AN AGENT OF OPPORTUNITY

The following is a letter-to-the-editor that appeared in the Northumberland Echo.

AN AGENT OF INFLUENCE

By

Joe Schlatter

(Retired Army Colonel)

We now can conclude what we have suspected for a long time: Donald Trump is an asset of Russian intelligence, controlled by Vladimir Putin.

First, Donald Trump’s connection to Russia and Russian interests dates back more than 35 years. Trump, his family and associates have well-documented ties to Russians, most of them current or former Russian intelligence officers. For years these people have assessed Trump as a perfect target for recruitment as an agent of influence: Trump has a huge ego, he is not very smart, he is naïve and arrogant beyond belief. All they need do is blow in his ear, tell him what a great guy he is and he becomes putty in their hands.

Second, Trump is up to his eyeballs in debt to the Russians. In the late 1980s, American banks refused to continue to lend to Trump because of his multiple bankruptcies and business failures. Trump turned to foreign sources of funds, mainly Deutsche Bank’s Special Client’s Division and the Bank of Cyprus, both of which are channels for laundering Russian money. Over 70 percent of Trump’s real estate sales have been to Russians using shadowy LLCs that conceal the real buyers. Financial disclosure requirements in the United Kingdom reveal that Trump’s golf course (in Scotland) is bankrupt, kept afloat by millions of dollars pumped in from Russian sources.

The Constitution requires the President to enforce the laws. Every U.S. intelligence agency and federal law enforcement agency concludes that Russia interfered in our 2016 election and is interfering in the 2018 election. Trump ignores them and refuses to enforce our laws.

Remember where you were on July 16, 2018, when Trump surrendered (at Helsinki). Your grandchildren will ask you, “Where were you when America ended?” What will you say when they ask if you voted for a traitor?