Last week in the Senate by Republican Richard Burr (Richard Burr) asked the former Director of the FBI James Komi (James Comey), if he has any “doubts that Russia tried to interfere in the elections of 2016”. Mr. Komi said one word: “No”.
He told the American public that the Russians acted “with specific intent. They acted with knowledge of the matter. They have made tremendous efforts in the technical part.” He also warned: “They come back, they haunt America.”
The Kremlin has already celebrating the victory? Not really.
There is no doubt that Vladimir Putin continues to enjoy what he struck a blow for American democracy and put Hillary Clinton in a very disadvantageous position. However, the main priority of the Russian President remains the withdrawal of anti-Russian sanctions of the West.
These sanctions, imposed against Russia after the annexation of Crimea in 2014, have upset some powerful Russians and businesses to access finances and crucial technologies. Now, although Mrs. Clinton managed somehow to lose the election, which she had to win, Mr. Putin could face tougher sanctions, which again will affect his inner circle of state companies and cybercriminals.
Although many experts are now talking about rebuilding Russia, the reality is that Putin is far from victory. In fact, he stood on the path leading to defeat. His invasion of Eastern Ukraine has strengthened the citizens of this country in their decision to move closer to the West. The support that Russia gives to the Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, brings her almost no good. And the cost for the Syrian campaign continue to grow. According to some estimates, a quarter of the arms exports of Russia in 2015 went to Venezuela. Last week, Moscow has reduced the revenues of the state budget for 1 billion dollars.
The fact that the us Senate is not only not going to lift the sanctions, but also going to tighten, is, to put it mildly, not too pleasant news for Mr. Putin. As reported by Republican Lindsey Graham (Lindsey Graham), the final version of the bill will be passed by an overwhelming majority, the House of representatives is also likely to support it, and the President cannot use his veto power. When in 2014, the United States imposed sanctions, and in 2016 have tightened them, they were introduced in the form of an Executive decree, but, if Mr. Graham and his colleagues have their way, new, more stringent sanctions will take the form of law.
The senators insisting on such measures, I believe that Russia must pay a high price for her cybercampaign against the United States and that America needed to prevent possible tiberkanine from other opponents. The goal of Mr. Putin is to preserve his regime. Long-term strategy of Russia is to be hoped that the West will weaken and fall apart, and to push him to do so. The stakes could hardly be higher.
Until our legislators have the financial pressure on Moscow, the committees of the Senate and house of representatives for investigation and special adviser to the Robert Mueller (Robert Mueller) trying to understand how could the members of the electoral headquarters of the trump to help the Russian intelligence in its attempts to undermine the position of Mrs. Clinton. In the end, Americans will know the truth.
However, we do not need to wait for the official reports to understand that the assertion that the Russians asked for help from representatives of the campaign headquarters of Mr. trump’s ridiculous. With same success I could say that LeBron James (LeBron James) asked me for advice on how to score the ball into the ring.
Anyone who is familiar with such men as Carter page (Page Carter) and Roger stone (Roger Stone) or by Paul Manafort (Manafort Paul) and Michael Flynn (as Michael Flynn), would have laughed at the suggestion that Russian could need the help of the campaign headquarters of Mr. trump. Does anyone from the environment Mr. trump would want to raise their status or to fill a purse, helping the Russian and consciously or unconsciously falling under the influence of foreign intelligence agents? Possible. However, the story of a secret conspiracy ultimately is of secondary importance. The main importance is the fact that Russia has invaded the world of trump, to try to influence U.S. policy.
Perhaps Mr. Putin has no clear strategy — look at his actions in Syria, Ukraine, and Venezuela, but in terms of tactics he is a master, especially if we are talking about covert operations. For many years, Mr. trump met with the Russian oligarchs and, according to Russian officials, has turned into a walking listening device of the Kremlin. Is it true? We will know all in due time, when the spotlight finally will be no possible collusion, and the intervention of Russia.
The current political fiasco, Mr. trump is that, while still a candidate, and then elected President, it is rumored, was always trying to do something beyond what is permitted, for example, to cancel anti-Russian sanctions after Russia brazenly intervened in the presidential election. Not surprisingly, then, many talked about the fact that Mr. trump must be guilty of conspiracy and may become a victim of blackmail.
But who needs blackmail, if Mr. trump feels a strong sympathy for such authoritarian leaders like Mr. Putin. His hostility to the democratic leaders and leaders-women, like Angela Merkel, who is subject to the dictatorship of the law, too, seems quite sincere. Moreover, it is possible that the President asked various government officials publicly reject the assumption of collusion, as he believes the scandal a coordinated attempt to deprive him of victory in the elections of legitimacy. However, the presentation of the Komi Republic in the Senate Thursday, June 8, only increased the likelihood that the clumsiness of Mr. trump will bury him the presidency under the allegations of obstruction of justice.
Moreover, the search for possible conspiracy, supporters of Mr. trump and the Russians can turn into the equivalent of searching for bacteria in a pile of manure. In the real estate sector money laundering — often Russian, Chinese, Arab and even Iranian money is commonplace.
But the irony is that sympathy for Mr. trump, Putin is in some sense justified: the U.S. needs the presence of Russia within the International order for the sake of maintaining its own security and global stability. Attempts to isolate Russia undertaken by President Obama, failed miserably. Russia’s intervention in the elections of 2016 are a reminder that Russia has not disappeared and that it is necessary to be considered. Policy based on the expectation of “inevitable” collapse of the regime under the weight of its economic errors, does not take into account the peculiarities of Russia. The only viable alternative is cooperation. However, in contrast to the approach Mr. trump, it must be done from a position of strength.
What, Mr. trump? If you don’t count the infamous members of his campaign staff, he managed to collect in his administration quite a lot of experienced people, and the more I communicate with them, the more they seem like characters in a Greek tragedy, whose protagonist suffers from a devastating lack of character. Last week, despite all attempts of Mr. trump to push it into the background, Mr. Komi returned to the stage, and his role in this tragedy will end very soon. Unlike Mr. Putin, the fate of Mr. trump will determine the institutions of our democracy, which proved to be tougher than probably imagined by our founding fathers.
