(This started off as a comment in this post)
A lot of people are speculating that the recent arrests in Russia of possible U.S. assets may be because they were burned by Donald Trump and company.
But there is another, more disturbing, interpretation of these events that I think is far more plausible.
Let’s presume, for the sake of argument, that none of the allegations of Russian interference with the election are true. Let’s presume, for the sake of argument, that Trump’s victory was untainted.
What we know with certainty is that (1) the United States Intelligence Community considers the allegations believable enough to have briefed both the former and incoming Presidents and (2) Trump has reacted angrily to even the suggestion that the Russians interfered in the election.
Why Trump reacts so angrily to this is still a subject of speculation. It could be because he knows the allegations have merit and he is afraid. It could be because he hates the idea of anyone questioning his right to the Presidency (see his claims to have won the popular vote because 3+ million “illegals” voted for Clinton). But let’s try to reason this out with a different avenue of speculation.
What if Putin already knew the people arrested were U.S. intelligence assets?
It is not unusual to allow a known asset to continue working in your country because of the “devil you know” principle. Such a revealed asset can be a valuable means of tracking the focus of a foreign powers attention on you. They can also be a convenient conduit for false information. It can be safely presumed that Russia is aware of at least a few U.S. assets in their country (as does the U.S. with respect to Russian assets).
Now imagine if you are an asset of the United States and you hear (1) that Russia may have compromising information on the President of the United States, (2) that the President of the United States is being both unusually deferential to Russia and hostile to any suggestion that he was helped by the Russians. Add into that the news that a possible U.S. asset has been arrested.
Your safety requires you to consider seriously that it is true.
How would you react? You do what you can to make yourself appear less like an asset to the United States. You cut yourself off from the U.S. so as to reduce evidence that you are involved. You can even turn and becoming a double-agent for your target. Assets are not always the most morally upstanding individuals. They are going to be looking out for #1.
The result of this is that every single United States intelligence asset in the world can no longer trust the United States to have their back.
None.
The entire United States intelligence apparatus has been destroyed.
And to do it all Putin had to do was arrest a couple of potential U.S. spies.
Well played.
