With each day that passes, Donald Trump’s presidency is proving the validity of two universal constants. First, that Trump will almost always contradict himself on just about any subject that crosses his mind, like sexual assault. And second? Our monstrous chronology of the sitting president’s ties to Russia, official and otherwise, won’t stop growing. Consider the case of former Trump campaign advisor Carter Page, whose direct connections to the Kremlin were known since September. To make matters worse, a recent BuzzFeed News report found evidence of a meeting between Page and a known Russian spy back in 2013 — thereby sealing his fate on the aforementioned chronology.
According to CNN, however, Page insists the Trump campaign had no prior knowledge of his 2013 meeting, which was part of a “federal investigation into efforts by Russian spies to recruit Americans.” His actions were classified, he argued in an email with the outlet, so there was no need to disclose them:
“Similar to my experience in the Navy such as on USS Alabama, the service I’ve provided to this country in areas that are classified such as any federal investigation I may have supported is not something that is appropriate to talk about,” Page said over email. “Plus it is completely irrelevant. So your conclusion is correct: no mention of any such extraneous details.”
“It’s unfortunate that some people may take steps to betray these principles,” Page added, alluding to BuzzFeed and ABC News‘ efforts to uncover the truth of his 2013 meeting in FBI court filings. “Certainly no one on the Trump campaign ever asked me to do so.”
Even so, the increasing amount of known ties between those associated with the president and Russia — a country whose cyber warfare against the previous election is well-documented — is troubling. After all, all the scrutiny regarding the matter led to former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn’s failed plea for immunity.
(Via CNN)