As Donald Trump faces impeachment proceedings for pressuring Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden and his son, Hunter, critics take aim at the president for reaching out to foreign countries to investigate an opponent. According to Democratic activist Jason Kander, Trump’s impeachment is also supported by his ties to Russia, which he claims are advancing the country’s foreign policy goals, Newsweek reports.
The former Army intelligence officer suggested that Trump has “no strong” foreign policy convictions except when he’s defending Vladimir Putin or advancing his country’s agenda. He also suggested that Trump put the United States on Russia’s side when it comes to the situations in Syria and Ukraine.
“Trump basically switched which side we were on in a war. He switched us to the Russian side. Counter to America’s interest, over and over, he does what’s best for Russia.”
Kander claims that Trump either fears that Putin will admit they helped him take the 2016 election or that he won’t have their support for the 2020 election, adding that “Russia owns him” regardless.
“At every step of the way, he is executing Russian foreign policy. He is basically Putin’s foreign minister. They have him. It’s over,” he tweeted.
The Russians didn’t appear to think so.
According to the Mueller report, “Within approximately five hours of Trump’s statement, GRU officers targeted for the first time Clinton’s personal office.” pic.twitter.com/xFjgUVc8mP
— Kate Brannen (@K8brannen) October 6, 2019
Although Robert Mueller’s report into 2016 election interference did not find evidence of collusion between Trump’s campaign and Russia, it did conclude that there was “sweeping and systematic” interference from the transcontinental country. Regardless, that hasn’t stopped Putin from suggesting that he plans to interfere in the 2020 election . He made the comment during an interview with Keir Simmons on NBC News , although he reportedly framed the comment as a “joke,” MediaIte reports.
“I’ll tell you in a secret, yes, we’ll definitely intervene. It’s a secret so that everybody can laugh and so we’ll go big. But don’t tell anyone, please.”
During his July congressional testimony, Mueller said that Russia continues to influence United States elections to this day. He suggested that the most overlooked portion of his report was the evidence of ongoing and future Russian interference in U.S. elections, which took a back seat to Trump’s potential obstruction of justice during the investigation.
Trump is frequently criticized for his friendly relationship with Putin. After the White House announced that Trump is pulling U.S. troops from Syria, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton blasted the president’s decision, suggesting he is siding with Turkey and Russia over allies. The 2016 Democratic presidential candidate claimed that Trump is betraying both the Kurds and his oath of office.
