By C J Waldron

For years rumors have swirled about Trump’s ties with Russia. Long before he took office in 2017, his business affiliations were well known. But everything associated with the former Soviet Union comes at a cost. Even as it attempted to shake off the shackles of Communism, the spectre of the KGB and other nefarious organizations lurked in the background. This became apparent when former KGB operative Vladimir Putin rose to power.

Once in power, Putin used his KGB tactics to gain an inside seat to governments around the world. Surely, he never dreamed one of those ensnared in his trap would rise to become President of the United States. But that’s exactly what happened. Once in office Trump went from becoming a useful idiot to a kompromat inside the Oval Office.

If you saw the movie The Apprentice, you have an inkling as to how Trump became a victim of his own underhanded tactics. Under the tutelage of Roy Cohn, former advisor to Joe McCarthy (Yes, THAT Joe McCarthy), Trump learned to gain allies and punish enemies by exploiting their weaknesses. Once discovered, Trump would use it as leverage, either as a threat to expose the individual or as a means of gaining their trust by claiming to be their trusted confidant. Once he had gained their trust, he tightened his grip by gathering more and more information, so those who were in his inner circle became beholden to him not to reveal sensitive, and sometimes embarrassing or even illegal, information. This might explain the cryptic message he allegedly wrote to convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

With his massive ego, Trump never dreamed that he could also become a victim of the very tactics he used to subdue his loyal minions. Yet this technique was very familiar with Russian operatives and former KGB agents. They were used effectively in Great Britan during the Cold War with British Minister of War John Profumo and Kim Philby to turn them into Soviet spies.

And it is quite possible they were used years later to force the President of the United States into becoming a Russian asset. For Trump had many weaknesses that could be exploited. First, there was his ego. Trump has always been susceptible to flattery. Most recently, when former foe Hillary Clinton commented that, should Trump achieve peace in Gaza, she would support his receiving the Nobel Prize. Upon hearing this, Trump responded, I may have to start liking her again.” So, it really doesn’t take much to get him to change his mind if you massage his ego.

Second is his weakness for attractive women. Trump has been known to comment on an attractive staffer’s appearance and will even interrupt a press conference when he sees a good-looking female journalist. He seems to forget that he openly confessed to sexual assault on the infamous Access Hollywood tape as well as being held liable for the sexual abuse of E. Jean Carroll, along with numerous accusations made by multiple women. Rather than be ashamed of these behaviors, he wears them like a badge of honor.

Finally, there is Trump’s Love of Money and power. Indeed, For the Love of Money was the theme song to his television show The Apprentice. He viewed money and power as synonymous. More money equals more power and he went to great lengths to amass and lose both over the past several decades.

These were all methods that could be used to manipulate Trump and to have a major foreign adversary attain an ally within the White House. But it didn’t happen overnight.  Trump’s Moscow contacts went as far back as 1987 when he sought out then Soviet Ambassador Yuri Dubinin to discuss the possibility of building a Trump hotel in Moscow. This began a long and troubled relationship between Trump and Russian oligarchs.

The relationship further solidified in the 1990s. The nineties were not kind to Donald Trump. Multiple Trump business ventures either went into default or declared bankruptcy. He was 3.4 billion in debt. Trump was only saved from financial ruin by his father, Fred Trump, who pumped millions of dollars into these enterprises in order to prevent complete collapse. Once Fred Trump died, it left Trump without a financial benefactor. Given his long history of financial mismanagement, banks refused to provide him with loans needed to support his failing Trump Organization.

The collapse of the Russian Economy in 1998 caused Russian oligarchs to frantically search for a safe haven for their assets. They found an all too willing partner in the Trump Organization. They were allowed to funnel their assets into Real Estate developments being run by the Trump Organization.

With this newfound influx of capital, Trump was able to launch fifteen different Trump-branded projects between 1998 and 2012. This included the ill-fated Trump University. How much of this was funded by Russia?  We may never know because Trump has refused to release his tax returns, which could possibly expose a Trump/Russia connection.

This brings us to 2013 and the Miss Universe pageant that was held in Moscow. It was there that Trump and his son Don Jr. met with several of Russia’s elite businessmen. It was also the time where Trump allegedly hired two Russian prostitutes to urinate on the bed where President Obama and his wife slept on a visit to Moscow. While trump denies this happened, there is a rumor that the room was bugged and a tape of the incident was made.

There are so many more unknowns, but the very real possibility exists that Trump is a Russian asset. First there was the praise heaped upon him by Russian oligarchs who used the Trump Organization to hide their assets. Second, there was the Miss Universe pageant that Moscow provided the venue for and allowed Trump unlimited access to the world’s most beautiful women. Finally, there was the huge influx of money flowing into the Trump Organization that only made him feel more powerful.

What else does Putin have on Donald Trump?  Is it possible we have a kompromat in the Oval Office?

Chris Waldron is a former public school educator in New York State and adjunct English professor in Conway, SC. He is co-author of Hijacked Nation, Donald Trump’s attack on America’s Greatness, published in three volumes and available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. He is a regular contributor to Lean to the Left and all of his articles are archived here.

Bob Gatty Author, Podcaster, Blogger

For many years, Bob Gatty worked as a writer, editor, and communications consultant, based on the Washington, DC area with a focus on government and politics. He began at The Pittsburgh Courier, an African American weekly, covering crime and the courts. His salary was $55 per week before moving on to two local Pennsylvania dailies. At age 24, he began reporting for United Press International covering state politics in Pennsylvania and then New Jersey, where he was UPI’s state capitol bureau in Trenton.

Tempted by the allure of Washington, DC and big-time politics, at age 29 Bob became press secretary and chief of staff for two Congressmen – first Republican Edwin B. Forsythe, and then Democrat James J. Florio, who later became governor of New Jersey and until his recent death was a frequent podcast guest and co-host of Bob’s NFN Radio News podcast (now called Lean to the Left).

After seven years on Capitol Hill, Bob opened a communications business in Washington, first providing political media consulting to candidates and then freelance Washington coverage for business and trade magazines, plus creative communications services for trade and professional associations, including social media. This work involved articles and analyses of key governmental developments affecting businesses, such as the food and Health industries, retailing, and the environment.

His work as a communications consultant to trade and professional associations included launching and editing association publications, providing website content and social media assistance, and covering conferences and conventions.

Bob retired from G-Net Strategic Communications in 2016 and moved to Myrtle Beach, SC, where he launched his blog site, first called Not Fake News, now known as Lean to the Left.

Hijacked Nation
In August, 2020, Bob and co-author Chris Waldron, one of Lean to the Left's most loyal and prolific contributor, published "Hijacked Nation-Donald Trump's Attack on America's Greatness," a two-volume compilation of blogs regarding Trump's presidency and the consequences for our nation. A followup volume was published by Luna Global Media in September 2024. It is available at https://amzn.to/4ePrTF7 .

In all three volumes, blogs from Not Fake News and Lean to the Left create a virtual play-by-play of key actions of the Trump administration and Congress. For more information, please visit https://leantotheleft.net/books/, and visit Bob's Author's Page on Amazon, https://www.amazon.com/stores/Bob-Gatty/author/B08C7HWXZ5?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true&ccs_id=4e603563-7251-4074-b54d-40800c4ce40a.

The Lean to the Left Podcast
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https://www.youtube.com/@LeantotheLeft.