Trump Advisor's Putin Connections Freak Out Security Establishment (Video)As Trump becomes the GOP's official nominee, security analysts say his advisers warrant increased scrutiny.
By Elizabeth Preza / AlterNet May 6, 2016
Late last year, the world marveled at the budding bromance between Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. Putin, who is alleged to have ordered the jailing and murder of political opponents and journalists critical of his regime, heaped praise on the “absolute leader of the presidential race,” calling Trump “bright and talented.”
In response, Trump compared Putin’s Russia to President Barack Obama’s America, insisting the former is “running his country, and at least he’s a leader—unlike what we have in this country.”
In the golden days of 2015, this back-and-forth inspired lighthearted memes and sarcastic tweets. But now, as Trump ascends to the position of likely GOP nominee,Buzzfeed reports that intelligence agencies are taking note of potential conflicts of interest concerning Trump’s aides and their “ties to allies of Russian President Vladimir Putin.”
In particular, policy experts are concerned about Trump’s newest political operative, Paul Manafort, who was recruited last month to lead the effort to secure delegates for the GOP convention in July. Manafort has significant experience laying the infrastructure for successful political campaigns, both in the United States and abroad. Slate provides extensive detail of Manafort’s dealings with foreign leaders, summarily stating Trump’s latest hire “made a career out of stealthily reinventing the world’s nastiest tyrants as noble defenders of freedom.”
Buzzfeed’s Ben Smith and Meredith Kennedy chronicled the challenges that arise from Trump’s relationship with Manafort. Former Reagan administration official Gary Schmitt suggested Trump’s advisers would require more than the “typical perfunctory review” to gain access to sensitive intelligence information, noting “it’s imperative that any campaign staff who have had commercial ties with foreign governments and politicians not be given access as well until they have gone through a full, thorough background check.”
National security lawyer Bradley Moss echoed Schmitt, suggesting the need for increased scrutiny for any operative with connections to Putin. “Ties to Russia and the Kremlin would without question be a matter of concern,” Moss told Buzzfeed. “He’d have to explain in far more detail what the contact has been.”
“It would be difficult—but not impossible—to imagine security clearing him,” Moss added.
Friday afternoon, MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell asked Manafort about his connection to the Kremlin. "The fact that you, in the past, have represented in your business life, some of these Russian allies in Ukraine, those who are close to Vladimir Putin, pro-Russian forces: Do your past clients or current clients conflict in any way with the classified intelligence briefings that Donald Trump, as the nominee, is going to get?” Mitchell asked.
Manafort told Mitchell he has “no other clients except for Trump.”
“And I'm not getting the briefings,” Manafort added. [Trump] is getting the briefings.” Mitchell pressed Manafort further, asking Trump’s adviser if classified briefings would be shared with him.
“I have no expectation of any of that being shared with me," Manafort replied.
For former Reagan official Schmitt’s part, he’s not sure either candidate should receive sensitive intel prior to the November general election.
“Given Trump’s erratic behavior, and his willingness to go public with any story regardless of how dubious, and [Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton’s] own sloppiness with emails and personal server, I’d rather the administration simply not provide the briefings to either candidate,” Schmitt said.
Watch the video below via MSNBC. Mitchell asks Manafort about his connection to "Russian allies in Ukraine" around the 10:00 mark.
