Trump Impeachment Drawing Closer: Flynn Just The Beginning, Russia Ties Run Deep
A Trump impeachment seems to be drawing closer considering the information that has surfaced in the past few days. Flynn’s resignation was followed by some unsettling revelations that put Russian ties of several people around Trump under scrutiny.
The latest report by the New York Times claims that members of Trump’s election campaign and other associates were in constant contact with Russian intelligence officials.
This information was revealed with the help of at least four present and former intelligence officers. If proved, the charges can be treasonous for colluding with Russia to hamper U.S. elections.
Deeper Russia Ties Could Lead To Trump Impeachment
Trump’s ties to Russia could be much deeper than the involvement of a few campaign officials. American law enforcement and intelligence agencies came across several intercepts while investigating the alleged Russian interference in U.S. elections.
The officials revealed that Trump’s associates on the Russian side were also part of the communications, which also included members of government outside intelligence services.
Paul Manafort, who was Trump’s campaign advisor for several months, has been found on one of the intercepts. It is not yet clear if these conversations had anything to do with Trump.
Manafort has denied the charges, saying, “It’s not like these people wear badges that say, ‘I’m a Russian intelligence officer.”
Flynn Is “Tip Of The Iceberg” – There Are Others Too
Mr. Flynn served as the national security advisor for the shortest period in the history. It is safe to say he was forced to resign after his act of misleading Vice President Mike Pence was revealed. He had given “incomplete information” about the call he had with the Russian ambassador about the American sanctions on Russia.
Trump impeachments odds have changed considerably since Flynn’s ouster, but Flynn is not the first to go, and he may definitely not be the last. Strangely, people around Trump have alleged ties to Russia.
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Carter Page, who was one of the five foreign policy advisers named by Trump, was being investigated at that time by CIA for his Russian connections. As a result, Page decided to “take leave” from his position in Trump’s campaign, as reported by Daily KOS.
Paul Manafort, whose name has cropped up in the recent revelations, also decided to quit over allegations of Russian connections. He was also accused of arranging fake rallies against NATO, giving Russia an excuse to seize Crimea.
With Flynn Gone – Who Would be Next?
Trump’s impeachment could be accelerated if others from his administration are found guilty of violating the Constitution due to their ties to Russia.
Rex Tillerson, the secretary of state, has long-standing ties with Russia due to the nature of his business. The former CEO of Exxon became the director of Exxon’s Russian subsidiary Exxon Neftegas, which is interestingly registered in the Bahamas, as reported by the Guardian.
He is known for a $500 billion investment deal with Rosneft, a Russian state-owned oil giant. The U.S. and EU sanctions on Russia resulted in a loss of up to $1 billion to Exxon. Although these are mere business transactions, experts believe it would be difficult for him to separate his own financial interests from the national interest.
https://twitter.com/NaphiSoc/status/831975844067160064
Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, was named the senior advisor despite his Russian interests as CEO of his family’s real estate empire. Russian billionaire Yuri Milner has invested in a real estate investment platform founded by Kushner.
Wilbur Ross is Trump’s pick for commerce secretary. However, he too has long-standing ties with a Russian billionaire, Viktor Vekselberg, who is a Putin ally.
Trump impeachment may still have some time left, but as claimed by LBC, next to fall could be Press Secretary Sean Spicer. He has repeatedly made claims that turned out to be false. He had argued that Flynn was not concealing any information, which turned out to be a lie. He then claimed no one from Trump’s campaign was in contact with Russia, and now that has also been proved otherwise. Will he be the next in line to resign?
Trump Blames Media
Meanwhile, Trump is blaming media for treating Michael Flynn unfairly. He said that Flynn is “a wonderful man” who “has been treated very, very unfairly by the media.”
Trump blamed “fake news” for spreading conspiracy theory about the Russian connection. He said that classified information was being leaked illegally which was very un-American.
The real scandal here is that classified information is illegally given out by "intelligence" like candy. Very un-American!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 15, 2017
This Russian connection non-sense is merely an attempt to cover-up the many mistakes made in Hillary Clinton's losing campaign.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 15, 2017
Whether the Russia ties would lead to Trump impeachment remains to be seen. However, chances of a full term by Trump seem to be ceasing with each passing day.
[Featured Image by Rena Schild/Shutterstock]
