President Donald Trump tells us that the Russia “thing” is a “witch hunt” and “fake news.” There was and is, according to the president, no collusion with the Russians, neither during the Trump 2016 presidential campaign, nor after the Trump victory.

But given recent revelations about the Presidents’ son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and his attempt to establish a secret connection between Trump and President Vladimir Putin of Russia, one can only wonder, in the famous words of Chico Marx, “Who are you going to believe, me or your lying eyes?”

The facts began with numerous conversations, meetings, and connections in 2016 between Trump campaign officials and Russian agents that concerned U.S. intelligence agencies enough to alert the FBI, who, last July, began an investigation of the Trump presidential campaign.

The intelligence community knew the Russians were interfering with the U.S. election, but became concerned by the numerous contacts, about the potential of collusion with the Russians by the Trump campaign.

After the election, and the Trump victory, one might have assumed that, if there was any collusion, the Trump people would end any and all communications with the Russians to preserve any semblance of innocence and minimize any attempts to connect the two parties. But instead, after the election and before the Trump presidency began in January of this year, Kushner, perhaps the president’s most trusted advisor, and Gen. Michael Flynn, the other most trusted Trump confident, continued the Russian connection.

Kushner and Flynn met, in Trump Tower, with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak, who is reputed to be the top Russian spy in the U.S.

Trump officials described the meeting as a courtesy call by the ambassador. The explanation was a lie.

It is now reported that the meeting was to establish a secret connection between the Russian government, a U.S. adversary, and the still-private citizens Kushner and Flynn and President-elect Trump.

Further, Kushner suggested using Russian communications systems in order to evade the U.S. government and keep them from following the communications to be exchanged. While there is no evidence that the Russians ever developed such a back channel for the Trump group, it is possible the connection was completed and the Russians have successfully concealed it.

At the time, Kushner had no U.S. security clearance and, as a private citizen, could be in violation of U.S. law by his attempt to provide a foreign government information about U.S. policies. And when Kushner submitted his security questionnaire, he failed to mention the meeting and the attempt to establish the back channel connection, a clear violation that could result in revocation of his security clearance, if not far more serious consequences, including a charge of treason.

According to Kushner’s lawyer, he forgot about the meeting and “made a mistake” in completing the security questionnaire. Really? Kushner also claimed he had no recollection of three other contacts with the Russians in 2016, as reported by Reuters.

Is it really believable that he forgot four contacts with the Russians, including a secret meeting requesting a secret back channel connection?

This all leaves three important questions: First, is it possible Trump did not know his two most trusted associates attempted to establish secret connections to Putin? And, if he did know, what justification could possibly support avoiding the U.S. government? Third, why would Trump want, after the 2016 election, a secret connection to the Russians who had interfered in our election?

Sometimes witch hunts uncover a witch. And sometimes our lying eyes see more clearly than what is less and less believable, that the collusion and connection of the Trump campaign and the Trump presidency is just “fake news.”

 

Jim Crawford is a retired educator and political enthusiast living here in the Tri-State.