Opinion: Yes, we have a president who trusts Putin more than his own intelligence agencies

To the editor: The major U.S. intelligence agencies agree that the evidence shows Russia interfered in our 2016 election. No less an authority than Mike Pompeo, the President Trump-appointed CIA director, has said there is certainty about Russian meddling.

Despite this, Trump doubts our own intelligence agencies and says he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin’s denials. (“Trump says Putin ‘means it’ when he says he didn’t meddle in U.S. election,” Nov. 11)

I believe there can only be four reasons why Trump takes Putin’s word:

He is so profoundly insecure about his election victory that he cannot countenance any suggestion the Russians may have helped him; the president is beholden to Russia, either because it has compromising material on him or because of business entanglements; Trump is feeble-mindled and simply doesn’t understand that Putin is lying to him; or some combination of these.

Any or all of these reasons are deeply disturbing. It is not hyperbole to say that our democracy is threatened by the Trump presidency.

Matthew Singerman, Newbury Park

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To the editor: On Veterans Day, in Vietnam, where we lost 58,000 brave American soldiers, Trump met with Putin, the autocratic leader of America’s greatest adversary. Putin once again denied that Russia had interfered in the 2016 U.S. election.

Our intelligence agencies have all said the opposite — that Russia did interfere. Trump, in contrast, said he believes Putin and that it is time for us to go forward. On the flight back from Vietnam, Trump called the former intelligence agency heads who spoke out against him “political hacks.”

What further evidence must there be that our president is completely beholden to Russia?

Russ Hoyt, Mission Viejo

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To the editor: I know we are all going to sleep more soundly at night knowing that Trump believes Putin’s denial of his country’s interference in our election.

We all get it now that he has told us so precisely that our lack of a close relationship with Russia is because of “this artificial thing that’s happening with this Democratic-inspired thing.”

However, all the progress that he might have made in rebuilding our confidence is undone by his Twitter battle with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, in which he totally did not call Kim “short and fat.”

Lynn Lorenz, Newport Beach

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To the editor: I thought I had heard everything until I read that our president believed Putin over his own intelligence agencies.

Trump continues to act and speak in a manner that demonstrates his incompetence to be president. The Republicans in Congress are not protecting the American people from Trump’s delusional behavior.

What a disgrace for them to put party loyalty ahead of their love for their country.

Carol Karas, Camarillo

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