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Botany

(70,501 posts)
Tue Jan 15, 2019, 12:26 AM Jan 2019

Trump Discussed Pulling U.S. From NATO, Aides Say Amid New Concerns Over Russia

Source: NY Times

WASHINGTON — There are few things that President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia desires more than the weakening of NATO, the military alliance among the United States, Europe and Canada that has deterred Soviet and Russian aggression for 70 years.

Last year, President Trump suggested a move tantamount to destroying NATO: the withdrawal of the United States.

Senior administration officials told The New York Times that several times over the course of 2018, Mr. Trump privately said he wanted to withdraw from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Current and former officials who support the alliance said they feared Mr. Trump could return to his threat as allied military spending continued to lag behind the goals the president had set.

In the days around a tumultuous NATO summit meeting last summer, they said, Mr. Trump told his top national security officials that he did not see the point of the military alliance, which he presented as a drain on the United States.

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/14/us/politics/nato-president-trump.html



Trump is a Russian asset.

“Even discussing the idea of leaving NATO — let alone actually doing so — would be the gift of the
century for Putin,” Admiral Stavridis said.
33 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Trump Discussed Pulling U.S. From NATO, Aides Say Amid New Concerns Over Russia (Original Post) Botany Jan 2019 OP
K&R Scurrilous Jan 2019 #1
From the article Botany Jan 2019 #3
Fuck you, Motherfucker! Anon-C Jan 2019 #2
From the article Botany Jan 2019 #4
Impeachment for treason... RHMerriman Jan 2019 #5
+1. Putin's ambition is to restore and expand the Russian empire dalton99a Jan 2019 #10
If he were a russian trained sleeper agent straight out of the KGB, instead of a witless puppet Salviati Jan 2019 #6
Play more golf? LastLiberal in PalmSprings Jan 2019 #7
Rick Wilson made the exact same point on with DeminPennswoods Jan 2019 #17
K & R for exposure. SunSeeker Jan 2019 #8
Trump wants to give Europe to Putin. dalton99a Jan 2019 #9
+++ agree. iluvtennis Jan 2019 #11
Indeed ck4829 Jan 2019 #25
In for a dime, in for a dollar. I suspect tRump is just swinging with a wrecking ball by now. ffr Jan 2019 #12
Puppet says "Would you like fries with that treason?" flibbitygiblets Jan 2019 #13
Good one! Thank you. n/t Judi Lynn Jan 2019 #18
About a year ago, I read that Trumpy is on the phone a lot with Putin. Eyeball_Kid Jan 2019 #14
And when Putin realized that Trump wasn't moving fast enough: dalton99a Jan 2019 #16
So good! Putin has the look on his face: "If I want to hear anything from you, I'll slap it out." Judi Lynn Jan 2019 #19
those pictures say a lot Kurt V. Jan 2019 #26
So true. lark Jan 2019 #27
He has the body language of a scolded child who's been put in his place. NurseJackie Jan 2019 #31
Putin's #1 goal AlexSFCA Jan 2019 #15
You're FIRED! trusty elf Jan 2019 #20
sounds logical to me... olddad56 Jan 2019 #21
The draft-dodging republican Surrender Monkey tries to weaken America further Achilleaze Jan 2019 #22
That alone is impeachable. He is putting the country at risk still_one Jan 2019 #23
that is Putin's plan bdamomma Jan 2019 #29
no doubt still_one Jan 2019 #30
K&R ck4829 Jan 2019 #24
He is a threat to bdamomma Jan 2019 #28
KICK!!!!!!!!!! bluestarone Jan 2019 #32
+1 Power 2 the People Jan 2019 #33

Botany

(70,501 posts)
3. From the article
Tue Jan 15, 2019, 12:32 AM
Jan 2019

“It would destroy 70-plus years of painstaking work across multiple administrations, Republican and Democratic, to create perhaps the most powerful and advantageous alliance in history,” Ms. Flournoy said in an interview. “And it would be the wildest success that Vladimir Putin could dream of.”

