Thread by @SenWhitehouse

There always was Trump/Russia. There still is Trump/Russia.

The early actions of the Trump administration signal the continuing force of Trump/Russia.

Feel free to add to the list, but here’s my list.

Note: It’s only been a month.

1.  Russia’s apologist Tulsi Gabbard is selected and confirmed as Director of National Intelligence, the person who controls what gets to the president from our intelligence services. Her appointment is cheered in Russia’s state-controlled media.

2.  Kash Patel is selected as FBI Director after vowing to destroy the FBI’s “intel shops” and move agents out of headquarters. Counter-intelligence against Russia is run out of those intel shops at headquarters. He gets $25,000 from a Kremlin-connected filmmaker.

3.  Pam Bondi arrives at DOJ and instantly closes its anti-kleptocracy work that had successfully targeted Putin’s Russian oligarchs. Odd that a state AG entering a big department would so quickly pick that small but effective office.

4.  Trump officials signaled to Putin that they’d give him what he wanted in Ukraine (keep Ukraine out of NATO, let Russia keep captured territory) and gave the war criminal the boost of direct negotiation with “the leader of the free world.”

5.  Vance’s speech in Munich echoed and supported right-wing groups that Putin has long funded and used to create internal political strife in Europe (illogically claiming they’d been suppressed when they’d actually grown — with Russian support).

6.  Trump’s mad threat to take Greenland from Denmark (or the Canal from Panama) diminishes the sanctity of national borders and echoes and validates Putin’s theory for occupying Crimea and attacking Ukraine, normalizing Putin’s invasions.

7.    Defense Secretary Hegseth talking about withdrawing U.S. troops from Europe directly emboldens and empowers Russia; defending against Russia’s 220 brigade army is why they’re there.

8.  Attacking and sanctioning the International Criminal Court over its indictment of Netanyahu serves also the interests of Vladimir Putin, under indictment for war crimes himself.