(NY1 Online) The firing of FBI Director James Comey puts into jeopardy the investigation into Russia's alleged interference in the 2016 election. Josh Robin (The View From Russia) interviews Columbia University Professor Timothy Frye. Excerpts:
"Information about the Trump-Lavrov meeting is coming from the Russian side, not the American side."
"One of the ways that the Kremlin is trying to legitimize its rule is to show that life in a democracy is very similar to life in Russia. That elections in the US are fraudulent and rigged, just like in Russia. That corruption in the US is a big problem, just like it is in Russia. So there is no need for the Russian people to ask for free elections or a less corrupt government, in the sense that the US gives Russia the opportunity to point at these instances in the good graces of the Kremlin."
"It is very clear the Kremlin had a preferred candidate in the US election, to help Donald Trump win. It is also a way to degrade elections as an institution for choosing leaders, as a separate goal that the Kremlin has, as a way to show that elections are not a great way to choose a leader, that they are all rigged, just like they are in their own country. Because the Russian government cannot convince its own people that their elections are free and fair. The Russian people are smart, well educated… you can't completely pull the wool over their eyes. So to the extent that they can show that there is some equivalence in the quality of US and Russia elections, the Kremlin very much benefits from that."
See the interview © NY1 Online
