Russian state TV has bragged that Donald Trump is an ‘agent’ of Moscow following foreign minister Sergey Lavrov’s visit to the White House.
The day after the closed-door meeting, news channel Rossiya 1 ran a segment entitled ‘Puppet Master and “Agent” – How to Understand Lavrov’s Meeting With Trump’.
On Sunday another popular talk show, Sunday Evening With Vladimir Soloviev, also discussed Trump and the possibility that the Democrats will get elected – plunging relations with Moscow back into the deep freeze.
At one point the host joked ‘should we get another apartment in Rostov ready for Trump’ – a reference to Kremlin-backed former leader of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych, who went into hiding in Rostov after being ousted by pro-democracy protesters.
Former U.S. Navy intelligence officer Malcolm Nance said he believes Trump has gone from a “useful idiot” to an “unwitting asset” of Russia.
Nance says Trump was “making enormous quantities of money from the Russian oligarchy” from doing business in Moscow.
“That is when he came to Russia and it became very clear to the Russians this man could go from a useful idiot — which he was, you know, he wasn’t a communist, he just wanted to build a tower in 1988,” Nance said, “But move from a useful idiot onto an unwitting asset, where he’s being used and he doesn’t know it.”
Nance alleged that by 2014 Trump could see the world “only through Moscow’s point of view” due to money that Russia could make available to him.
“Is he, next step, a Russian asset, where he is aware of those activities?” Nance said, adding that Russia probe special counsel “Robert Mueller said yes. That he was well aware that he was going to benefit from Russia.”
In January after the FBI started an investigation into whether Trump was acting as a foreign agent for Russia, Trump dodged the question from Fox News host Jeanine Pirro.
“Are you now or have you ever worked for Russia Mr. President?” Pirro said.
“I think it’s the most insulting thing I’ve ever been asked,” Trump said, brushing off a Washington Post story stating that he tried to conceal talks with Putin.
Russian state TV has swung between supporting and vilifying Trump during his first term in office, as the president has alternately courted and pushed back on relations with Moscow.
The latest round of support from pro-Kremlin media comes as Republicans push the theory that Ukraine was involved in the 2016 hacking of Democrat party emails.
Intelligence agencies and the Mueller report concluded that Russia was behind the hack in an attempt to interfere in the election.
Trump tweeted: ‘Just had a very good meeting with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and representatives of Russia.
‘Discussed many items including Trade, Iran, North Korea, INF Treaty, Nuclear Arms Control, and Election Meddling. Look forward to continuing our dialogue in the near future!’
Back in 2017, it was Russian news agency TASS that fired out jovial photos of Trump, Lavrov, and former Russian ambassador to the U.S. Sergei Kislyak in the midst of intense focus on Russia.
Trump had fired former FBI director James Comey the day prior to the meeting.
Lavrov visited the White House for the meeting Tuesday on the day Democrats unveiled impeachment articles against the president pegged to his dealings with Ukraine.
Lavrov was greeted by reporters, including a CNN correspondent who asked the longtime Russian diplomat whether his country would interfere in the U.S. elections in 2020.
Lavrov said only that he looked forward to meeting the president.
He was inside the building for about an hour.
U.S. intelligence agencies concluded that Russia intervened in the 2016 elections in a Kremlin-backed hacking operation whose primary purpose was to U.S. sow divisions and hurt Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.
And on the other side of Washington, House Democrats were invoking Trump’s invitation for Russia to obtain Hillary Clinton’s emails during the 2016 campaign.
‘Trump, Lavrov, and Pompeo are meeting in private this afternoon. What conspiracy are they cooking up today?’ wrote Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer of New York on Twitter.
Said House Foreign Affairs Chairman Rep. Eliot Engel: ‘The last time President Trump welcomed Lavrov to Washington, he handed the Russians classified information, undermining our national security.’ He continued: ‘With President Trump, all roads lead to Putin. The American people deserve to know what happens at this meeting.’