In 2012, Republican Mitt Romney tried to tag Democratic President Barack Obama with being soft on Russia, sternly saying to Obama in a presidential debate: "I'm not going to wear rose-colored glasses when it comes to Russia, or [Russian President Vladimir] Putin."
Four year later, the tables are turned: Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton is charging Donald Trump with carrying out Putin's bidding.
Her opposition research outfit The Briefing has released a tough attack ad, beginning with the text, "We don't know why Trump praises Putin" that sets the stage for a sweeping overview of all the alleged ties between Trump and Russia, while trying to stop short of overreaching with specific conspiracy theories.
Screen text notes the praise runs two ways: "Why don't know Putin praises Trump," as we see Trump claim that Putin called him a "genius." (However, Putin did not call Trump a genius. That was a mistranslation that Trump repeated. The word Putin used was "yarkii" which is more accurately translated as colorful or flamboyant.)
The screen then reads, "We don't know why they share foreign policies." Conservative commentator Charles Krauthammer is shown explaining that Putin wants to "destroy NATO," followed by audio of Trump calling NATO "obsolete" and "extremely expensive to the United States."
Next is, "We don't know why Trump's advisors have ties to Putin," as Yahoo! News' Michael Isikoff describes Trump's campaign manager's past political work on behalf of former Ukrainian president and Putin ally Viktor Yanukovych.
The ad concludes with an image of Trump juxtaposed with Putin, and the text, "We don't know what's going on here, and Donald won't tell us. We'll let you guess..."
Suggesting a candidate of working on behalf of Russia is an extraordinarily incendiary charge, and charges that hot can sometimes backfire. But the Clinton campaign sees an opening to win the votes of hawkish Republicans, and is willing to take the chance.
Four year later, the tables are turned: Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton is charging Donald Trump with carrying out Putin's bidding.
Her opposition research outfit The Briefing has released a tough attack ad, beginning with the text, "We don't know why Trump praises Putin" that sets the stage for a sweeping overview of all the alleged ties between Trump and Russia, while trying to stop short of overreaching with specific conspiracy theories.
Clinton Campaign Insinuates "We Don't Know Why" Trump Is Close To Putin
The ad is reliant on Trump's own words and the words of media figures to burnish its credibility. MSNBC's Joe Scarborough says to Trump, of Putin, "He kills journalists that don't agree with him." Trump responds, "at least he's a leader."Screen text notes the praise runs two ways: "Why don't know Putin praises Trump," as we see Trump claim that Putin called him a "genius." (However, Putin did not call Trump a genius. That was a mistranslation that Trump repeated. The word Putin used was "yarkii" which is more accurately translated as colorful or flamboyant.)
The screen then reads, "We don't know why they share foreign policies." Conservative commentator Charles Krauthammer is shown explaining that Putin wants to "destroy NATO," followed by audio of Trump calling NATO "obsolete" and "extremely expensive to the United States."
Next is, "We don't know why Trump's advisors have ties to Putin," as Yahoo! News' Michael Isikoff describes Trump's campaign manager's past political work on behalf of former Ukrainian president and Putin ally Viktor Yanukovych.
Could Russia Attack Backfire?
The Clinton campaign is even willing to remind viewers of Hillary's email troubles in order to make its point. The screen reads, "We don't why Russia is trying to influence this election ... or why Donald is inviting them to." The ad then shows Trump's recent press conference remarks, "Russia, if you're listening, I hope you are able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing." Trump later claimed he was being "sarcastic."The ad concludes with an image of Trump juxtaposed with Putin, and the text, "We don't know what's going on here, and Donald won't tell us. We'll let you guess..."
Suggesting a candidate of working on behalf of Russia is an extraordinarily incendiary charge, and charges that hot can sometimes backfire. But the Clinton campaign sees an opening to win the votes of hawkish Republicans, and is willing to take the chance.