Now, a lot of this is coincidence but I think I am getting a handle on things.
In the middle of an impeachment inquiry, why is it that Barr is flying all over the place not to find ways out of the mess, but trying to discredit the Mueller report? Why are they still hiding these conversations on the top secret server when they know Congress is aware of it now?
Remember, Barr already let Trump off the hook on this matter. He cannot be tried or even indicted while seated as POTUS. Trump took this as a total vindication. So why all of this flying around and talking to all these countries about discrediting Russian influence on the 2016 elections? On the surface it doesn’t make a lot of sense.
Until you really think about it.
Let’s go back to the Russian invasion of Crimea and Ukraine in 2014 (?). The result was a series of sanctions and eviction from the G8, which then became the G7. Those sanctions specifically targeted businesses run by Oligarchs within Russia. They hurt them quite badly.
At the time the Ukraine had pro-Russian folks in place as leaders and prosecutors, protecting Russian interests. Mannafort was employed by one of these guys, Poroshenko I believe, covertly. This is a major reason he is in jail now, he didn’t disclose this nor the income he made.
Ukraine was hurting in this incursion and needed assistance from the IMF, the World Bank, the European Union and the US. But Poroshenko was a stooge for Russia and the Prosecutors there routinely allowed Ukrainian oligarchs to run rampant with corruption. It was in our and Europe’s interest that the Ukraine get assistance, but it was also important to stop Russian influence and corruption there. Biden headed this effort and got the worst Prosecutor, Shokin, fired as a condition to getting aid to Ukraine. Shokin refused to investigate corrupt businesses, like the one Biden’s kid worked for a few years later, because they were linked to Ukrainian leaders linked to Russia.
By getting Shokin out, and getting outsiders into the boards of these companies, there was less corruption and aid started coming in.
So, now Russia loses influence in the Ukraine and still has these crippling sanctions. Then the 2016 elections come up. Mannafort’s guy, Trump, is running and the Russians decide he is their guy. The Trump tower meeting was about lifting sanctions in exchange for help in the election. When Trump was inaugurated Flynn’s first call was to Russians about sanction relief. But the problem? New sanctions put in place by Obama due to the Russian interference.
So, now 2 sets of sanctions and exclusion from the G8.
How does Russia get out of it? You have to approach it from 2 fronts. First, you need to end the Ukraine confrontation to get them back into the G8 and end the first set of sanctions. Trump delays aid initially by delaying aid in 2017 in the form of supplying Javelin missiles to fend off Russian tanks and helicopters and then holding them up again in 2019. Money the Ukrainians can get from the EU but they NEED these missiles. He uses this as leverage to not only dig up dirt on the Bidens but also to push for an end to the conflict, even stating that if the Ukrainian President comes to terms with Russia he can come to the White House.
Now for the 2016 election sanctions, you need to find some way that you can shift the blame off the Russians and onto either the Ukraine or somewhere else. Thus the talk about Cloudstrike, Barr flying around trying to find some way to discredit the Mueller report, anything to stop these sanctions.
I don’t think Trump actually cares who burns in his own administration at this point, he wants these sanctions gone for whatever reason. Is it to help Russia or is it to somehow validate his win in 2016? If it was just that, he would have stopped looking since he is ostensibly free and clear but he keeps pushing for some reason. I honestly believe it is to find some way to get Russian sanctions lifted.
Sorry for the length of the post, but there is a lot to consider, thanks for reading.