No, we're not at the end of the Trump-Russia debacle yet. But we're getting there.
Lots of people in media are currently being distracted by side tracks, created by the White House by telling tall tales that grow more dramatic and strange as they and the Republican party grow increasingly desperate to conceal the truth. Meanwhile, however, the FBI investigation into the Russian election hacking and the suspected coordination with the Trump campaign is continuing behind the scenes, undisturbed by the constant distractions.
The first arrests were made recently. Several Russian hackers have been caught by surprise and arrested in routine European border controls on request of the FBI. The most recent, and the one that drew the most attention from media, was a Russian spam-lord called "Peter Severa" (Pjotr Levashov), who has also been using spambots and botnets to spread disinformation to rig the Russian presidential election in Putin's favor. He was arrested in Spain, and an extradition request is expected. Spain, like many other European countries, has a deal to arrest and detain criminals on behalf of the US and to send them to the US for trial. The FBI doesn't say what they arrested Levashov for, but his wife claims that the arrest was related to online covert actions by her husband, allegedly aimed at influencing the US election in Trump's favor. Russian state propaganda is throwing him under the bus and makes a point of dissociating him from Kremlin.
Donald Trump's and his associates' dealings with Russia in connection with the Russian hacking of the 2016 election are the main story. We have no way of knowing in advance what comes out of the FBI investigation into that matter, but it's becoming increasingly clear that it will shake up a lot of things, quite likely have quite a few people resign from the White House, and maybe even take a few Republican legislators down with them. We need to keep our eyes on that ball, or at least not lose sight of it because we are confused by other reports. Democracy dies by distraction. Stay focused.
Oooh, look! A squirrel!
Right. Russia. OK. Sorry. Focusing.
