Donald Trump’s campaign was in regular contact with Russian agents during the election, according to the Russians themselves. (Photo; Getty)
This time, there can be no smug denials of what was clear evidence of a Vladimir Putin connection during the campaign.
Related: Donald Trump Russian Connection Surfaces in Trump Tower Bankruptcy
A senior Russian diplomat confirmed that key members of Trump’s campaign were in touch with Russian officials during the election.
“Obviously, we know most of the people from his entourage,” said Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov. “… I cannot say that all of them but quite a few have been staying in touch with Russian representatives.”
The contacts “were on a sufficient, responsible level,” Ryabkov said in an interview with the state-run Interfax news agency.
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Russia made a similar outreach to Democrat Hillary Clinton’s campaign but the overtures were rejected, ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Bloomberg News.
If any campaign aides join the Trump administration they will be required to disclose their foreign contacts, which could subject them to an FBI background investigation, according to The Washington Post.
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But at this point, the FBI under Republican James Comey is so discredited, it’s a question whether anything the Trump administration does will draw serious attention.
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With a compromised bureau, the Trump administration is already taking shape as a criminal enterprise, a foundation that was laid by numerous and repeated campaign lies.
“I mean I have nothing to do with Russia. I don’t have any jobs in Russia. I’m all over the world but we’re not involved in Russia,” Trump said during a campaign interview.
Bus IM reported four days before the election that Trump’s Russian ties were far more extensive than his campaign claim that he “sold them a few condos.”
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The Trump International Hotel & Tower in Toronto went bankrupt earlier this month, revealing Trump’s partner–a Russian billionaire business mogul with ties to Putin. The hotel bankruptcy involves more than $300 million.
A Russian analyst also confirmed that his country was behind WikiLeaks, which flooded the Internet with stolen emails from the Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee.
Russia had clear political goals in mind when it intervened in the election on Trump’s behalf. They want the United States to drop its support of the government in Ukraine.
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Trump made no secret of his fondness for Putin during the campaign, but he consistently denied Russia was involved, even though two of his top aides, Michael Flynn and Carter Page have extensive ties to the Russian dictator.
Trump also aided Russian efforts to discredit the American election by claiming repeatedly that the results would be rigged. In a way, they were. Trump won the electoral college, but lost the popular vote to Clinton.
Trump also played into Russia’s hands by talking down the NATO alliance and hinting that the U.S. would be reluctant to get involved should Russia take military action against NATO aligned countries.
The Russians were also clearly sending a message that they shaped the U.S. election–which has already sent chills throughout U.S. European allies.
Check out the video below. The Russian parliament cheers Trump’s election.