advisers bringing up the pressing topic.

“Trump has never convened a Cabinet-level meeting on Russian interference or what to do about it,” the Washington Post reported on Thursday. A former high-ranking official described an “unspoken understanding” among members of the National Security Council that even discussing the issue is a problem that Trump “would see as an affront.”

Intelligence officials also seek to avoid Trump’s “ire” by excluding Russia-related information from his oral daily briefings, instead burying it in the written documents.

“If you talk about Russia, meddling, interference — that takes the PDB off the rails,” a former senior intelligence official told the Post.

The Post piece, which was crafted around 50 interviews with current and former government officials, clearly confirms that Trump is actively turning a blind eye to Russia’s cyber attack on U.S. democracy. He’s done virtually nothing to punish Russia for its actions, and even less to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

Imagine if, in the year following the terrorist attacks on 9/11, President George W. Bush had made it clear the topic angered him and he didn’t want his security advisers discussing Al Qaeda with him.

Recall that back in June, when former FBI Director James Comey testified before Congress about being fired by Trump, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) asked Comey whether Trump showed “any concern or interest or curiosity about what the Russians were doing.”

Comey said Trump had showed no interest in the matter: “I don’t remember any conversations with the president about the Russia election interference.”

He then then warned Congress, “They’re coming after America.”

Meanwhile, the intelligence coming out of Russia is that the Kremlin views its 2016 campaign to attack U.S. elections to be among its most successful intelligence operations ever.

“The Kremlin believes it got a staggering return on an operation that by some estimates cost less than $500,000 to execute and was organized around two main objectives — destabilizing U.S. democracy and preventing Hillary Clinton, who is despised by Putin, from reaching the White House,” the Post reported.

Today, the U.S. intelligence community has been unwavering in its insistence that Russia clearly interfered with the 2016 election. And Russian only helped one candidate last year — Trump.

Indeed, a mountain of evidence is piling up that Trump’s campaign routinely, and intimately, worked with Russian operative during the campaign to thwart Clinton’s candidacy. It’s a truly astonishing development, to have a major party nominee teaming up with a foreign adversary to rig an American election.

“What the president has to say is, ‘We know the Russians did it, they know they did it, I know they did it, and we will not rest until we learn everything there is to know about how and do everything possible to prevent it from happening again,'” former CIA director Michael Hayden told the Post. Trump “has never said anything close to that and will never say anything close to that.”

Never.


AJ News
Get the latest news here first.

Tai News

Newsletter
Read More
Biden campaign pivots to focus on healthcare

Biden campaign pivots to focus on healthcare

By Kim Lyons - November 30, 2023
U.S. Sen. Tim Scott drops out of 2024 presidential race

U.S. Sen. Tim Scott drops out of 2024 presidential race

By Robin Opsahl - November 13, 2023
Biden infrastructure law helps Pennsylvania’s small manufacturers

Biden infrastructure law helps Pennsylvania’s small manufacturers

By Oliver Willis - October 20, 2023
Republicans continue their unpopular attempts to abolish the Department of Education

Republicans continue their unpopular attempts to abolish the Department of Education

By Will Fritz - October 20, 2023
GOP presidential candidates use Israel-Hamas war to stoke anti-immigrant sentiment

GOP presidential candidates use Israel-Hamas war to stoke anti-immigrant sentiment

By Oliver Willis - October 20, 2023
GOP senators try to stop EPA rule projected to save consumers millions of dollars

GOP senators try to stop EPA rule projected to save consumers millions of dollars

By Oliver Willis - October 20, 2023
AJ News
Latest
Florida Sen. Rick Scott backs Donald Trump in revived push to repeal Obamacare

Florida Sen. Rick Scott backs Donald Trump in revived push to repeal Obamacare

By Jesse Valentine - November 30, 2023
Tate Reeves took donations from power company that hiked customer rates

Tate Reeves took donations from power company that hiked customer rates

By Jesse Valentine - November 06, 2023
Daniel Cameron ran on depoliticizing the Kentucky AG’s office. He made it more political.

Daniel Cameron ran on depoliticizing the Kentucky AG’s office. He made it more political.

By Jesse Valentine - November 03, 2023
Republican operatives sound every alarm on current trajectory of 2023 governor’s race

Republican operatives sound every alarm on current trajectory of 2023 governor’s race

By Adam Ganucheau, Mississippi Today - October 24, 2023
Michigan Republican US Senate candidate Peter Meijer backed strict abortion bans

Michigan Republican US Senate candidate Peter Meijer backed strict abortion bans

By Jesse Valentine - November 30, 2023
Abortion opponents push state lawmakers to promote unproven ‘abortion reversal’

Abortion opponents push state lawmakers to promote unproven ‘abortion reversal’

By Anna Claire Vollers - November 30, 2023
Biden campaign pivots to focus on healthcare

Biden campaign pivots to focus on healthcare

By Kim Lyons - November 30, 2023
Abortion advocates submit ballot issue affirming right to terminate pregnancy in Montana

Abortion advocates submit ballot issue affirming right to terminate pregnancy in Montana

By Nicole Girten - November 27, 2023
Proposed Arkansas ballot measure would make abortion access a constitutional right

Proposed Arkansas ballot measure would make abortion access a constitutional right

By Tess Vrbin - November 27, 2023