The claim in a new book that former President Donald Trump had as many as seven private telephone conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin since leaving the White House has refocused attention on their politically tense relationship and on Mr. Trump’s sustained dialogue with foreign leaders as he seeks to return to power.
It is not surprising in itself that a former president would maintain ties with his foreign counterparts. However, details from journalist Bob Woodward’s book, Warare raising eyebrows in light of a special prosecutor investigation that examined potential ties between Russia and the 2016 Republican campaign during Donald Trump’s presidency.
Mr. Woodward also addressed Mr. Trump’s more recent criticism of U.S. aid to Ukraine as that country fends off Russia’s invasion, statements that hinted at a potential overhaul of American politics if the Republican candidate is elected.
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Republican candidate Donald Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in New York on September 27. (Archive photo)
Photo : Reuters / Shannon Stapleton
I would caution any foreign leader against trusting Vladimir Putin, said Emily Harding, who led the Senate Intelligence Committee’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. She is now an expert in national security at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Mr. Trump’s campaign team has denied the reports, as has the Kremlin, which is working to influence the 2024 election in favor of Donald Trump, according to US officials.
Serious concerns
Asked at a news conference Wednesday, White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said the administration would have serious concerns if the reported calls were true.
We are not aware of these calls. I certainly can’t confirm any of those calls from here, she said.
But if this is indeed true, are we “worried”? Do we have serious concerns? Yes.
A quote from Karine Jean-Pierre, White House spokesperson
It’s no secret that Mr. Trump has held numerous meetings over the past year with top world leaders. He welcomed the nationalist Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orban, and the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.
He also met in New York last April with Polish President Andrzej Duda and met Volodymyr Zelensky during the Ukrainian president’s trip to the United States last month.
The meetings offer Mr. Trump an opportunity to differentiate his approach to foreign policy from that of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee. He can at the same time consolidate his ties if he recovers the White House.
During Mr. Netanyahu’s July visit, Mr. Trump boasted of a great relationship, creating an unspoken contrast with the more tense dynamic between the Israeli leader and Mr. Biden.
A long history
Although these meetings are publicly known, Bob Woodward’s book cites an anonymous aide who said Mr. Trump and Mr. Putin had as many as seven private calls.
That adds to long-standing questions about their relationship and what Donald Trump might be trying to accomplish, noted Robert Orttung, a professor of international politics at George Washington University.
We never really understood why he likes Putin so much and why he tries to develop such a close relationship with someone who is clearly an adversary and against everything the United States stands for.
A quote from Robert Orttung, professor of international politics at George Washington University
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Donald Trump speaks with Vladimir Putin during the G20 Summit in Osaka, Japan, in 2019. (File photo)
Photo: Reuters / Kevin Lamarque
Some allegations about ties between Mr. Trump and his allies and Russia have proven exaggerated or faded over time, but the issue continues to be a topic of discussion. the subject of considerable public scrutiny, including since the departure of Donald Trump.
The FBI and special prosecutor Robert Mueller spent several years investigating whether Russia collaborated with the 2016 Trump campaign to tip the balance in favor of the outcome of the election.
Although investigators did not establish a criminal conspiracy, they found that the Trump campaign welcomed aid from Russia during the election campaign and that the Russian government felt it would benefit from a Trump presidency. .
In 2018, after meeting with Mr. Putin in Helsinki, Mr. Trump memorably and publicly questioned his own intelligence agencies’ conclusion that Russia had interfered in the election.
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Special prosecutor Robert Mueller investigated allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election.
Photo : The Associated Press / Carolyn Kaster
I have great confidence in my intelligence community, but I can tell you that President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today, Mr. Trump said at the time. He added this: He only said that it was not Russia. I will say this: I see no reason why that would be the case.
Pretty smart to have invaded Ukraine
More recently, Donald Trump called Vladimir Putin pretty smart for invading Ukraine and praised Russia’s military record in historic conflicts, saying last month: As someone else told me day, they beat Hitler, they beat Napoleon. That’s what they do. They fight. And it’s not pleasant.
Bob Woodward’s book, which also claims that Mr. Trump secretly sent Mr. Putin COVID-19 tests at the height of the pandemic, does not describe the content of their conversations.
Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung denied the conversations took place, calling the famous Watergate reporter’s book the work of a truly demented and deranged man with a morbid case. of hatred syndrome against Trump.
Mr. Trump complained at a campaign event Wednesday: I had to spend years talking to Russia, Russia, Russia, and they knew it was wrong.
A Kremlin spokesperson also denied that the calls took place.
Details in the book have reignited debate over the Logan Act, a 1799 law that prohibits U.S. citizens from attempting to intervene in disputes or controversies between the United States and foreign powers without government approval.
This law has resulted in only two criminal cases, none since the 1850s and none resulting in a criminal conviction. Former presidents, from Richard Nixon to Jimmy Carter to Bill Clinton, have held meetings with international figures after leaving the White House.