'Who's that good for?': Maddow connects the dots on Donald Trump's behavior toward Russia

Summary

Rachel Maddow delves into the perplexing behavior of Donald Trump and the Republican Party, especially around issues involving Russia. Maddow highlights actions like disbanding task forces aimed at countering Russian influence and lifting sanctions, which seem to inexplicably align with Russian interests. These moves raise questions about the motivations behind such actions and who benefits from them, hinting at ties between Trump and Russian agendas.

Highlights

• Republican leaders appear flustered and puzzled when discussing Trump's Russia policies. 😕
• There's a reluctance to disclose communications with Putin post-presidency, raising suspicions. 🤐
• Key enforcement units combating foreign influence from Russia are disbanded under Trump's administration. 🔨
• Security protocols are weakened without background checks for clearances, raising espionage concerns. 🔑
• Trump's proposed foreign policy shifts, like exiting NATO, could significantly benefit Russian interests. 🌍

Key Takeaways

• Trump's actions, such as dismantling task forces combating Russian influence, seem to serve Russian interests. 🔍
• Republican unease is apparent when questioned about Trump's relationship with Putin and his policies. 🤔
• There are alarming security measures, like granting temporary security clearances without background checks, raising concerns. 🚨
• Trump's administration made significant policy changes that could weaken U.S. national security and benefit foreign adversaries, notably Russia. 🔄
• Rhetoric from Trump and some Republicans suggests a shift in U.S. foreign policy that could align with Russian preferences. 🛑

Overview

In a deep dive into the intricate web of U.S. politics, Rachel Maddow connects puzzling dots surrounding Donald Trump's dealings and resulting policies favorable to Russia. Maddow lists a series of actions taken immediately following various appointments in Trump's circle, such as disbanding key task forces aimed at curbing Russian influence. These actions suggest a concerning alignment of U.S. policy with Russian interests, prompting questions and criticisms about the true motivations behind such moves.

Maddow highlights the bafflement among Republican leaders when faced with questions regarding Trump's opaque relations with Putin. The reluctance to discuss conversations or policies involving Russia raises suspicions and showcases a broader GOP struggle to rationalize these controversial decisions. The segment stresses the difficulty Republicans face in reconciling and defending such transparently advantageous stances toward Russia before their constituents.

Security concerns are at the forefront, with Maddow pointing to policy shifts that compromise national security, such as allowing security clearances without thorough background checks. These decisions, paired with proposals to alter significant foreign policies like NATO membership, suggest a deeper, unsettling shift in priorities possibly skewed to benefit Russian agendas. Maddow paints a picture of an administration whose actions warrant scrutiny and provoke debate over the direction of U.S. governance.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 01:00: Republican Reactions and Trump's Relations with Russia The chapter discusses the challenges Republicans face with questions about Trump's relations with Russia. They express frustration and confusion, often trying to sidestep the issue. The narrative highlights reactions such as being brusque, annoyed, or perplexed, as exemplified by figures like Senator Lisa Murkowski. The chapter also touches upon the broader controversy surrounding Trump's connections with Putin.
• 02:30 - 05:00: Controversial Decisions by Attorney General Pam Bondi The chapter discusses controversial decisions made by Attorney General Pam Bondi. The transcript provided is a partial conversation, possibly about a sensitive issue involving talking to Vladimir Putin. The speaker refuses to comment on their communications with Putin, both during and after their presidency, triggering curiosity and speculation among observers. The refusal to disclose information leads to frustration among people who are eager to understand the nature of these discussions and decisions.
• 06:00 - 09:00: Impact on Security Agencies and Personnel This chapter focuses on the complex dynamics and implications of communication, or lack thereof, between leaders, in this case between an unnamed speaker and President Putin. There appears to be tension and sensitivity surrounding the subject of whether this speaker has communicated with Putin recently. The conversation hints at political sensitivity and perhaps a strategic reluctance to disclose details of their interactions. This tension could indicate broader implications for international relations and the perceived transparency of political communications.
• 11:00 - 13:00: Concerns About Security Clearances and Foreign Influence The chapter discusses the complexities and challenges faced by Republicans in addressing issues related to security clearances and foreign influence, particularly in the context of Vladimir Putin and Russia. The conversation hints at reluctance or inability to openly discuss certain aspects of the topic, suggesting underlying tensions or sensitivities.
• 15:00 - 17:30: International Relations and Military Strategy The chapter discusses the complications and challenges faced by Republicans in articulating their stance on various international relations and military strategies. The focus is on actions taken by the administration when Donald Trump was in office, which are seen as controversial or detrimental to U.S. interests, such as switching sides in a war or engaging in other counterproductive strategies. The narrative suggests that these actions are consistent, persistent, and difficult to justify, highlighting the political struggles within the party amid these contentious decisions.
• 19:00 - 20:00: Speculations on U.S. Governance Under Foreign Influence The chapter discusses the implications of foreign influence on U.S. governance, focusing on a specific incident involving Donald Trump's attorney general, Pam Bondi. On her first day, Bondi disbanded task forces related to foreign influence and Russian sanctions, highlighting a controversial decision that raises questions about the transparency and priorities of the administration. The chapter examines why there might be a reluctance to address this topic and the significance of such decisions in the broader context of U.S. governance.

