What Does Russia Have on Trump?

As the Iran war continues - a war of choice on the part of the Felon - oil prices soar, American citizens remain firmly against the war, and fears of a wider conflict grow, there are now reports that Russia is providing intelligence to Iran to aid in targeting American bases, facilities and war ships. What does the Felon do? He eases sanctions against Russia to allow increased Russian oil exports which, of course will aid Russia in its war of aggression against Ukraine.  The AP reports as follows:

Russia has provided Iran with information that could help Tehran strike American warships, aircraft and other assets in the region, according to two officials familiar with U.S. intelligence on the matter.

The officials, who were not authorized to comment publicly on the sensitive matter and spoke on the condition of anonymity, cautioned that the U.S. intelligence has not uncovered that Russia is directing Iran on what to do with the information as the U.S. and Israel continue their bombardment and Iran fires retaliatory salvos at American assets and allies in the Persian Gulf.

[The Felon] Trump on Friday evening berated a reporter for raising the matter when he opened the floor to questions from the media at the end of a White House meeting . . . . White House officials downplayed the reports, but did not deny that Russia was sharing intelligence with Iran about U.S. targets in the region.

Like many, I have long suspected that Russia - and likely Israel as well - has blackmail information on the Felon.  This "kompromat" may have been gained by Russia itself when the Felon visited Russia in the past with salacious rumors about what Russia might have on video that the Felon does not want released.  The other possibility, of course is that Russia and Israel either received from Jeffrey Epstein or hacked damaging information, photos and or video with which they can now use to blackmail the Felon.  Much of what the Felon's regime has done has weakened - perhaps deliberately - America's standing in the world both through illegal tariffs and the alienation of allies of many decades.  Overall, the tariffs have trigger and decline in manufacturing jobs, job creation has been flat for the last six months, and now oil and gas prices are soaring and consumer prices continue to rise. None of this has "made America great again."  In a piece at Substack, Adam Kinzinger asks again the question of what Russia has on the Felon:

For years I’ve tried to avoid the easy question that floats around American politics. It’s the one people ask quietly in private conversations and loudly on cable news panels: what exactly does Russia have on Donald Trump? I’ve generally resisted going there because speculation is cheap and politics already has enough of it. Accusations without proof often become just another partisan talking point. But there comes a moment when a pattern becomes so obvious that refusing to even ask the question starts to feel dishonest. Today feels like one of those moments.

According to reporting from U.S. officials, Russia has been providing Iran with intelligence about the location of American military assets in the Middle East. That reportedly includes the positions of American ships and aircraft operating in the region. If that reporting is accurate, it means a hostile nuclear power is helping another hostile regime track American forces in the middle of an already volatile conflict. That is not some abstract geopolitical game. Those positions represent real Americans wearing the uniform. They represent the sons and daughters of families across the country who volunteered to serve and who depend on their government to protect them as they do their jobs.

What makes this moment even harder to understand is what happened at the same time. The same day these reports surfaced, the administration moved to ease restrictions that had been limiting Russian oil sales on global markets. The explanation was that it would stabilize energy supplies and help calm international markets. Maybe that calculation has an economic logic behind it, but it sends a strategic signal that is impossible to ignore. Russia is reportedly assisting a regime that has spent decades arming proxies against American troops, and the United States responds by making it easier for Russia to earn billions in oil revenue.

That contradiction is staggering. In any normal national security environment, a report that Russia was helping Iran identify American military targets would trigger a fierce bipartisan response. Congress would demand answers. Sanctions would tighten, not loosen. Intelligence agencies would be pushed to confirm what is happening and policymakers would act accordingly. Instead, the message Moscow hears is something entirely different. Russia can escalate its hostility toward the United States and still receive economic relief from Washington.

It forces a question that many Americans have been asking for years, sometimes out of frustration and sometimes out of genuine confusion. Why does Donald Trump consistently treat Vladimir Putin with a level of deference that he rarely shows to democratic allies? Over the past decade we have watched Russia interfere in American elections, wage cyber warfare against Western institutions, and invade Ukraine in a brutal war aimed at wiping a democratic country off the map. Each of those actions alone should have triggered sustained pressure from the United States. Instead, we repeatedly see hesitation and accommodation.

Now we may be looking at something even more alarming. If Russia is helping Iran track American military assets, that means Moscow is actively assisting a regime that has American blood on its hands. Iranian-backed militias have been responsible for the deaths of U.S. service members throughout the Middle East for years. When I flew missions in Iraq, everyone in uniform understood that Iranian support to militias was one of the reasons American troops faced constant danger. The idea that Russia would now help Iran in ways that could endanger American forces again should be a red line for any administration.

At the very same moment this is happening, Ukraine is offering something remarkable. After years of defending itself against Iranian-made Shahed drones used by Russia to terrorize Ukrainian cities, Ukraine has developed some of the most effective counter-drone tactics in the world. Ukrainian officials have offered to share those capabilities with the United States and our allies so we can better defend against the same technology. Think about the contrast in that moment. Ukraine, a country fighting for its survival against Russian aggression, is offering help to protect American forces. Russia, the aggressor in that war, is reportedly helping Iran gather intelligence that could put those same forces at risk.

Yet the policy signal coming out of Washington appears to reward Russia economically rather than punish it strategically. That leaves Americans wondering whether our leadership understands the basic alignment of friends and adversaries anymore. For decades the United States built alliances that made the democratic world stronger. We worked with partners who shared our interests and pushed back against regimes that threatened global stability. The current approach often seems to blur that line.

This is why the uncomfortable question keeps resurfacing. What does Russia have on Donald Trump? It is not a question people ask lightly, and it is not one that should be thrown around casually. But when the United States repeatedly responds to Russian aggression with restraint or accommodation, it becomes harder to ignore the pattern.

There is also a deeper issue at stake. The world watches how the United States responds to challenges. When adversaries see hesitation in the face of direct hostility, they interpret it as weakness. When allies see Washington reward the very powers that threaten them, they begin to question whether American leadership is still reliable. Strategic credibility is not something you can rebuild overnight once it erodes.

At some point the United States has to draw a line and make it clear that helping our enemies target American forces is unacceptable. Russia cannot simultaneously act against U.S. interests and expect economic concessions from the same government it is undermining. If these reports about Russian assistance to Iran are true, the response should be immediate and decisive. American troops deserve nothing less.