Putin humiliates Obama, manipulates Trump, motivates McCain to action

In my new column for The Hill, I join with the growing number of Electoral College electors calling on the Obama administration to disclose far more information — before the Electoral College meets on Dec. 19 — about the Russian espionage that sadly succeeded in influencing the 2016 presidential campaign.

Behind the scenes, many Democrats throughout official Washington are furious with President Obama’s failure to effectively prevent or counter the Russian covert actions that helped Donald Trump, and hurt Hillary Clinton, in the recently concluded presidential election.

Behind the scenes, many Republicans throughout official Washington are deeply concerned with the effectiveness of the Russian influence in the campaign and the post-truth refusal of President-elect Trump to understand and state that this Russian covert action attacking American democracy did, in fact, take place.

By contrast, every American should offer a standing ovation to Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) for having the courage, clarity and integrity to publicly and unequivocally denounce Russian dictator Vladimir Putin for his murderous bombing in Syria and his attacks against American democracy.

McCain possesses certain qualities that both Obama and Trump lack. Because of his education at the U.S. Naval Academy, his war heroism in the Vietnam War and his vast experience in national security, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services committee has the intellectual clarity to understand what is happening and the fearless political courage to publicly state the facts and the truth.

{mosads}For whatever reasons, which historians will harshly judge, Obama has been disastrously unable or unwilling to directly confront the aggressive crimes by Putin in Syria and during the presidential election.

Even as the Electoral College is poised to convene on Dec. 19, Obama refuses to offer either the electors or the American people the full truth about Russian attacks against our democracy in the presidential campaign.

Putin has humiliated Obama with his attacks against our democracy.

Many Democrats in Washington are furious with Obama about this but will not — yet — state it publicly. But I just did, and many others will ultimately follow.

Similarly, as the truth continues to emerge about the sordid story of Russia’s aggressive attacks against American democracy, the American people soon and historians in the longer term will harshly judge the absurd and ridiculous failure of Trump to think clearly and speak honestly about Putin and Russia.

Who ever heard of any president or president-elect who has praised foreign dictators, including Putin, while the Russians act covertly to subvert our elections?

Every American intelligence service believes that the Russians employed covert action against our elections. There are some differences between intelligence agencies; for example, about whether the purpose of Russian covert actions was to elect Trump or merely discredit our election in the eyes of the world.

But there is absolutely no difference among intelligence services that the Russian attack against our election was real, immediate and aggressive.

Personally I believe that it is obvious that Putin sought to elect Trump and that making this opinion public was one of the finest hours of the CIA. But whether this was indeed the Russian motivation for action against our elections, there is no dispute among intelligence services that the Russian attacks against our democracy did take place.

When Trump denies this, his words are so contrary to the facts and the truth that every American should be alarmed. In my new column, I raised the prospect of Trump becoming a post-truth president in a fake news world, and suggested that Trump’s factually false statements denying Russia’s attacks against our democracy are the equivalent of Trump moving beyond fake news to inventing fake intelligence.

Few things would be more dangerous for any American president to do than inventing fake intelligence and attacking those who provide real intelligence, as Trump does now.

Putin is manipulating Trump. When Trump takes office, the Russians will continue their aggression against America and push the envelope about what they can get away with against a Trump-led America.

Either Trump will allow Putin to continue attacking American interests and American elections, or there will be great tension and danger in U.S. Russian relations.

Meanwhile, Sen. McCain may emerge as the most important figure in the Senate. His vision is clear, his courage is real and his political courage is boundless.

Stay tuned.

Brent Budowsky was an aide to former Sen. Lloyd Bentsen (D-Texas) and former Chief Deputy Majority Whip Bill Alexander (D-Ark.). He holds an LL.M. degree in international financial law from the London School of Economics. Contact him at brentbbi@webtv.net.

The views expressed by contributors are their own and not the views of The Hill.