'Who's that good for?': Maddow connects the dots on Donald Trump's behavior toward Russia Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 Republicans are having a hard time with this they try to move on to the next question they express annoyance with their own constituents for asking about it they get brusk and short in their answers or like Senator Lisa marowski they just purport to be really perplexed really confused really scratching my head they have a hard time with this all the Republicans do especially the guy at the top you just mentioned Putin though and this has been this controversy the past week can you say yes or no whether you
• 00:30 - 01:00 have talked to Vladimir Putin since you stopped being president well I don't comment on that if I have a relation sound I don't I don't talk about no I don't talk about that talk about I don't talk about I don't talk about that I don't ever say why don't you talk about it I don't ever say about why not what does that mean I mean that that was right before the election but it continued after the elction ction and people get so mad when
• 01:00 - 01:30 I play this tape people get very angry with me when I play this tape but you know honestly bring it on makes me appreciate it all the more because clearly at least it strikes a nerve watch have you talked to President Putin no I have not you haven't talked to President Putin since you've been eled no well I don't want to say that but I haven't spoken to him recently so you've spoken to President Putin since you've I don't want to say that I don't want to say anything about that to talk who have you spoken to I don't want to say so
• 01:30 - 02:00 you've already spoken of Vladimir Putin I don't want to say that I don't you want to I don't want to say I don't want to say I can't say why can't you say why can't you say what precludes you from saying listen it's Friday night let's just do this let's just cut to the chase here let's do a little look see at the landscape to see why exactly it is so hard uh for Republicans to deal with this topic what exactly is so hard for
• 02:00 - 02:30 Republicans to talk about what exactly is it that we are doing up to and including switching sides in a war but it's it's not limited to that it's and it's all things that that don't seem like good news for the United States that makes them particularly hard to talk about but nevertheless with Donald Trump back in the white house we keep doing these things relentlessly and urgently and they all cut in the same direction and it's really hard for Republicans to explain
• 02:30 - 03:00 because of what it obviously means it's clear why they do not want to talk about this stuff and it gets all the more clear when you just line this stuff up let me let me show you what I mean here's one uh Donald Trump's handpicked attorney general she gets sworn in to lead the US justice department on her first day on the job what is the first thing she does headline us Cuts task forces on foreign influence and Russian sanctions quote in a memo sent to staff Wednesday us attorney general Pam Bondi revealed she had disbanded the foreign
• 03:00 - 03:30 influence task force a unit dedicated to investigating violations of the foreign agents registration act Bondi did not elaborate but figures on the Republican party's conspiratorial far right have accused the government of abusing Farah to unfairly Target political operatives like Paul manfor Trump's 2016 campaign chair who was indicted in a probe into Russian influence in that Year's us election also on Wednesday the day of her swearing in Bondi disbanded task
• 03:30 - 04:00 force klepto capture an initiative started in 20122 to enforce sanctions against Russia who's all that good for shutting down the foreign influence task force shutting down enforcement of the foreign agents registration act and getting rid of the task force that enforces sanctions against Russia who are all those things good for why' we do those
• 04:00 - 04:30 things and so urgently her first day on the job uh here's another one which happened that same day quote in a little notice directive on her first day in office attorney general Pam Bondi ordered a halt to a years- old federal law enforcement effort to combat secret influence campaigns by China Russia and other adversaries that try to Curry favor and sew chaos in American politics buried on the fourth page of one of 14 policy memos Bondi issued Wednesday the order disbands the FBI's foreign infl infuence task force last year just dep
• 04:30 - 05:00 justice department prosecutors and FBI agents exposed an alleged scheme in which Russia backed media funneled $10 million to a conservative Us Media company that hired prominent right-wing influencers here's how the New York Times bannered that one bluntly quote Trump dismantles government fight against foreign influence operations dozens of employees who had been working to fight foreign interference in US elections have been reassigned or forced
• 05:00 - 05:30 out that includes not only the FBI but also sisa the cyber security division at Homeland Security which we soon learned um the president's top campaign donor had installed a 19-year-old operative who reportedly personally operates websites in Russia and who has been associated with multiple criminal cyber hacking gangs that's who the president's top campaign donor installed at s giving him
