From the moment Trump first denied in capital letters on Twitter at the beginning of 2016, and subsequently on numerous campaign stops after, that he had no dealings with Russia, Putin had Trump compromised. This one fact alone made Trump a national security risk then and explains why Trump refused to take a strong stand against any of the dark work of Putin since then..
In Russia, to have leverage over a person with embarrassing information is called kompromat. Once Putin got wind that Trump was campaigning on the claims that he had no dealings with the Russians or even attempts at deals, Putin knew that Trump had ensnared himself in kompromat. And Trump knew it as well.
Trump, in accordance with this new status began behaving like he was being blackmailed. He engaged in endless, gratuitous flattery of Putin, and refused to accept the intelligence agencies report that it was Russia that had done the hacking and interference in the 2016 election. Trump said at the Helsinki Summit that “Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial of Russian involvement.” Like that was evidence that the Russians were not the perpetrators.
Trump offered another lame excuse about Putin’s perceived leverage by saying IF the Russians had any dirt on him “they would have used it a long time ago”. Now that statement flies in the face of how blackmail works. As long as Trump kept jumping through the hoops for the Russians, showing deference and refusing to hold them accountable for their dirty deeds. why should they bring down the hammer and expose him?
Just last Sunday, the Russians took Ukrainian naval officers prisoner in a blatantly aggressive international incident. Trump had planned to go ahead and meet with Putin regardless until the Cohen news forced him to cancel the meeting. He and his aides decided it would look too suspicious and Trump would look too compromised if he cozied up to Putin at this particular time.
So our President, still operating under the weight of Russian kompromat is finding himself in more grim circumstances than ever before. To show strength against Putin might bring out Putin’s dirt on him. To NOT stand up to Putin looks more and more like his obvious guilt to a majority of the American people.
Here’s is Michele Goldberg terrific assessment of the situation today in the New York Times. If one relishes the idea of Trump getting caught in a squeeze play (baseball term for players coming at a base runner with the ball from both sides) you will enjoy her article.
Hang on, now.. Trump will not go down without a fight and our Constitution will keep being tested.. But surely more GOP Senators will start to see that the walls are closing in on their guy. Trump has been tap dancing on a treasonous stage for the past two and a half years. For these Senators to stick with Trump is to do it at their own and the country’s peril.