Retired Adm. James G. Stavridis, the former supreme allied commander of NATO, said an American withdrawal from the alliance would be “a geopolitical mistake of epic proportion.”

Botany

(70,501 posts)
4. From the article
Tue Jan 15, 2019, 12:33 AM
Jan 2019

Russia’s meddling in American elections and its efforts to prevent former satellite states from joining the alliance have aimed to weaken what it views as an enemy next door, the American officials said. With a weakened NATO, they said, Mr. Putin would have more freedom to behave as he wishes, setting up Russia as a counterweight to Europe and the United States.

An American withdrawal from the alliance would accomplish all that Mr. Putin has been trying to put into motion, the officials said — essentially, doing the Russian leader’s hardest and most critical work for him.


Salviati

(6,008 posts)
6. If he were a russian trained sleeper agent straight out of the KGB, instead of a witless puppet
Tue Jan 15, 2019, 12:40 AM
Jan 2019

What would he be doing any differently?

DeminPennswoods

(15,286 posts)
17. Rick Wilson made the exact same point on with
Tue Jan 15, 2019, 02:40 AM
Jan 2019

Joy Reid this past weekend, iirc. He said something like, if Trump weren't a Russian agent, how would we know?

ffr

(22,669 posts)
12. In for a dime, in for a dollar. I suspect tRump is just swinging with a wrecking ball by now.
Tue Jan 15, 2019, 01:52 AM
Jan 2019

If people aren't going to admire how he's fleecing their pocketbooks while lining his with Russian blood money, then everybody is going to end up unhappy.

He could defect to Russia and take his family with him and I think Putin would care for them well. They've served Mother Russia handsomely. I just wonder if they have an escape plan for exiting the country they've betrayed.

Eyeball_Kid

(7,431 posts)
14. About a year ago, I read that Trumpy is on the phone a lot with Putin.
Tue Jan 15, 2019, 02:26 AM
Jan 2019

The rumor was that he talks with Putin nearly every day. If so, that explains his drive to abandon NATO, and get out of the ME. It's all Putin's plan. Trumpy is listening only to Putin.

Judi Lynn

(160,527 posts)
19. So good! Putin has the look on his face: "If I want to hear anything from you, I'll slap it out."
Tue Jan 15, 2019, 02:59 AM
Jan 2019

There's no doubt they both believe Putin is in charge!

Wowie.

Thanks.

lark

(23,097 posts)
27. So true.
Tue Jan 15, 2019, 10:19 AM
Jan 2019

Putin is upright, triumphant, the total leader snd master of the two. drumpf is slumped down, the supplicant, the abject toady of his obvious master. That is the nature of their relationship. I bet PUtin is tired of Cheetollinis whining, I can't pull out of NATO, they will crucify me and the drumpf/russia ruling coalition will be over.

AlexSFCA

(6,137 posts)
15. Putin's #1 goal
Tue Jan 15, 2019, 02:29 AM
Jan 2019

There is nothing more important to him than to destroy NATO. I really wish other countries that are part of NATO would start imposing sanction on the US to censure trump. We are struggling to contain him from withing, help from our allies would be handy. In many ways we are preaching to the choir here as most of us were well aware of trump treason for over a year. As I said before we are likely going to enter the most dangerous period of our country soon where nothing is off the charts.

olddad56

(5,732 posts)
21. sounds logical to me...
Tue Jan 15, 2019, 04:38 AM
Jan 2019

if you are at a point where you know Trump is a Russian agent, then why wuldn't he do as much damage to the US as he can, while he can. His days are numbered. but, as a democracy, so are we.

bdamomma

(63,845 posts)
28. He is a threat to
Tue Jan 15, 2019, 11:27 AM
Jan 2019

our country period.

He just needs to be arrested. Can we exclude him from this right.



In the United States, a person is considered innocent until proven guilty. The 14th amendment to the US Constitution guarantees to every person, aliens included, “equal protection under the law.”

tRump should be given nothing.

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