Askold Lozynskyj
“The top leader of the world’s foremost superpower is, objectively, a Soviet or Russian asset,” Portugal’s President de Sousa said, according to the Portugal Pulse’s report. “He operates as an asset.”
Certainly, a strong and damning accusation. Portugal is not some outlier state. It is a founding member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Certainly, this is a statement by a very high official.
I am certain that many high officials of NATO member states and others have shared this sentiment at the very least in their minds and, perhaps, in private conversation. Diplomacy requires a level of restraint especially when dealing with a super power upon whom you have and may need to rely in the future.
The statement itself carries a bifurcated message. One is that Donald Trump may actually be a Russian asset or at the very least, he operates as such. In criminal law, the message is that while there may not be a “smoking gun” or a document which specifically identifies Donald Trump as a member of some Russian secret service, there is certainly ample circumstantial evidence of this fact. Most criminal cases are decided on circumstantial evidence.
Consider two instances of joint appearances at a press conference by Donald Trump as President of the United States of America and Vladimir Putin as Strongman of the Russian Federation, two seemingly adversarial countries with very different forms of government.
The first was in July 2018 in Helsinki, Finland, a particularly interesting venue since Finland has a long border with Russia and a sad history. Donald Trump was faced with an apparent dilemma, accepting the findings of American intelligence or the words of Vladimir Putin. He chose Putin. On a global stage this was much more than disgraceful. It was a betrayal of American intelligence and thus treasonous.
The second instance took place very recently in August of this year in Anchorage, Alaska, also a very interesting venue given its history of belonging to both countries at different times. It was not simply a working meeting. Trump rolled out the red carpet and applauded Putin upon his arrival. Immediately prior to the summit, Trump had reached a consensus by his own admission with his European allies including Ukraine that if Putin did not agree to an immediate ceasefire Trump would walk. Putin did not agree. Trump did not walk. He betrayed his agreement and his European allies. Russia brutally bombed Ukraine the day before the meeting and the day after. Nothing else really mattered except that allegedly promises were made and not kept and the bottom line is that Putin has had a free hand ever since.
The first example was a case of treason. The second was betrayal. Two very significant and related acts that point directly, albeit circumstantially, to Trump’s acts as that of a Russian asset. Treason is betrayal of one’s country. Betrayal goes beyond the country itself and extends to others.
There is so much more, however. Trump’s actions in undermining American democracy during the January 6, 2021 attack upon the Capitol as well as many of his Executive Orders undermining Congress during his second term and contempt for judicial rulings are all significant factors in establishing his treasonous behavior as President.
No one outside the Kremlin has done more to support Russia, its aggression in Ukraine, and undermine American democracy than Donald J. Trump.
A case for impeachment certainly can be made but not with this House. A trial in the Senate would be fruitless. Consider such objective paragons of morality and democracy as Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina who would constitute the jury.
What should be done is to make a clear case for America and the world that Donald J. Trump is a Russian asset. There is no other reasonable explanation for Trump. This is no longer a Ukrainian or American issue. It is a concern for all people who believe that Russia is a global scourge and the best weapon against authoritarianism is democracy. Otherwise, we may not only lose Ukraine, but America as a bulwark of democracy. The Founding Fathers and Mothers would never forgive us.
August 30, 2025