Trump’s Tower Of Power Sags As More Staffers Exposed With Kremlin Ties (TWEET)

A day filled with questions about the welter of ties between Donald Trump, his administration, his campaign, and Russia ended with another bombshell. The New York Times reports that former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and a number of Trump campaign aides were in active contact with Russian officials in the year before the presidential election.

The calls were uncovered as part of the investigation into the Kremlin’s attempt to influence the election. They involved Manafort, other Trump campaign aides, senior Russian intelligence officials, and other Kremlin officials. According to four current and former American officials who are the investigation, federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies are actively trying to determine if the Trump campaign was working with Russia to throw the election to Trump.

The investigation has not uncovered any evidence–yet–of such cooperation. However, the sheer amount of chatter between Trump campaign operatives and Russian intelligence was enough by itself to hike eyebrows into hairlines. The communications came when Trump was falling all over himself to praise Russian strongman Vladimir Putin.

A number of Trump associates have business ties in Russia, and in the normal course of affairs it would be possible for businessmen to unwittingly come in contact with foreign intelligence agents. However, the fact that Manafort’s name came up makes it very difficult to assume good faith in this case.

Manafort was already under the microscope for his dealings on behalf of the party of Ukraine’s former pro-Russian president, Viktor Yanukovych. He took $12.7 million in under-the-table payments as part of an illicit effort to lobby on behalf of Yanukovych’s party–a factor behind his forced resignation in August. After Manafort’s ouster, it emerged that Ukrainian prosecutors also believe that he helped orchestrate a series of violent protests in 2006 that put American troops in danger. Those protesters were organized by Yanukovych’s party, and prosecutors believe Manafort was actively involved.

Manafort, of course, denies any illicit contacts with Russian officials. However, given that he has already been busted for doing end runs around the law on behalf of Russia, we should take that with a hefty grain of salt. Moreover, if the man who was, at the time, the operating head of the Trump campaign actively talking with Russian officials, how far do the tentacles extend between Trump and the Kremlin?

So let’s review, folks. We have a man who, at the time, was the de facto campaign manager of a major-party presidential campaign actively communicating with a hostile foreign actor. Said campaign manager has a documented history of illicit and outright criminal activity on behalf of a government that was openly pro-Kremlin. There may be an innocent explanation for this, but unless I’m very wrong, I don’t see it.

After Trump was all but forced to push out National Security Adviser Michael Flynn for lying about his contacts to Russia, he whined that the real issue was the leaks that ultimately led to Flynn’s ouster.

No, Mr. So-Called President. Those leakers exposed a man who made blatantly illegal contacts with a foreign power and lied about it. And now they have exposed your former campaign boss and others were making contacts with that foreign power that exceed all possible good-faith interpretation. As if we didn’t know it on Monday night, we know it now–those leakers are patriots and heroes. Somebody get them a medal.’

(featured image courtesy ABC News, available under a Creative Commons BY-ND license)

Darrell is a 30-something graduate of the University of North Carolina who considers himself a journalist of the old school. An attempt to turn him into a member of the religious right in college only succeeded in turning him into the religious right's worst nightmare--a charismatic Christian who is an unapologetic liberal. His desire to stand up for those who have been scared into silence only increased when he survived an abusive three-year marriage. You may know him on Daily Kos as Christian Dem in NC. Follow him on Twitter @DarrellLucus or connect with him on Facebook. Click here to buy Darrell a Mello Yello.