Welcome back to Meteorology Matters.
Now I know what you're thinking.
What's that?
Hold on, Rob, aren't we supposed to be talking about weather?
Well.
Well, today we're taking a detour.
We've uncovered something that's been scrubbed
from traditional media,
something so strange we felt we had to share it.
Okay.
This isn't about wind speeds or isobars,
but about information itself,
specifically information that's seemingly vanished
into thin air.
Interesting.
Think of it as a weather pattern of a different kind.
And just like tracking a storm,
we're gonna follow this story wherever it leads.
Laying out the facts and letting you, the listener,
make your own conclusions.
Exactly.
We're your guides, not your forecasters on this one.
So buckle up because the story we're diving into
is a real head scratcher.
What is it?
A former Soviet intelligence officer
is making some explosive allegations about Donald Trump.
Hmm.
He claims that Trump was actually recruited by the KGB
way back in 1987.
Wow.
The source of this claim is just as fascinating
as the claim itself.
It comes from Olnor Musaev.
I've heard that name.
Who you might remember was the head
of Kazakhstan's National Security Committee.
He dropped this bombshell, not in some official report,
but on his Facebook page.
Facebook.
Really?
Facebook.
You just never know what's gonna pop up
on your feed these days,
but this isn't your average social media post.
We're talking about allegations of international espionage
at the highest levels.
Right.
And to understand the gravity of this,
we need to talk about the KGB,
particularly a branch called the Sixth Directorate.
These were the folks who specialized
in recruiting influential businessmen
from capitalist nations.
They were masters at identifying individuals
who might be vulnerable to their overtures,
people they could potentially cultivate as assets.
Cultivate as assets.
That sounds a bit like we're talking about
gardening, not espionage.
What does that actually entail?
It's all about building relationships,
slowly gaining trust and influence over someone
until they're willing to provide information or favors.
The KGB would often target people who were ambitious,
perhaps had financial problems
or craved recognition, anything they could exploit.
And in this case,
they allegedly gave Trump the code name Krasnov.
Just let that sink in for a second, Krasnov.
Messiah V even claims that the original KGB file
on Krasnov has been removed from the archives
and is now being kept under wraps
by someone close to Putin.
Oh, wow.
This is where things start to feel like a spy thriller.
Wow.
So we have this former intelligence officer
claiming Trump was recruited by the KGB,
given a code name,
and now the file on him has disappeared.
It's almost too wild to believe.
It is a pretty wild story,
and we have to acknowledge that Messiah
hasn't presented any hard evidence
to back up his claims.
It's all based on his word.
Okay.
And he does have a history
of making controversial statements.
Some might even say he has a flair for the dramatic.
So a healthy dose of skepticism is in order here.
Yes.
But even if we take Messiah's claims
with a grain of salt,
there's still the intriguing matter
of Trump's trip to Moscow in 1987.
He went there to explore building a hotel, right?
Right.
And this is where the historical context
gets really interesting.
Back in 1987,
the Cold War was still in full swing.
Tensions between the US and the Soviet Union were high,
and yet, Soviet officials were unusually accommodating
to Trump during his visit.
Oh.
They rolled out the red carpet,
arranged high-level meetings,
and went out of their way to make him feel welcome.
That does seem a bit out of the ordinary,
especially for the Cold War era.
It was, and that's why intelligence analysts
at the time started to wonder
if there was more to it than just a business deal.
Like what?
Could the Soviets have been trying to cultivate Trump,
hoping to gain leverage over him down the line?
So even back then,
there were suspicions about Trump's potential ties to Russia.
Yes, and those suspicions were fueled by a 1985 KGB document
that outlined their strategies for recruiting Western figures,
particularly those in positions of prominence.
Think of it as a playbook for espionage.
A playbook for espionage?
That's fascinating.
Tell me more about that document.
What kind of strategies did it outline?
It was incredibly detailed.
The document specifically instructed agents
to target individuals who showed signs of being susceptible
to some form of collaboration with the KGB.
This could range from full-blown recruitment as an agent
to something more subtle,
like becoming a confidential contact
or providing inside information.
It reveals a very deliberate and sophisticated approach
to building a network of influence within Western societies.
So the KGB was actively seeking
to infiltrate Western circles and exploit vulnerabilities?
Yes.
It really makes you wonder what their intentions were
with someone like Trump,
who at the time was a high-profile businessman
with a growing international presence.
It's certainly something worth considering,
and this all happened years before Trump entered politics,
which adds another layer of complexity to the story.
Wow.
This is already getting pretty deep.
We've got allegations of KGB recruitment,
a suspicious trip to Moscow,
and a Cold War espionage playbook.
Where do we go from here?
Well, before we get too far ahead of ourselves,
it's important to remember that Trump has consistently denied
any wrongdoing.