• 05:30 - 06:00 full access to systems and data at the US government cyber security agency a 19-year-old kid with ties to Russia and cyber crime who's that good for how do you explain to your constituents who that's good for and why we are doing that as a country and what else what else is hard to explain to Ye Old constituents when it comes to that radical switch in the US government that Lisa marowski
• 06:00 - 06:30 described how about this headline CIA plan's largest mass firing in nearly 50 years well that's good for someone who's that good for that came right after this oh Trump's new handpicked CIA director sent a list of CIA employees to the White House in an unclassified email quote current officials confirm that the CIA had sent the names of employees to the office of personnel management complying with an executive order signed by president Trump Senator Mark Warner
• 06:30 - 07:00 top Democrat on the intelligence committee wrote that the sharing of the officers names was a quote disastrous National Security development one former agency officer called the reporting of the names in an unclassified email a quote Counter Intelligence disaster ah yes a disaster for the United States and for us intelligence in particular but very good news for someone hey speaking of things that ought to be classified
• 07:00 - 07:30 headline how Trump's security clearances order could make the us vulnerable the plan to give temporary security clearances without background checks opens the door to breaches and Espionage experts say giving out security clearances without background checks that look for things like you know criminal entanglements lots of debt anything that they could blackmail you over or any contacts with foreign governments to make sure that you're not you know
• 07:30 - 08:00 secretly working for we're not doing the background checks anymore Trump just has ordered that the classified material be made available to whoever he says with no checks that doesn't seem like good news for the United States but again it's good news for someone uh how about when they decided that the first agency they would destroy would be usaid who cheered the loudest for that
• 08:00 - 08:30 Russia welcomes usaid Cuts calls agency machine for interfering yeah it was it was fantastic news for someone no one was seen to benefit more or to be more loudly cheering it on than Vladimir Putin and that was before the specific news confirmed today that among the projects Trump is explicitly and specifically turning off right now this week is the program by which the US helps Ukraine keep its
• 08:30 - 09:00 electric grid up and running even though Russia has repeatedly targeted that electric grid throughout the war because Russia's idea of how it wants to win the unprovoked war it declared on our Ally is to make the civilian population including kids and the elderly and hospital patients and everyone their best idea for how to prosecute that war is to cause them to freeze to death by bombing the electric grid in February so more than any other evident
• 09:00 - 09:30 targeting they have targeted the electric grid that serves the civilian population in Ukraine it is the United States that has helped Ukraine masterfully keep the power grid up despite those repeated onslaughts by Russia until this week when Trump just cut it off which is good news for someone right
• 09:30 - 10:00 president dressed up the defense secretary he handpicked off the cast of The Fox and Friends Weekend show put him in a bright blue suit and sent him to Europe where he volunteered unasked that Ukraine can't be expected to keep all of its own territory he said that would be quote unrealistic it would be quote unrealistic to not let Russia take parts of Ukraine he then volunteered on asked that Ukraine will not be allowed to join NATO now we've got prot Trump Republican
• 10:00 - 10:30 Senators saying yeah not just Ukraine won't be allowed in NATO we ought to get out of nat too which of course would collapse NATO who would that most benefit who for whom would that be really really good news Donald Trump says let's let Russia back into the G7 Donald Trump is reportedly preparing right now for his own big in-person Summit with Vladimir Putin Donald Trump
• 10:30 - 11:00 already started highlevel meetings between the Russian and US governments including inex an inexplicable three and a half hour meeting specifically between the president's real estate friend and Vladimir Putin himself Steve witkoff came back from that meeting and how'd that go went pretty well for someone headline paring Putin and Trump witkoff says Russia was Ed into invading Ukraine headline Trump
• 11:00 - 11:30 Envoy can't name a single concession Russia will make in peace deal what does it seem like is going on here imagine if a foreign adversary imagine if the Putin government somehow could just do a thought experiment imagine they could somehow exert control or influ uence over the government of the United States
• 11:30 - 12:00 what do you think the Putin government would have the US government do if he could control it what kind of headlines would you expect to see about the operations of our government under that kind of a scenario and what would you expect the news out of the Oval Office and the White House to look like on a day like today for