Trump and Russia: Three Facts to Know

Donald Trump went to Poland this week and continued to cast doubt on Russia’s hacking of the 2016 election. He even wondered if there are 17 U.S. intelligence agencies. And right now, Trump is meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

That’s just the beginning. President Trump took to twitter last week to falsely accused President Obama of colluding with Russia and obstructing justice admit reports that his staff is struggling to convince him that Russia remains a threat. The misleading attack comes hot on the heels of Senate testimony by former FBI Director James Comey, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and former Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson about Donald Trump’s ties to Russia.

There is so much spin swirling that now seems a good time to focus on exactly what’s at stake: No matter your political persuasion, serious questions remain unanswered and the nation must treat them seriously.

Let’s start with three basic facts.

Fact One: The Director of National Intelligence issued a report January 2017 that unanimously concludedRussia lead an influence campaign in the 2016 election. The report synthesized analysis from all seventeen agencies of the United States intelligence community and states that Moscow had three goals: to “undermine faith in the U.S. democratic process”; to “harm [Secretary Clinton’s] electability”; and to “help Trump’s election chances.”

Trump supported his doubts by saying the intelligence community sometimes gets things wrong. Intelligence is as much art as science. It’s unfortunate that sometimes, the vast majority of press stories about intelligence analysis are when there’s a problem, big or small. By design, most of the intelligence community’s hard work — and spot-on analysis — never sees the light of day.

What’s more, the intelligence community is stocked with patriotic and hardworking Americans who check politics at the door to defend the national interest. As a former Defense Department intelligence analyst, I worked with them every day for five years. Oh, and yes, there are seventeen agencies… here’s the list.

Fact Two: Speaking about The Trump Organization in 2008, Donald Trump, Jr said, “Russians make up a disproportionate cross-section of a lot of our assets.” He continued, “We see a lot of money pouring in from Russia.” In the 1990s, Donald Trump declared bankruptcy three times. Unable to borrow money in the U.S., the Trump Organization looked to foreign lenders to get back on its feet.

Fact Three: After firing FBI Director James Comey, President Donald Trump said on air that he was thinking about “the Russia thing” at the time.

Whether you’re a Republican, a Democrat, or an independent — full disclosure, I’m a Democrat — the issues at stake are too important to ignore critical questions that weigh on the future of the country. Republicans, the majority in both Houses, bear particular responsibility to answer the following questions:

Will Russia attempt to influence the 2018 midterms?

We must assume that Russia will meddle in the 2018 midterms, and ask questions about what our government is doing about it. AG Sessions, the country’s top law enforcement officer, stated that he hasn’t received a briefing on the administration’s plans. Press Secretary Sean Spicer says he hasn’t asked President Trump about the issue. That’s just not acceptable.

Does Russia have financial leverage over Trump?

There should be no greater concern for every American than the idea that our Commander-In-Chief owes money to Russia, our greatest geo-political adversary. Beyond Donald Trump Jr.’s statement, we know President Trump retains ownership of the Trump Organization and refuses to release his taxes.

Trump’s taxes have taken on important implications for national security. Congress could compel Trump to release his taxes, but in April, it voted along party lines not to.

If Donald Trump has nothing to hide, why won’t he cooperate fully with the ongoing investigations to clear his name? Instead, Trump has adopted a combative, evasive style, firing FBI Director Comey and giving the public a reason — the Russia investigation — why he did it.

Jim Arkedis is the president of 4DPAC and a former Pentagon intelligence analyst.