Russia, Trump and Treason

Not surprisingly, neo-fascist demagogue and "useful idiot" Donald "Rump" Trump has been disparaging the U.S. intelligence community's common conclusion that Russia purposefully hacked our e-mail and data systems and otherwise meddled in the 2016 elections for the purpose of electing him. He's opposed to any investigations into the matter, and is trying to rewrite history about when he knew about the Russian cyberattacks.

In an opinion piece in this morning's Boston Globe, John Shattuck, a former Assistant Secretary of State, explores four areas that would explain Rump's adamant refusal to support an investigation into a hostile foreign power's attack on our democracy:

"First, he may be trying to shore up his political standing before the Electoral College vote on Monday. Second, he may be attempting to undermine the credibility of US intelligence agencies in advance of his taking office so that he can intimidate them and have a freer hand in reshaping the intelligence product to suit his objectives. Third, he may be testing his ability to go over the heads of intelligence professionals and congressional critics and persuade the American public to follow his version of the truth about national security threats. And finally, he may be seeking to cover up evidence of involvement or prior knowledge by members of his campaign team or himself in the Russian cyberattack. In each case the president-elect is inviting an interpretation that his behavior is treasonous." (emphasis added)

Rump is known to have significant amounts of Russian money invested in his organization, and Russian banks and oligarchs don't make a move without the approval of their autocrat Vladimir Putin. Refusing to release his tax returns, he invites further doubts as to his financial dealings with the Russian government, and with corrupt individuals within the Russian oligarchy (not to mention other unfriendly countries).

In the past few weeks, Rump has shown that he intends to use his newfound political power to advance his business interests, even if they are in direct conflict with U.S. interests. As we get closer to the inauguration, those "interpretations" of his behavior may get wider acceptance. After he takes the oath of office, without a complete reversal by him, it would be hard to view his behavior as anything but treasonous.