I ran across this piece from April, and it occurs to me that not all of you may understand that Trump is not only a Russian asset, the U.S. intelligence agencies knew it going in. (But secrecy!)

I assumed as much because of all the Russian and mob money laundering activity around Trump’s Atlantic City casinos. Mobsters kept getting indicted, but Trump only got a fine. (God knows if he ever paid it.) Classic confidential informant tipoff!

Philadelphia Inquirer reporter David Cay Johnston covered it; he told me during the campaign that cable news shows were curiously disinterested in having him on to talk about Trump’s mob connections — even though he knew more about Trump’s finances than most.

And then there was the friend who told me about her lunch with an old friend from one of the alphabet agencies. “He told me Trump was a, quote, ‘witting asset’ of Putin, and has been for a long time,” she said.

This kind of background explains a lot about Trump’s arrogance. He’s kind of like those guys in the witness protection program who already know they can get away with anything now! And if you read the interview I linked to, you’ll see why the culture of secrecy in the intelligence agencies made someone like Trump not only possible — but likely.