Unlike many other writers this week, I am not going to add to the discussion on the Supreme Court. Obviously, it is consequential, and we will be hearing about that controversy for months. Instead, I will focus on an aspect of the Russian interference investigation that has received very little attention. This is the one-year anniversary of a puzzle related to Russia that deserves more thought.  Thank you for subscribing, and if you enjoy reading this, please forward the newsletter to your friends. ~ Kevin

Quote: “We have to live without sympathy, don't we? That's impossible of course. We act it to one another, all this hardness; but we aren't like that really, I mean...one can't be out in the cold all the time; one has to come in from the cold...d'you see what I mean?” ~ John le Carré, The Spy Who Came In from the Cold No doubt the legacy of the investigation into Russia’s Interference in the 2016 Election has received robust attention in recent years.  But interestingly the attention continues.  The point of this newsletter is not to rehash the existing debates, but to point to a factor that has received scant attention.  I believe it is important to focus on this because without a few key individuals this event would have transpired very differently.  Specifically, these figures are not the ones we know from cable TV or the impeachment hearings and trial.  In other words, I am saying all of this to encourage readers to focus on a specific element and to try to momentarily suspend political biases and how they reinforce confirmation biases.  Because of the details, I am going to cover this subject in two issues. Why is it one of the people who should be most fearful of Russia’s President Vladimir Putin after the events of 2016 lived in the Washington DC area and never even changed their name?  It was only a year ago that some key elements of the story broke. The BBC reported, “According to the New York Times, the source was instrumental in the conclusion by US intelligence agencies in 2016 that Mr. Putin had personally orchestrated Russia's interference in the US presidential election.  The source's information was so sensitive that then-CIA director John Brennan prepared special sealed files for President Obama, rather than include it in the president's ordinary briefing, the Times report said.”

Shortly thereafter a Washington news affiliate was able to locate the source and said the individual was living in the Washington Metro area and had kept their name.  They were unable to speak with the source and were asked to leave by federal officials who arrived on the scene.  DC is a town full of officials in various stages of trepidation regarding Putin.  But only this individual’s behavior is hard to comprehend. (At least to me.) In other words, almost everyone else involved in this narrative could easily be understood and explained as an extrapolation of Machiavelli made for TV and twitter. Let's use an alternative analysis of the uproar in Washington.  What if we push all of the regular daily talk about the case to the background and just focus on this one piece of information and examine human behavior. When looking through that lens, the actions of the US source in Moscow who was close to Putin was most peculiar.      If you had been an associate of Putin’s and had apparently double-crossed him, would you live in DC without changing your name?  Some would understandably consider that a risky thing to do. USA Today has published reports that include other examples of targeted killings by Russia including Litvinenko. “A Russian defector and former intelligence officer who specialized in blowing the whistle on organized crime in Moscow, Litvinenko fell mortally ill after meeting with several Russian intelligence contacts.” This person provided intel for nearly a decade and, when the CIA was worried about the person getting exposed, the source refused offers for extraction and stayed in Russia.  When the person finally left, they were extracted to the US where they moved to the DC area and lived under their own name.   They were even able to be tracked down by a reporter. (pretty easily it seems) Strip away everything else – how you feel about people and what they say – If you were this person who allegedly double-crossed and spied on Putin would you live in Washington and be easy to find?   In this whole situation, this is the only act I have found puzzling. I am not saying that everything involved in the Russia investigation no is disappointing or a reason for us to be angry. This is different. This act is puzzling. I think understanding this behavior will illuminate the puzzle better than what anyone has said over these years.  This is why – everyone is risking what they say versus what others say.  In other words, with very low risk.  It could be argued that politicians advanced many of their respective social positions through their statements on the investigation of Russian interference.  Those that declined in status saw little loss in income or other key aspects of their lives.  I am not saying politics does not involve stress and risk – It is very serious. However, there is only one actor in this story who I can imagine is at personal risk.  Living out in the open is a very high personal risk considering Putin’s record of killing people who cross him.   Why did the person do this?  Why have they not been harmed? This is where analysis intervenes with readings of spy books like those written by John le Carré and Littell.  But speculation continues and it is worth unpacking information so we might gain better insight into what actually happened.  While we explore possible explanations for this behavior in the next issue, I just want to close with one question:   What would you do if you crossed Putin?

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I am enjoying the chance to share these newsletters with you in the form of the new podcasts and appreciate your continued feedback. You can reply to this email or leave your comments below.  I sincerely enjoy chatting and learning what folks think. Thank you ~ Kevin

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