Putin's Russia

The Russian Ambassador to the United Nations, Vitaly Churkin, died recently but the cause of his sudden and unexpected death have not been explained.

Apparently, US state department officials instructed the New York Medical Examiner not to disclose the details. 

Yet another unexplained death only this time the added twist is the mysterious ties that Team Trump has had with Russia over the past twelve months - before, during and after the presidential election campaign.

 

Trump's Dodgy Russian Ties (05/03/17)

JOE BURBANK/ORLANDO SENTINEL

Donald Trump's tie is not the only thing likely to blow up in his face after his latest unhinged outburst in which he accused President Obama of being "sick" and behind a plot to tap the phones at Trump Tower during the presidential election campaign.

Now Donald Trump's words come just days after he denounced 'fake news' reports in the media which were not backed up (according to Trump) by reliable evidence.

Yet here is the 45th American President peddling cheap conspiracy theories in order to deflect attention away from the investigation into Team Trump's ties with Russia.

American Presidents do not, of course, have the power to wire tap their own citizens - any surveillance requests are handled by professional officials in the US Justice Department who have to persuade a judge that they have 'reasonable cause'.

All Trump has done, if you ask me, is to draw even more attention to his Russian connections and the chaos that's reigned since he decided to try and govern the country via Twitter.

  

Russia Row Rages On (03/03/17)

"I did not have communications with the Russians"

At his confirmation hearing on 10 January 20017 Donald Trump's new attorney general Jeff Sessions denied flat out that he had had any contact with Russian officlals.

Yet it now appears that Mr Sessions met the Russian ambassador (Sergey Kislyak) on two separate occasions during the presidential campaign and that one of these two previously undisclosed meetings was held in private. 

So Mr Sessions is in now very big trouble for telling what looks like a barefaced lie to any reasonable person and for misleading the American people.  

President Clinton also got into hot water some years ago, and rightly so, some years ago for telling a blatant lie about his relations with a junior member of the White House staff, Monica Lewinsky. 

All of which means that after only days into his controversial presidency, yet another member of Donald Trump's top team is mired in scandal.

  

No One Talked To Russia! (02/03/17)

Jason Kander on Twitter says:

"No one talked to Russia except my Campaign Manager, National Security Advisor, Attorney General and like 11 other guys. NO ONE."

Jason Kander‏Verified account @JasonKander

Now that is funny - even without Donald wearing a lovely Russian fur hat!

  

Dr Jekyll vs Mr Hyde (02/03/17)

The Guardian's US columnist Richard Wolffe concludes that Donald Trump's first big Congress speech was completely at odds with his wild behaviour in the White House along with the President's public utterances on Twitter and elsewhere.

So will the real Donald J Trump stand up and identity himself - is he Dr Jekyll or Mr Hyde?

 

Donald Trump's Congress speech was a heroic effort in contradiction and cliche

By Richard Wolffe - The Guardian

The president’s first address to Congress was full of inconsistency when compared to his words and deeds in the White House

All presidents deserve the respect that belongs to the office of the commander-in-chief. Even orange ones who trash the media, hide their business interests from public view, and praise Russian foes.

Yes, even Donald Trump deserves something more than “you lie!” Especially when he lies.

So it falls to us, on the occasion of his first address to a joint session of Congress, to take Trump at his un-tweeted word. At least for one night.

After just one month in office, it is safe to say this has been the most tremendous start to a presidency. It’s safe to say that because Trump says it all the time.

“I think in terms of effort, which means something, but I give myself an A+,” he told the ferocious interviewers on Fox and Friends on the morning of his big speech. “I think I get an A in terms of what I’ve actually done, but in terms of messaging, I’d give myself a C or a C+.”

Don’t be so hard on your messaging, Mr President. Your heroic effort has certainly been noticed around the world, in federal courts across the nation, and by the true measure of your success: on Saturday Night Live.

At the very least, based on this brutally honest self-assessment, the new president’s first address to Congress deserved an A+ for effort.

You can almost feel the surge of optimism in the previously downtrodden minority known as white supremacists. The impossible dreams of David Duke are firmly within his grasp, including his warm embrace of Trump’s conspiracy theories about those antisemitic bomb threats.

David Duke (@DrDavidDuke)

NYT "Prez Trump says attacks were reprehensible"[VERY TRUE] "Could be the reverse...trying to make people look bad." [Of Course it could]

March 1, 2017