Trump’s Crime
A friend of mine recently gave me a vehement explanation of why Trump should be removed from office because he used military aid to pressure the president of Ukraine to investigate the Biden clan. My response was to allow that I suspected that virtually every aid dollar the United States ever sent to another country had strings of some kind, usually including some political strings. That reminded my buddy of something he observed when he was serving with the Peace Corps in Thailand. A large hydroelectric project was under construction funded by US aid dollars. The contractor was Brown & Root. Those of you who have read Robert Caro’s majestic biography of LBJ know that he was a wholly owned subsidiary of Brown & Root, bought and paid for with cash stuffed briefcases. That would be a genuine quid pro quo for those needing a translation from the Latin.
Trump’s crime is that he is an amateur. When his son got a call from a Russian lawyer purporting to have dirt on Hillary, he took a meeting (which produced no dirt). When Trump wanted some dirt on Biden, he asked for it on a phone call with numerous folks listening to the call, some of whom (including the whistle-blower’s source) were his political enemies.
How do the pros do it? When Churchill asked FDR for aid to hold off Hitler in 1939, Roosevelt stalled for months and then only agreed to sell supplies on credit and send some destroyers for convoy duty in return for some very harsh terms. When Churchill complained about the terms, Roosevelt told him that the American electorate was opposed to involvement in another European conflict and he had to cover his tracks by selling the aid as a business deal that favored America. When Hillary wanted dirt on Trump, she hired a law firm (which gave the arrangement lawyer/client confidentially). The lawyers hired an oppo research firm. That firm hired a retired spy. That spy hired some Russian retired spies (probably still on Putin’s payroll or at least operating with his sufferance) who concocted a lurid story. That story was leaked to the FBI and selected media outlets. Pros cover their tracks with deception, cutouts and plausible deniability.
How would Trump have handled the Ukraine request if he was a political pro? Start with a trusted operative way down the chain of command or outside the chain. Somebody of demonstrated loyalty. Preferably somebody he could blackmail in the event the temptation to talk ever surfaced. Have that person arrange a quiet dinner with an operative from Ukraine, reservation under an assumed name. The location should be in a third country to which the operative traveled in a way that avoided a stamp on his/her passport naming that country. No communication via text or email. At some point, suggest that an investigation of Burisma (which need not be pursued aggressively or result in any punishment) would be a good idea. Say that publicly initiating such an investigation would lead to good things, followed by a LOOK indicating that failure to investigate might lead to bad things. Then move on to ask what favors might be done for the intermediary.
One of the reasons the political class hates Trump is that he hasn’t bothered to learn the rules of the game.
