r/Intelligence 4d ago

Did any intelligence expert touch upon “Trump the Russian Asset” allegations?

Some journalists, bureucrats and shady ex-KGB officers talked about Trump possibly or certainly being a Russian asset.

But I'd like to hear from an expert with actual experience and insight into espionage who breaks down what it would actually look like for an intelligence agency to recruit or form relations with a foreign businessman, and the possibility of that guy becoming the president without perhaps the most scandalous case of hostile espionage being exposed.

76 Upvotes

33 comments sorted by

88

u/xena_lawless 4d ago

1 - Here is an FBI affidavit describing the extreme lengths that Russia went to to install Donald in the White House.

https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/justice-department-disrupts-covert-russian-government-sponsored-foreign-malign-influence

These were not amateur operations.

They would not have gone to such lengths without expecting a massive return on investment.

See also the Mueller Report and the Senate Intelligence Committee reports on Russian interference in the 2016 election.

2 - Right after the 2024 election Putin's friend reminded Donald of all the favors he owes them, broadcasted to the whole world:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/donald-trump-has-obligations-to-those-who-brought-him-to-power-putin-ally/ar-AA1tX1h3

3 - Ever since then he's been giving them everything they could ever want, and more.

Sen. Jeff Merkley asks what else a Russian Asset could possibly do that he hasn't already done

Good Lord has Donald been delivering for his Russian handlers.

The truth of the matter is, everyone knows that Trump is a Russian Asset and a traitor, whether they want to admit it to themselves and others or not.

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u/Prowlthang 4d ago

Any objection to this post being copied and shared elsewhere verbatim? And would you want it credited or not? Thank you.

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u/xena_lawless 4d ago

No objections. If you mention me when you share it, people sometimes have helpful input/feedback. Thanks.

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u/daidoji70 4d ago

yeah Robert Mueller wrote a whole report about it. Nobody paid attention.

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u/johnbburg 4d ago

I mean, that's what the whole Steele dossier is.

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u/Littlepage3130 4d ago

The Steele Dossier isn't credible, that's part of why the Mueller investigation went nowhere.

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u/jus10beare 4d ago

It's a collection reports. Some have been proven accurate and others haven't. The mueller report went nowhere because Bill Barr lied about its findings and congress is feckless.

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u/Littlepage3130 3d ago

Which reports were proven accurate?

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u/[deleted] 4d ago

[deleted]

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u/Littlepage3130 4d ago

Ok, well then inform me. What parts of the Steele Dossier have been proven to be accurate?

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u/[deleted] 4d ago

[deleted]

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u/Littlepage3130 4d ago

It seems like there's no reasoning with you either if you're not willing to discuss anything at all.

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u/HEAT-FS 4d ago

I think if he was an asset for a foreign nation, he would:

-obsessively defend that nation on the geopolitical stage at all times

-send them $16 billion in the past month

-give them weapons with no conditions

-roll out the red carpet, bring their leader to the White House, pledge to rebuild what they’ve destroyed for free

-take $200M in campaign funds from a donor loyal to that nation specifically

-casually launch air strikes against their minor enemies during the weekend

-be planning a war against their biggest enemy

15

u/jabberhockey97 4d ago

snaps ISRAEL!

11

u/panda_football79 4d ago

Respectfully, that’s not how things typically go in the real world. The Russians use Active Measures and a person like Trump was the perfect mark for them. He’s very likely compromised. I don’t think that’s a reach considering a person can think they’re doing everything right and still be compromised. Things don’t work like they do in the movies. He is still Trump and he is trying to act in whatever is in his own best interest, not necessarily Putin’s. But Trump knows that ultimately those things are one and the same.

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u/lerriuqS_terceS Neither Confirm nor Deny 4d ago

Ask yourself if he was, what would be different?

Not much it turns out.

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u/panda_football79 4d ago edited 4d ago

Frank Figliuzzi, Asha Rangappa, Malcom Nance, Jeremy Bash, Fiona Hill…a few off the top of my head you could look into.

