On Friday night there was a protester at Donald Trump’s Florida rally. That’s not news. But what the protester shouted, and Trump’s reaction was definitely something new.
The protester interrupted Trump by shouting “You love Russia!” and “You’re Putin’s bitch!”
The protester was immediately ejected, but for the first time Trump seemed sort of shaken into silence, and the crowd was also silent. For a moment, anyway. Everybody heard what the protester said. Four years ago Mitt Romney characterized Vladimir Putin as an enemy, even predicting Putin’s invasion of the Crimea and possibly Ukraine. Now Donald Trump has nothing but warm praise for the Russian president, as everybody knows.
The press and the Democrats have been clamoring for Donald Trump’s tax returns, mocking Trump about what he has to hide. Are you paying zero taxes? Is it that you’re not worth as much as you say? Democratic VP candidate Tim Kaine asked these questions out loud just yesterday.
Here’s what’s important. We shouldn’t give a damn if Trump managed not to pay taxes. And it doesn’t matter to a person’s ability to govern how much he’s worth. What matters VERY much is whether he has deep business involvement in Russia. We need to know WHY he is inclined to weird, inappropriate praise of Vladimir Putin. We MUST know if it has to do with special favors Trump may have received in personal business ventures in Russia, where he has been trying to develop real estate since the 1980s.
American voters have the right to know if this presidential candidate has a personal affiliation and conflict of interest with one of our greatest global opponents. Is Donald Trump even capable of viewing Russia through the eyes of an American strategist and not through the lens of real estate entrepreneur with heavy personal investments? Perhaps already heavily indebted to Russia and individual Russians? Americans have the right to know if Donald Trump has reason to treat Vladimir Putin with favoritism, ahead of the best interests of the the United States.
Mindful Musings 