Concerns over Russia’s role in the US presidential election are growing with President Barack Obama saying that Washington would retaliate. No one knows what that retaliation would be and everyone knows that President-elect Donald Trump would overturn it because he is a great admirer of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Pressure however, is growing in Congress to force Trump to acknowledge the findings of intelligence agencies that Russia’s hacking led to the defeat of Hillary Clinton. While trying to deflect the blame to Russia makes good political sense, the truth is that Clinton’s decision to use a private mail server compromised her own position. Her close connection to the Clinton Foundation and how it impacted on her position as Secretary of State made her look untrustworthy in the eyes of the voters. Surely, one cannot blame Putin for Clinton’s indiscretions. What is clear though, is that the Democrats have already launched their attack on Trump and the attempt here is to embarrass him by getting Congress to vote against Rex Tillerson, Trump’s nominee for Secretary of State or force him to take a strong stand against the Russian president. Tillerson has close business ties with Putin, which is worrying many in the US who see Russia as a belligerent state asserting itself on the world stage.