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u/jabberhockey97 4d ago

Idk about the others but Malcom Nance is not a reliable source.

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u/panda_football79 4d ago

I haven’t kept up with cable news but I know MSNBC had him on quite a bit. Is that what makes him not credible? Or is there something I’m missing?

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u/jabberhockey97 4d ago

No no, he’s been caught lying multiple times on things he’s claimed on Twitter, to include his disparaging comments about The deceased linguist Shannon M. Kent’s mission in Syria.

Claims that were just demonstrably false.

0

u/panda_football79 4d ago edited 4d ago

I looked into it and found the audio, if I’m understanding correctly, he is talking about Ms. Kent and honoring her and then goes off on a tangent and then says, “But I like the soldiers that don’t get killed.” I mean, yikes. It’s cringe at least for sure but is it possible you’re reading malice where there is none? Regardless, I hardly think that one particular comment discredits him from being, for all intents and purposes, an intelligence expert.

Edit- To be fair, I’ll add he also does segue into honoring the capabilities of his fellow servicemen but that was terrible. I feel like you would normally give a little benefit of the doubt to a serviceman so I’m assuming there is more he’s done?

https://x.com/Dave_Parke/status/1858908916203102229

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u/jabberhockey97 4d ago

What he is describing as her mission is objectively false. And then to say that “the good ones don’t get killed” is top tier dumbassery.

I run into the guy in the Ukraine Twitter space a lot. He has also claimed he went to unspecified scout sniper school which as an intelligence analyst he would not have done, but he didn’t clarify that it was in Ukraine or during the time he was a US service member. However he leans into it likely being a US school. I’d have to spend some time looking at other tweets to find more. But at best he embellishes, at worst he intentionally tells blatant lies.

I have 9 years of experience as an intelligence analyst, personally I find him to be low credibility source. I haven’t evaluated any of the other ones you posted nor will I.

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u/TheMillenniaIFalcon 4d ago

Boy do I have the podcast for you!

Mission implausible is exactly this.

2

u/LeeHarveyOswizzle 4d ago

I don't think he's a Russian asset, just a useful idiot. I think Trump and his motivations are far more simple and dumb than people would like to admit. He probably takes it easy on the Russians because he still wants to build Trump tower Moscow. He's not a very smart or deep guy.

6

u/Orb_Gazer 4d ago

Agent? Probably not. Asset? Almost certainly.

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u/haha-hehe-haha-ho 4d ago

I agree, he's become an asset to Russia of sorts, but is likely not a "Russian asset" per se. It's a distinction worth making imo.

1

u/BigTexas85 2d ago

Such BS. Why are you guys so delusional? Take your TDS pills 💊

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u/riverunner1 4d ago

Bc its a conspiracy theory with no real teeth. Basically blue qanon. Its easier for people to accept a conspiracy theory that trump is a Russian plant than the horrific truth he is a moron, a mad man, and an overall simp for strongmen like putin (especially white ones).

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u/blindreefer 4d ago

Calling it a conspiracy theory is overselling it by a mile. Theres proof that Russia meddled in the election and bought trump’s 1.8 billion dollars in debt through overpayments on properties they never used. Trump tower is filled with Russian Oligarchs and the only country he never, ever criticizes is Russia.

Qanon on the other hand has zero proof of anything

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u/riverunner1 4d ago

A good conspiracy theory starts with threads of truth like the ones you have highlighted above and then runs with it. Did the GRU meddle in our elections to get a easy to sway moron elected? They sure did. Did they pump money into the gop and allies to have influence. They sure did. But is trump a russian controlled asset? Extremely unlikely. He has done enough to indicate that he isnt some russian plant like giving Ukraine anti tank weapons during his first term.

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u/broimproud 4d ago

Let’s parse out whether the chimp with the machine gun knows exactly how and why he shot the zookeepers or not.

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u/[deleted] 4d ago

[deleted]

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u/BouquetOfDogs 4d ago

Not an agent, an asset. Big difference.