Obama-era State Department officials engaged in what they are describing as an “intense,” behind-the-scenes campaign to prevent President Trump from normalization US relations with Russia shortly after he took office. The officials, who include former Obama Assistant Secretary of State Tom Malinowski, claim to have been the impetus behind the Senate resolution which aimed to forbid easing sanctions on Russia without Congressional permission.
Though President Trump made much of his intention to normalize ties with Russia during the 2016 presidential campaign, he had publicly abandoned that proposal by the late-January, early-February period during which this effort supposedly happened, insisting he was holding off on sanctions relief on Russia for concessions.
Dan Fried, a State Department official who retired in late February, was quoted extensively in the reports, saying he received several “panicky” phone calls from officials around the government to try to “do something” to stop US-Russia rapprochement. He says he took these concerns to Sen. Ben Cardin (D – MD), and Cardin and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R – SC) proposed a bill that would block normalization.
While this is all being presented in the context of Obama’s hostility toward Russia, and the mainstream political support for keeping the US and Russia speeding toward a new Cold War, if true the report also reveals that elements in the State Department, which in theory is America’s diplomatic corps, went out of their way to engage in behind-the-scenes chicanery specifically to prevent diplomatic efforts toward improving ties with Russia.
evil bastards
To many on the Beltway, conflict with Russia is their bread and butter. Nevermind that it is hurting America and Eastern Europe. I hope the world sees through their motives.
The extent and pervasive level of evil embedded in the dc foreign policy establishment should concern every American citizen. It does not, not even close.
All of the cliches apply here but does it matter-nothing will change until the zionist mindset is purged. That will not happen any time soon:
greed is good, war is peace, end justifies the means.
Did this happen while they were still on their posts, or later when they became “former” officials?
It is illegal for private citizens to conduct the foreign policy of the US. We’ve heard this repeatedly whenever some lefty tries to start negotiations to avoid a war. The rightwing always calls for them to be prosecuted.
Is it illegal for government officials to deliberately thwart the policies of an elected official? That I don’t know. Probably should be.
And, at the very least this is an anti-democracy coup against the American people. The American people don’t want to die in a nuclear war. But apparently the Democrats in the Hillary/Kerry State Dept would be quite happy with that result.
The Deep State brags of its sabotage of the incoming Administration.
I don’t have to like Trump to despise this. It both seeks war and is anti-democratic, overturning the election outcome. We voted against Hillary’s New Cold War, with Hot flashes, but got it anyway.