He claims his dealings with Russia
have always been purely business-related
and that he has nothing to hide.
Right.
That's an important point.
But even with his denials,
there are still some unanswered questions here.
Why were Soviet officials so eager to work with Trump?
And why does this former Kazakh intelligence officer
come out with these allegations now after all these years?
Exactly.
And those are the questions we're going to explore next.
OK.
Was there more to Trump's 1987 trip than meets the eye?
And what might Messiah's motivations
be for revealing this information now?
Stay tuned, folks, because we're just getting started
on this Meteorology Matters deep dive.
And if you want to find more Meteorology Matters,
including our regular weather updates,
you can follow me, Rob Jones, on Instagram,
at meteorologist, on TikTok, at TV Meteorologist.
And on YouTube, follow Rob Jones' hurricane.
You can also find the Meteorology Matters podcast
playlist on YouTube.
Messiah's decision to go public with these allegations
now decades after the fact is a real headscratcher.
It definitely raises more questions than answers.
It makes you wonder, what's his game?
Why come forward now?
Is he trying to make a splash, settle a score,
or is there something more to it?
It's hard to say for sure, but there are a few possibilities.
Some experts speculate that he might be seeking
political asylum.
Using this information as a bargaining
ship to gain entry into a Western country,
it's not uncommon for former intelligence officials
to defect and offer up sensitive information
in exchange for protection.
So he could be using this as leverage
to secure a new life for himself.
That's a pretty high stakes gamble.
It is.
Others believe he might be acting on behalf of a faction
within the Russian government.
Perhaps there's a group opposed to Putin
who's trying to undermine him by discrediting
one of his perceived allars.
Ooh, that sounds like something out of a John LeCarré
novel.
We're talking about internal power struggles
and shadowy figures pulling strings behind the scenes.
Right.
And then there's the question of Messiah's credibility.
He has a history of making controversial statements,
and some critics argue he has a tendency to exaggerate,
to embellish the truth for dramatic effect.
So we need to be careful not to take
his claims at face value.
We need to weigh the evidence and consider
his potential motive.
Absolutely.
It's crucial to approach this story
with a healthy dose of skepticism.
But even if we set aside Messiah's claims for a moment,
there's still the matter of Trump's 1987 trip to Moscow.
OK, let's circle back to that trip.
You mentioned earlier that Soviet officials
were unusually accommodating to Trump.
What exactly did they do that raised red flags
for intelligence analysts?
Well, for starters, they arranged a meeting for Trump
with Yuri Dubinin, who was the Soviet ambassador
to the United States at the time.
Dubinin was a high-ranking official,
and it was unusual for someone of his stature
to meet with a businessman who, at that point, was primarily
known for building casinos and skyscrapers.
So they're giving him access to top-level officials,
rolling out the red carpet for him.
It does make you wonder what their agenda was.
And it wasn't just the meeting with Dubinin.
They also introduced Trump to a number
of other influential figures in the Soviet government
and business world.
They seemed eager to make him feel welcome,
to show him that he was someone they wanted to do business with.
It's almost like they were trying to impress him,
to win him over in some way.
And remember, this is all happening against the backdrop
of the Cold War, a time of intense rivalry and mistrust
between the US and the Soviet Union.
It's not hard to see why intelligence analysts back then
viewed this level of hospitality with suspicion.
You mentioned earlier that there was a 1985 KGB
document that outlined strategies
for recruiting Western figures.
Did that document shed any light on how the Soviets might
have approached someone like Trump?
It did.
The document specifically instructed
agents to target individuals who showed signs of vulnerability,
whether it was financial difficulties,
a desire for recognition, or a willingness to bend the rules.
They were looking for people who could be compromised,
people they could use to their advantage.
And Trump, with his ambition and his flamboyant personality,
might have fit that profile.
It's possible.
The document also emphasized the importance
of building long-term relationships
with potential assets.
It wasn't about quick wins or instant gratification.
They were playing the long game, cultivating relationships
that could pay off years, even decades, down the line.
So it's conceivable that the Soviets saw Trump
as someone they could invest in, someone who might prove
useful to them in the future.
It's a chilling thought.
It is.
And this all happened years before Trump entered politics,
which adds another layer of complexity to the story.
We're left wondering, did those early interactions
with the Soviets have any bearing
on his actions as president?
That's the million-dollar question, isn't it?
And we have to remember, Trump has consistently
denied any wrongdoing.
He's maintained that his dealings with Russia
have always been purely business-related.
That's right.
But his denials haven't done much
to quell the suspicions of his critics.
And then there are the comments he's
made about Putin over the years, comments
that have puzzled many observers, including some
within his own administration.
You're talking about the remarks made by Anthony
Scaramucci, Trump's former White House Communications
director.
Yes.
He expressed confusion over Trump's difference to Putin,
even going so far as to say he thought
there was a mysterious hold over the president.
