#Trump was not explaining why a deal w/ #Russia would advance #America’s interests, or why honoring it would advance Russia’s. He was defending Russia’s integrity by vouching for #Putin’s character.
In recent yrs, the kinship between Trump & Putin has become somewhat unfashionable to point out. After #Mueller disappointed liberals by failing to prove a #criminal #conspiracy btwn the Trump campaign & Russia, conventional wisdom on much of the center & left…came to treat the scandal as overblown.