Democrats and Republicans Are Both Wrong About Russia

Democrats have responded to President Donald Trump's meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, Finland by labeling it a treasonous crime against the United States.  Republicans have responded by defending it as an astute act of foreign policy brilliance in spite of the tense relational climate.  They're both wrong.

Almost six years ago, in the late summer of 2012, then-presidential candidate Mitt Romney was asked "What is the greatest geopolitical threat to the United States today?" Romney answered, "Russia".

For this response, Romney was mercilessly derided, ridiculed, and mocked by media personnel and members of the legislature alike. "The 1980s called," sneered President Barack Obama during the third 2012 Presidential Debate, "They want their foreign policy back.'

'The Cold War has been over for twenty years," he added, while maintaining that al-Qaeda, and not Russia, posed the greatest contemporary threat to the United States.

Six years later, we now know that Russia (and not al-Qaeda), via cyberattacks and the dissemination of false and misleading information, interfered with the 2016 Democratic Primary on behalf of Hillary Clinton and meddled with the general election for the President of the United States in favor of Donald Trump.

I did not and would not vote for Romney, but his conjecture that Russia was/is the greatest hazard to American security was foreshadowing in its wisdom. Watching as the same people who relentlessly criticized Romney for this claim now course-correct and contend that Russia has compromised United States' cyber security is frustrating in its hypocrisy. And observing politicians quibble endlessly amongst themselves, taking little to no action after Russia demonstrably intervened for the benefit of both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump is deeply troubling.

Whether or not President Trump colluded with the Kremlin and had foreknowledge of Russian interference has no bearing on the fact that we can now confirm that said interference occurred. To deny this claim is to deny evidence presented by the FBI, the CIA, the NSA, the House Intelligence Committee, the Senate Intelligence Committee, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Justice. To assert that Russia had no part in the 2016 Presidential Elections is to embrace wild and unfounded conspiracy theories which discredit and reject the conclusions of all nonpartisan American investigative information bureaus. It also stands in diametric contrast to the position of party Republicans, including Speaker of the House Paul Ryan. Contesting the verdict of all major information-accruing departments on the basis of one man's word alone is a radical and dangerous adherence. In other words: It is no longer reasonable or sane to repudiate claims of Russian influence. 

(Further reading: CIA findings, FBI findings, DOJ findings, House/Senate/NSA/DHS findings, Hacking timeline)

This is not to say that President Trump was aware of or responsible for the Russian hijacking of American elections. It IS to say that President Trump has taken some serious missteps subsequent to collusion allegations, including but not limited to branding the investigation a "witch hunt" and conducting himself in a publicly uncooperative manner and meeting one-on-one with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki.

President Trump's meeting with Putin was not, definitionally, treasonous as some have proclaimed, but in light of accusations of complicity, Trump must be entirely transparent and compliant. He must separate himself from situations that appear suspicious or questionable. He must bend over backwards to avoid the appearance of impropriety and dishonesty. If President Trump has nothing to hide, he must act as if he has nothing to hide. He must comport himself in a cautious and prudent manner. Publicly scorning the investigation from its very conception and retaining a private and personal relationship with Putin are big mistakes that Trump would be wise to avoid.

Summarily, after Democrats stringently denied that Russia constituted a threat to American security and after Republicans expediently changed tack on the issue of the Russian threat by discounting altogether the notion that Russia interfered with the American political process, I hope America is prepared to look outside the operative system to other party options. It's time for a change that, evidently, neither Democrats nor Republicans can offer us.