Following the posting of my blog on Trump and Russia some days ago, readers rushed to answer the question I posed: Given Trump’s verbal attacks on all other countries, especially allies, why has he had nothing to say about Russia?
I averred that Russia, or maybe Vladimir Putin personally, held some power over Trump. Thanks to readers, I now know that Russian interests rescued Trump financially multiple times during the 1980s and 1990s by laundering large amounts of Russian cash through Trump’s real estate holdings. I don’t know if those practices continued in the years that followed, including those when Trump was in the White House, but I have no evidence they stopped.
So I have a partial answer to my question. Trump has had an ongoing relationship with Russian financial providers. He had good reason to avoid criticism of Russia lest his Russian supporters turn on him.
I expect that over time more information about Russia’s hold on Trump will become public. But at least we have a start.
Tom Glenn, Writer 