‘Kremlingate’ by Trump Jr.: Straight From a Cheap Spy Novel

So far, many Republicans have dismissed the Russian investigation as a witch hunt. Trump Jr.’s emails, however, are now evidence of a secret deal with Moscow. The FBI will have a close look into these affairs.

Now we know from his own emails that Donald Trump’s, son Donald Jr., was thrilled at the prospect of getting incriminating material on Hillary Clinton from the Russian government. This is the quintessence of the most recent revelations about a connection between the Trump campaign and Russia.

It all reads like a cheap spy novel. A meeting with a Russian government lawyer is scheduled and arranged through a British pop producer and a Russian pop star acting as an agent, who is also the son of a very wealthy oligarch with contacts to Putin.

There is a promise of incriminating material on Clinton that originates from the highest levels of the Russian government and seems to be part of a Russian campaign supporting Trump. And Donald Jr. happily agrees, instead of calling the FBI straightaway. And he brings along the top people of Trump’s election campaign to the meeting with the Russian lawyer.

Many Republicans dismiss the Russian investigation as a witch hunt and an obsession of the left-wing media. Trump describes it as fake news and continues to spread doubts about the intelligence apparatus’ view that Moscow massively interfered in the election campaign in favor of Trump.

Many Lies Unmasked

Donald Jr’s disclosed emails show two things: First, there was a definite willingness during Trump’s campaign to accept help from the Russians, and second, it was common knowledge among Trump supporters that Moscow was on Trump’s side very early on.

Donald Jr. said that the meeting with the Russian lawyer did not yield any exploitable results. However, Trump’s son has changed his version of events numerous times since. And statements made from people close to Trump about contacts with the Russians have been demasked as lies so often that you cannot believe anything that is said by the White House on that topic.

FBI special investigator Robert Mueller will, at any rate, take a very close look at the affair. It made it look like something was going on between Russian agencies and the Trump camp. We do not know if more came of it. The emails, however, are the strongest evidence for secret agreements with Moscow to date.

“Prosecutors [are] building a wall of evidence, brick by brick,” wrote Randall Eliason, an expert on criminal law at George Washington University in the Washington Post, “With these emails, Donald Trump Jr. just delivered a wheelbarrow full of bricks to the special counsel’s office.”