Public Comment

Trump’s infatuation

Jagjit Singh
Thursday January 19, 2017 - 09:05:00 PM

Trump’s ongoing infatuation with Vladimir Putin is extremely troubling. His stubborn refusal to release his tax returns has cast a dark shadow on his presidency and may well explain why he dismissed the findings of his intelligence agencies who blame the Kremlin for hacking DNC’s emails which tilted the presidency in his favor. 

There is mounting evidence that Trump’s romance with Russia is closely linked to his business interests. Crushed by mounting debt from his failing casinos, Trump was mysteriously rescued by a shadowy Iceland-based corporate entity thought to be financed by Russian oligarchs. Many of the oligarchs were prime customers for Trump’s properties. For example, in 2008, he sold a Palm Beach mansion to billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev for $95 million. This seems to fly in the face of Trump’s claims that no such entanglements exist. More alarmingly, Trump has hinted that sanctions imposed on Russia for its annexation of Crimea and invasion of Ukraine may be lifted. As a further gift to Russia, Trump suggested the US may not come to the defense of the Baltic States to thwart a possible Russian invasion and mocked NATO as being irrelevant. 

If Trump succeeds in undermining NATO this would be a huge boost to Russia’s sphere of influence and Putin’s popularity. 

Finally, to ignore Russia’s role in supporting the brutal regime of President Assad who has slaughtered tens of thousands of his people is an affront to the core values we claim to cherish.