I spent 12 years in counterintelligence. Trump’s defenders are sabotaging their own case

Published September 8, 2026 7:00am ET

I recently sat through an hour and a half of a Russian-language presentation on President Donald Trump. Two men, a slide deck, a friendly conversation. It was sincere, popular, and made by supporters. The presenter opened by promising that 80%-90% of what followed was verifiable fact, and he urged his audience to check it.

So I checked it.