Nice Doing Business With You, Moscow

That Trump campaign members may have colluded with Kremlin officials is a huge problem. But that the U.S. president may still have substantial interests in Russia is an even bigger issue.

On this episode of The E.R., Max Boot joins us to discuss his new book "The Road Not Taken."
On this episode of The E.R., Max Boot joins us to discuss his new book "The Road Not Taken."
On this episode of The E.R., Max Boot joins us to discuss his new book "The Road Not Taken."

On this week’s second episode of The E.R., David Rothkopf, Susan Hennessey, Kori Schake, and David Sanger continue the conversation about the ongoing Trump-Russia ties. The team takes a closer look at the alleged business ties between the U.S. president and Russia, and discuss various scenarios as to why Trump and many of his closest advisors are so keen to keep the Kremlin out of the spotlight.

On this week’s second episode of The E.R., David Rothkopf, Susan Hennessey, Kori Schake, and David Sanger continue the conversation about the ongoing Trump-Russia ties. The team takes a closer look at the alleged business ties between the U.S. president and Russia, and discuss various scenarios as to why Trump and many of his closest advisors are so keen to keep the Kremlin out of the spotlight.

Could it be that the Trump family business has multiple long-term ties to Moscow and have become dependent on the cash flow? Or does Russia have financial and criminal leverage that could pose significant issues for the current administration? Oh, and don’t forget, the president is still receiving quarterly briefings on the business empire from which he has supposedly divested and removed himself.

The panel then turns to other potential concerns that could have a negative cumulative effect on the administration. What other bombshells are waiting that have yet to be discovered? It’s only been two months, but with the whirlwind attention and media coverage the administration is receiving, it feels like two years.

Susan Hennessey is a fellow in national security in governance studies at the Brookings Institution. She is also managing editor of the Lawfare blog. Follow her on Twitter at: @Susan_Hennessey.

Kori Schake is a research fellow at the Hoover Institution, where she focuses on military history, and a former foreign-policy advisor to Sen. John McCain. Follow her on Twitter at: @KoriSchake.

David Sanger is the national security correspondent for the New York Times and author of Confront and Conceal: Obama’s Secret Wars and Surprising Use of American Power. Follow him on Twitter at: @SangerNYT.

David Rothkopf is the CEO and editor of the FP Group. Follow him on Twitter at: @djrothkopf.

Tune in, now twice a week, to FP’s The E.R.  

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