If Russia has a hostile aim to weaken the U.S., creating the widespread belief that half the political class is actually the craven pawn of the Kremlin is almost as useful as actually subverting our democracy. America’s institutions work, in part, because America’s political class is able to assume the good faith and patriotism even of their partisan opponents. When deep disagreement over foreign policy priorities becomes the occasion for calling each other traitors, we are rapidly heading toward real political dysfunction.
Right now, we are dealing with shady suggestion, anonymous reports, and rumor. But even if these reports are bulletproof truth, would anyone be surprised? Of course a rival like Russia pursues its own interests. If Russia was the source of the WikiLeaks document dumping, it obviously had lots of clear motives for doing so. Perhaps it wants to see an occasional NATO critic in the White House. But it may also have simply been a low-risk way of tarnishing and weakening the political mandate of the likely winner, Hillary Clinton.
None of that means Trump is in cahoots with the Russians.
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