Putin has much worse information from Hillary's personal server used while she was secretary of state, and this DNC mail leak is just a shot across the bow by Putin to warn Hillary to provide "flexibility" for Russia as president if she wants to avoid even worse information coming out that might keep her from the White House.
Would an old KGB hand like Putin really do something supposedly pro-Trump when it is so obviously traceable to him?
Isn't it more likely that by seeming to attack Hillary that Putin is hoping for a backlash against Trump as the candidate of Putin--as Hillary Clinton's supporters are already claiming?
Which would mean that Putin would rather have Clinton in the White House.
As long as the Clintons pay the protection money in currency Putin demands--flexibility in bending to Moscow's objectives.
So while talk of Trump being pro-Putin and Trump's failure to appreciate the value of NATO are disturbing, I at least believe Trump can be persuaded by the rest of our government and military to fall more within the lanes of our foreign policy when faced with the reality of Russian actions.
Hillary can be blackmailed by Putin, and I don't think persuasion will affect that kind of control.
UPDATE: Yeah:
So it seems possible, and maybe even likely, that our two main choices in November will be a woman who’s subject to blackmail by the Russians, and a man who generally sympathizes with the Russians. That’s good news for Putin, but probably not such good news for the rest of us.
Maybe, Professor Reynolds writes, the media will support Clinton in denying any damning Putin leaks, making them harmless; or maybe Trump will change his mind when briefed.
Have a super sparkly day.
UPDATE: Bonus what-makes-Democrats-mad territory:
Let’s face it: Democrats don’t distrust Moscow for their militarism, their occupation of Crimea, their threats to NATO or their cooperation with the Iranians and Syrians. The Democrats are finally angry at Vladimir Putin and Russia because they think they’ve done something to help the real enemy, the Republican nominee.
I hope nobody tells the Democrats that the Russians have single-gender bathrooms--the Dems might put the bombers in the air!
