THREAD: Has anyone noticed the very disturbing overlap between Trump’s insistence on preventing his own staff from learning about discussions with Putin at the Hamburg G20 meeting in July 2017 and how he handled initial revelations about the infamous Trump Tower meeting? 1/

https://twitter.com/gregpmiller/status/1084229345764392960

Consider the following timeline: on July 7–8, 2017,Trump attends the G-20 summit in Hamburg, Germany the site of his first face to face encounter with Putin. 2/

Wow. Without fanfare, a comprehensive archive of White House documents covering nearly all of Bill Clinton’s meetings and phone calls with Boris Yeltsin from 1993-1999 has been declassified and is now online. clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/items/show/575… 1/ These previously close-hold memcons, talking points, discussion papers, and diplomatic messages reveal how high-level diplomacy and the national security bureaucracy actually worked at key moments in history. 2/

Sometimes @realDonaldTrump doesn't get enough credit for being transparent about his secret dealings with Putin, including this week's meeting in Helsinki. 1/ Consider this eye-popping exchange with Sean Hannity on Monday about teaming up with Russia on terrorism and to stop “proxy wars.” foxnews.com/transcript/201… 2/

Once again: Trump is parroting Kremlin talking points. Who on earth could have planted this riff in his head about tiny Montenegro possibly starting World War III? #ThisIsNotNormal 🤔1/

https://twitter.com/ccaryl/status/1019544026968715265

Trump was asked by Tucker Carlson: "Let’s say Montenegro — which joined [NATO] last year — is attacked. Why should my son go to Montenegro to defend it from attack?” 2/

Must-read: FBI counter-intelligence agent's affidavit in connection with Maria Butina's arrest for seeking to influence US politics at direction of Russian government. This is how it works 1/ justice.gov/opa/press-rele… FBI special agent explains what Russian influence operations are, the strategic intent behind and why Russian penetrations of US political institutions and policymaking circles are dangerous 2/

Key point in this excellent thread by Moscow-based @AlexGabuev: Putin had ample warning from within his own govt that meddling in the 2016 election would be easily traceable and create unpredictable blowback for the Kremlin 1/

https://twitter.com/AlexGabuev/status/1017848389625634816

Why did Putin blaze such a reckless path? Partly it's because the lesson of the war in Ukraine was that risky undertakings can really pay off--esp if Russia's adversaries are afraid of escalation 2/

“Our longstanding rival Russia is exploiting a new playbook to divide us from within and to separate us from our allies” @MarkWarner #GlobalRussia “Mr. Putin has at his disposal a wide array of nonconventional tools...these are designed to help Russia undermine its enemies in the West....many are deployed by non-state surrogates” @MarkWarner #GlobalRussia

Marion Le Pen, who addresses #CPAC tmrw right after @VP Pence, has some conspicuously dreadful Russian pals—eg Duma deputy and all-purpose nutter Yev.Fyodorov 1/

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You may remember seeing Fyodorov’s telegenic staffer Maria Kostonova in 2016 flaunting her support for (surprise) Donald Trump 2/

1/ I'd forgotten this: George Papadopoulos, who repeatedly tried to set up a Putin-Trump meeting per @WashPost, is tied to Sergei Millian... 2/ NYC real estate broker Millian attracted FBI scrutiny due to ties w Russian govt entity targeting US biz figures ft.com/content/ea52a6…