Donald Trump: A Modern Manchurian Candidate?

Donald Trump: A Modern Manchurian Candidate?
Source: New York Times

In recent days, two intelligence dossiers have been published making sensational charges involving President-elect Donald J. Trump and the 2016 election.

The first... ...an unclassified version of a United States intelligence community assessment that concluded with “high confidence” that President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia had ordered an “influence campaign” aimed at the presidential election, and that his goals included damaging Hillary Clinton and electing Mr. Trump.

The second report... ... by a person who is understood to be a former British intelligence agent — now identified as Christopher Steele — and its allegations are “unverified.” If true, the claims in the BuzzFeed dossier are sensational, including extensive contacts between Trump aides and Russian operatives and the Russian accumulation of dirt on Mr. Trump to be used for blackmail.

So, what's true and what's false? Well, the intelligence community stands in support of the first report. As far as the second report, U.S. Intelligence has neither confirmed nor denied the charges made.

Trump's supporters claim (without any proof as of yet) that it's all a hoax. Trump claims it's all phony, even going so far as to accuse CNN of being fake news. And yet.... U.S. Intelligence Community has not denied any of it. So, what's true? 

Mr. Trump himself is doing nothing to dispel suspicions with his hyperbolic attacks... ...He accused the intelligence agencies of releasing this “fake news” to take “one last shot” at him, and outrageously compared their acts to those of Nazi Germany... ...At the same time that Mr. Trump continues to exhibit paranoia about American intelligence agencies, he displays a trust verging on gullibility in the mendacious and murderous government of Mr. Putin.

None of his responses are reassuring. The response or lack of response from U.S. intelligence is not reassuring. It doesn't look good at all for a U.S. president-elect to be at war with his own intelligence agencies while showing only the greatest respect and trust toward Putin and Russia.

None of this gives me reason to trust Mr. Trump.

It seems to me if Russia were looking to buy themselves a president... Trump would be the perfect choice. He's not very smart, easily manipulated by ego, women, money... a known fraud, open to shady deals... with no principles or code of ethics-- He justifies anything that serves him.

The worst part of all of this is how easy it is to believe the allegations and how well they all fit together. There is nothing in Trump's attitude or demeanor that defies the claims against him. His known attitudes toward women, his deep resentments toward opponents, his fraudulent past, his praise of Russia, his denial of U.S. intelligence, his combativeness toward journalism... his overall nasty nature and dirty politics.... It all fits.

a reply to: spiritualzombie

Are you guys the new birthers?

First it was a President who wasn't a citizen, now it's a president controlled by a foreign government.

Guess this will be an every four to eight years kinda thing.

For sure !!

Now that all the dirt on Trump is coming out without any effect, how can Russia blackmail him ?

Somebody made a big booboo.



It's all feedbuzz now.

Next they'll be asking for Trump's birth certificate. Maybe Trump was born in Russia as Vladimir Trumpiski.

a reply to: spiritualzombie

Trump's supporters claim (without any proof as of yet) that it's all a hoax.

The people pushing the story don't need proof.... Trump needs to prove that it is a hoax.

Do I have that right?

originally posted by: butcherguy
a reply to: spiritualzombie

Trump's supporters claim (without any proof as of yet) that it's all a hoax.

The people pushing the story don't need proof.... Trump needs to prove that it is a hoax.

Do I have that right?

How would he prove Russia doesn't have dirt on him? The only way to do that is capture Putin and interrogate Putin.

originally posted by: butcherguy
a reply to: spiritualzombie

Trump's supporters claim (without any proof as of yet) that it's all a hoax.

The people pushing the story don't need proof.... Trump needs to prove that it is a hoax.

Do I have that right?

No, this is fact because it's from the intelligence community. The dems have always supported the intelligence community since the Iraq War.

a reply to: spiritualzombie

You should learn Russian and teach us oh wise one, so we can communicate with our captors.

a reply to: spiritualzombie

I wish one of these so called journalists would ask Trump about the situation in Ukraine. Hell, the MH17 JIT report came out days before the second debate and yet no questions about it came up. To be fair though his silence on these topics speaks volumes. He continues to act like Russia is amazing and has done no wrong, while the US is solely responsible for the increased tensions between the two countries. At the same time almost every country in the world (with the exception of countries like Iran and North Korea) condemn Russia's annexation of Crimea and accept (including every US ally) the JIT report that indicates Russia provided the weapon that downed MH17.

If Trump were actually asked about these incidents he would be left with two options: A.) Piss off every US ally and align us with some of the worst violators of human rights on the planet, or B.) Piss off Putin.

a reply to: Xcalibur254

If the Maidan coup didn't happen, if the democratically elected president Yanukovych wasn't overthrown, if ethnic Russians of eastern Ukraine weren't being threatened with death by western Ukrainians, MH17 would have never been shot down.

a reply to: spiritualzombie

Well written and thought out.

a reply to: WTAFan

Maidan occurred because Yanukovych betrayed the will of the Ukrainian people. For f***'s sake he was stealing billions of dollars out of the Ukrainian coffers. And while he might of been the democratically elected president of Ukriane he was also legally impeached. Even Russia doesn't acknowledges this fact. You know who they do recognize as the democratically elected president of Ukraine. Poroshenko.

And please don't try to spin the persecution of ethnic Russians thread. The UN has asked Russia numerous times to provide evidence that supports this narrative. We're not even talking proof. Just evidence. Even a single case of someone beating up someone else because they're an ethnic Russian would be fine. Russia has provided nothing.

I will say though, it is refreshing to see a Putinista admitting the JIT report is correct.

a reply to: spiritualzombie

It's still unfolding, at a consumer pace too, I might add! They've been feeding us scandal as a regular stapple to our political diets for quite some time now! We're addicted!

I wonder what they have on Melania! She's bee suspiciously invisible, and won't be moving to the White House, any time soon! Suspicious? Things that make you go Hmmmmmm....

To boost their credibility, maybe US Intelligence agencies can publish a report showing how they have interfered with the democratic elections of other countries throughout their history. Then we could compare the tactics used by the US versus the tactics used by Russia in this election and get a clear picture of exactly what Russia did and how effective it was.

Isn't the whole idea of blackmail to get someone to cough up something of value in exchange for information about the target, being withheld?

Do you really think the KGB is so inept, that it would allow any cards it held on Trump to be available to some half arsed MI-5 tosser?

The only Manchurian Candidates I know of are the lone wolf shooters of late, who are no doubt graduates of the CIA, MK-Ultra 2.0 class.

a reply to: Xcalibur254

Yeah but were the Soros/State department snipers necessary

a reply to: spiritualzombie

My company builds Robots tailored to certain specs

We offered to build a Trump at a reasonable cost

but a Romanian firm won the contract
by using paper mache
as part of the internal diagnostic system

incidentally the same family owned company
built George Bush Jr.......

Next newsflash of the future:

Russia threatens to publish a Trump scandal so they can blackmail him

a reply to: WTAFan

Don't you mean that if the Russian government hadn't made a carefully calculated move to try and distort public opinion on Ukraine further by shooting down an airliner and blaming it on Ukrainian rebels, MH17 would never have been shot down?

a reply to: spiritualzombie

I think you nailed it.

He's a muslim, Kenyen-born, fascis-. . . . oh wait, that was the other one.

Trump is a zombie-werewolf with laser-beam eyes and a taste for the blood of bab-. . . . . no wait, that was Hillary.

Trump is a doody-head.