Earlier this month, Donald Trump suffered through a weekend so bad that were he anyone other than Donald Trump, it would have been logical to assume that things couldn’t possibly get any worse.
On January 12 and 13, the White House was thrust into Defcon 1 damage control mode after the New York Times reported that the FBI once opened an investigation into whether Trump was a literal Russian intelligence asset and, just a day later, the Washington Post said he actually seized “the notes of his own interpreter and instruct[ed] the linguist not to discuss what had transpired with other administration officials” following meetings with Vladimir Putin.
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As bad as that weekend was, last Saturday and Sunday were arguably worse, as Trump fought to distance himself from Roger Stone (who was arrested by the FBI on Friday) and explain to immigration hardliners why he folded to Nancy Pelosi on the wall.
Well, on Tuesday afternoon, the Putin story resurfaced this time in the form of a Financial Times article which reveals that Trump sat down for a discussion with his Russian puppet master counterpart at the G20 in Buenos Aires last month with “no translator or note-taker from the US side to record the dialogue between the leaders.”
Of course Trump made a show of canceling formal talks with Putin in Argentina ostensibly in response to Russia’s attack on Ukrainian ships, but that was just for show. The White House admitted that Trump spoke to Putin informally, but FT says that according to their sources, the conversation which took place at the Colón theatre “appeared longer and more substantive than the White House has acknowledged.”
And it gets better. The only person present on the US side besides Trump was – wait for it – Melania. Putin, on the other hand, had a translator. “The four of them sat at a table and were among the last to leave”, FT says.
Remember: it’s not treason if your wife sees the whole thing.
Here’s what happened when FT tried to pry a comment out of US officials for the story:
The US state department declined to discuss any details of the meeting, referring questions to the White House. A White House spokesman declined to comment beyond previous acknowledgments that a brief encounter occurred.
That makes sense given the fact that nobody but Trump and his wife were at the table. That is, even if State or the White House wanted to comment they couldn’t because they don’t know what was discussed either.
One Russian official explained things as follows:
When Putin is somewhere, his people are there: always. There is someone from his side with him at all times, until he goes to bed. With the Americans it is different. The advisers, the aides, they don’t always stick around outside official meetings.
Nothing further.
Now that would have been a true confederacy of dunces.
Menage a trois plus a Russian translator. Appropriately, it was at the Colon (no accent) Theater.
Does Melania speak Russian?
Melania Trump speaks German as does Vladimir Putin.
So is Melania his handler presumably? I mean that would make sense.
Totally.
If Melania is smart , everything is recorded on her phone.
It would only be important if vodka was involved.
Oh for F*&#’s sake. “When Putin is somewhere, his people are there……” The Russian’s manage to point out how much smarter they are than Trump right to his face.
The unmitigated gall for trump to realize the huge mess with this Russia investigation and continue to meet privately and speak privately, (use a personal unsecured cell phone) with Putin is clearly laughing in the face of America.