Within weeks, the Trump Administration has flip-flopped on Russia/China.
In Tarzan-speak, the earlier monologue was,
(Cry) Me Trump. Trump friend of Russia. China no friend of me. Me kick China butt off islands. Taiwan no part of China, me friend Taiwan. Tarzan Europe no friend.
The monologue now goes,
(Cry) Me Trump. Trump like one China Taiwan. Russia missiles no good. Trump beat Russia missiles no good treaty. Trump no let Russia beat Ukraine. Trump like Europe. Trump help Europe.
The daily drama of the Trump Administration has obscured the speed of this amazing flip-flop, in a few short weeks, from favoring the world’s largest country to conciliating the world’s most populous.
If you’re into open source, this can’t pass as mere noise. Occam’s Razor allows us the simplest explanation:
- (Reuters) Flynn violated the Logan Act. This by itself is not considered important by many. No one has ever been prosecuted under the Act. It’s happened before, with no consequence.
- Washington Post: Flynn was not truthful about the substance of his conversations with officials of the Russian government.
- There is an atmosphere of fear, engendered more by Trump’s expressed admiration for Putin than Flynn’s actions.
- Congressional apprehension of Trump’s attitude towards Russia is bipartisan.
- Hypothesis: Trump has been told that the situation, in toto, is a liability that could become a crisis. It is fear-driven.
- The flip-flop removes most of the fear, thereby vitiating the significance of the current revelations and possible future discoveries.
The above explanation is functional without the elaboration of complex conspiracy theories.