Putin: 'It would never occur to anyone' that Trump would run for president

[babylonsister]

http://thehill.com/policy/international/397321-putin-it-would-never-occur-to-anyone-that-trump-would-run-for-president

Putin: 'It would never occur to anyone' that Trump would run for president
By Max Greenwood - 07/16/18 06:46 PM EDT


Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday rejected the idea that his government has compromising information on President Trump, saying that there was no way Moscow could have known that the real estate mogul would one day run for the White House.

"We don't have anything on them, and there can't be anything on them," Putin said in an interview with Fox News. "I don't want to insult President Trump when I say this — and I may come as rude — but before he announced that he will run for presidency, he was of no interest for us."

"He was a rich person, but, well, there's plenty of rich persons in the United States," he added. "He was in the construction business. He organized the beauty pageants. But no, it would never occur to anyone that he would think of running for president. He never mentioned his political ambitions. It sounds like it's utter nonsense."

Speculation has swirled for years that the Russian government could have damaging information on Trump. The alleged existence of that incriminating material — known as Kompromat in Russian — was laid out in a controversial opposition research file known as the Steele dossier compiled during the 2016 presidential race by a former British spy.

The possible Kompromat was allegedly from Trump's 2013 visit to Moscow, which came years after he first floated a presidential run.

No such material has surfaced.

Trump had for years floated the idea of a presidential run.

Trump held the 2013 Miss Universe Pageant, which he owned at the time, in Moscow, and associates of his reportedly explored possible real estate deals in the country.

[AlexSFCA]

1. classic putin

playing dumb

[lpbk2713]

2. Need it be mentioned that Putin was once a KGB officer?

Lies and deceit were his stock in trade. It was so then just as it is now.

[joshcryer]

3. Trump had been floating a run for years and years.

And indeed even after he announced he was planning to drop out until he realized that the media was giving him literally a billion dollars in free advertizing just for talking out of his ass.

[Horse with no Name]

7. And amazingly it coincided with his need

For financing from the Russians.

[unblock]

4. ha! as if the only people they have kompromat on are presidential candidates.

why wouldn't they want kompromat on businesspeople or congresspeople?

[dansolo]

5. Hundreds of million dollars of debt is more than enough

They don't need compromising information, though I don't doubt for a minute that they spy on any prominant American that comes to Russia.

[moondust]

6. They got the goods anyway.

They were well aware of TheRump and his money since what, the 80s? I don't think they'd hesitate to target business people or anybody else they might be able to turn into an asset with enough pressure.

Probably safe to assume that everything is bugged and monitored in Russia and it's always been that way with the KGB. The totalitarian state depends upon it.