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Matthew Wilson, Political Science, Trump can’t shake his Russia problems

Washington Examiner

Originally Posted: January 12, 2017

There’s a Russian cloud over President-elect Trump’s head that could follow him all the way to the White House.

Even as titillation over a dossier purporting to show his ties to Russia hardened into skepticism, Trump’s relationship with President Vladimir Putin and the role Moscow may have played in the presidential campaign remained dominant themes of his first real press conference since winning the election.

Now Trump’s Cabinet nominees are being peppered with questions about Russia during their Senate confirmation hearings. The nomination of Rex Tillerson for secretary of state runs the risk of being bottled up in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee as a result.

Intelligence reports fingering Russia as the culprit behind the hacking of the Democratic National Committee have become a flashpoint in questions about Trump’s opaque business dealings. In some cases, they have mushroomed into conspiracy theories about Trump as Manchurian candidate. READ MORE