Exactly.
Scaramucci's remarks, along with Trump's own actions
and statements, have led some to speculate
about the true nature of his relationship with Putin.
Is it purely a matter of shared interests, as Trump claims?
Or is there something more complex, more unsettling,
at play?
It's a question that's hard to shake.
And it's one that we'll continue to explore
as we delve deeper into this story.
We've covered a lot of ground already,
but we're not finished yet.
There's still more to uncover.
More pieces of this puzzle to fit together.
And as we continue our investigation,
we need to keep in mind the broader context of this story.
We're not just talking about one man's allegations
or one president's past.
We're talking about the hidden forces that
shape our world, the clandestine operations that often go
unnoticed but can have profound consequences.
It's a reminder that truth can be elusive,
especially when powerful interests are at play.
And it's a call for us, as citizens, to be vigilant,
to question the narratives we're given,
and to seek out information from a variety of sources.
Exactly.
We need to be discerning consumers of information,
to develop our critical thinking skills,
and to be willing to challenge our own assumptions.
That's the only way we can navigate the complex and often
mercy world of international relations.
Well said.
We're going to take a quick pause here.
But when we come back, we'll explore the potential implications
of this story for both the United States
and the global community.
What happens if these allegations are true?
What does it mean for our democracy,
for our standing in the world?
These are questions we can't afford to ignore.
We're back on meteorology matters,
and the forecast for this story is still
looking pretty turbulent.
It is.
We've got these swirling allegations
of a KGB connection, a mysterious Moscow trip shrouded
in Cold War intrigue, and even whispers of a hold
over a former president.
It's a lot to process, so let's shift gears a bit
and talk about what this could all mean.
OK.
What are the potential implications
both for America and the world at large?
The potential implications are significant, to say the least.
If these allegations were proven true,
it would be a major earthquake, shaking the very foundations
of American democracy.
Imagine a former president, pretendently compromised
by a foreign adversary.
It's a scenario that's both unsettling and deeply troubling.
It's almost hard to wrap your thing around.
It would raise so many questions about decisions
made during his presidency, his foreign policy choices,
everything.
Could a foreign power have influenced his actions?
It's a chilling thought.
Absolutely.
It would cast a long shadow over his entire legacy.
And on the international stage, it
could further erode trust in American leadership.
Our allies might question our reliability,
and our adversaries might be emboldened,
seeing this as a sign of weakness or vulnerability.
So this isn't just an American story.
We're talking about a potential shift
in the global balance of power.
Could this empower authoritarian regimes around the world?
It's certainly a possibility.
It could create a ripple effect, ekeining
democratic institutions and emboldening those who
seek to undermine the international order.
We've already seen a rise in authoritarianism
in recent years, and this could further fuel that trend.
We've talked about the political and geopolitical
implications, but what about the legal ramifications?
Could Trump face charges if any of this were proven true?
We're talking about potential espionage
here, which is a serious crime.
That's a tricky question.
Espionage is incredibly difficult to prove,
especially after so many years have passed.
It would require hard evidence, not just allegations
from a former intelligence officer.
And even if there were evidence,
the legal process would be incredibly complex
and politically charged.
So it's more likely that this will remain a cloud of suspicion,
a lingering question mark over Trump's past,
rather than a cut and dried legal case.
That seems to be the most likely outcome.
But even without a legal reckoning,
the political fallout could be devastating.
He could further divide an already polarized nation
and deepen distrust in government institutions.
This whole situation feels like a ticking time bomb.
It's unsettling to think that something this potentially
explosive could be lurking beneath the surface
of our political system.
It's a stark reminder of the hidden forces that
often shape our world, forces that operate in the shadows,
and can be difficult to grasp or control.
It also underscores the fragility
of our democratic institutions and the importance
of transparency and accountability.
Well, there you have it, folks, a meteorology matters episode
that took us from sunny skies to a full blown geopolitical
hurricane.
Wow.
We've examined the allegations, explored
the historical context, and considered
the potential implications of this tangled web of espionage,
political intrigue, and international power dynamics.
Now it's up to you to decide what to make of it all.
Remember, critical thinking is your best umbrella
in this storm of information.
Question everything, seek out diverse perspectives,
and don't be afraid to draw your own conclusions.
The truth is out there, but it often
takes effort and discernment to find it.
And if you're still craving more insights,
even after this meteorology matters deep dive,
be sure to follow me, Rob Jones, on social media.
Where can they find you?
You can find me on Instagram at meteorologist,
on TikTok at TV meteorologist, and on YouTube,
follow Rob Jones' hurricane.
You can also find the Meteorology Matters podcast
playlist on YouTube.
We'll be back next week with more weather updates
and perhaps another unexpected detour
into the world of information storms.
Until then, stay curious, stay informed,
and most importantly, stay weather aware.