Friends of Friends

It's no secret that Donald Trump adores Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. He has never spoken a harsh word about him and is ever forgiving of Russia's transgressions.

At the same time, Trump has made a great deal about fighting terrorism and, in particular, defeating the savage ISIS.

But as The Atlantic reveals in a new article about Putin (link here), ISIS grew stronger when the Russian dictator looked the other way when people left his country to join the terrorist organization.

The article notes: When Putin was "worried about potential terror attacks in nearby Sochi during the 2014 Olympics, the Russian secret services ... allowed hundreds, if not thousands, of Islamist rebels, all of them Russian citizens, to go to Syria." Russian officials "even provided some of them with a passport and transportation to the Russian border."

President Obama stood up to the Russians and regularly condemned their actions as well as imposed sanctions. Trump, however, has done nothing, even in the face of overwhelming evidence that Putin and his henchmen are already trying to interfere with our election this year.

Foreign Policy magazine published an excellent piece last week (link here) with the title "Trump’s Attitude Toward Russia Sanctions Makes a Mockery of the United States." The President seems determined to do Russia's bidding, not that of the United States.

Many have speculated Trump's constant bowing and scraping before Putin is because the latter holds compromising information about him. Others have even wondered if Trump is Putin's agent and is loyal to Russia but not the United States.

Such ideas sound like the stuff of spy thrillers, not real-world reality. But how else do you explain why Trump constantly sides with Russia against the country where he is President? How else do you explain why Trump is quick to condemn America and Americans but hardly ever says anything negative about Russia and Kremlin oligarchs?