Marc Polymeropoulos and Michael Weiss give their takes on the ProPublica report that a Russian oligarch close to Vladimir Putin secretly bankrolled Donald Trump Jr.’s lavish Bahamas wedding. They examine the counterintelligence implications of a Putin-connected figure giving hundreds of thousands of dollars to the president’s son, including the potential for leverage, access, compromise and influence inside Trump’s inner circle.
A quick note: We know Russian counterintelligence isn’t exactly algorithm bait. But when a story like this breaks, we want to be able to call up people who have spent their careers in this world and give them the time to explain what everyone else is missing. Bulwark+ members make that kind of work possible: not just chasing the biggest audience, but putting real expertise behind stories that deserve serious attention.
They also discuss the oligarch’s connections to Russian ultra-nationalist groups and the war in Ukraine, including ties to an organization accused of helping abduct Ukrainian children. Plus, Mark and Michael explore what the FBI, Congress and national security-minded Republicans should do with the revelations and why the growing normalization of Russian influence could pose an even bigger threat...
