US Ex-Ambassador to Russia McFaul slams Trump for ‘thanking’ Putin before gravely insulting the Russian President

Michael McFaul is an extremely controversial figure in Russia and the wider world. Described as the ‘architect of Barack Obama’s Russia policy’, McFaul served as Obama’s Ambassador to Moscow between 2012 and 2014 before being barred from entering Russia in 2016.

McFaul was known to conduct subversive activities in Russia aimed at undermining Russia’s democracy and tampering with Russia’s political process.

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswomen Maria Zakharova has said of McFaul,

“Michael did his best to damage these bilateral relations”.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry further stated that McFaul took an,

“active part in ruining bilateral relations (between the US and Russia) and persistently promoted the idea of exerting pressure on Moscow”.

From the United States, McFaul has taken a consistently harsh line on Donald Trump and Rex Tillerson’s stated policy of developing improved relations with Russia, something which has been made more difficult by the latest round of Congressional sanctions which Donald Trump called unconstitutional.

Some say that McFaul was responsible for Barack Obama’s move to seize Russian diplomatic property in the US, legal territory of the Russian Federation according to the Vienna Convention. At the same time as the property theft, Obama kicked out Russian diplomats and staff from the country.

At the time, Russian President Vladimir Putin refrained from taking retaliatory measures, preferring instead to wait and see if the issue could be resolved by then President-elect Trump.

Having seen Trump to be powerless to stop the new sanctions combined with America’s failure to resolve the diplomatic crisis started by Obama, Russia reacted by expelling 775 US diplomatic staff from Russia.

Yesterday, Donald Trump thanked President Putin for the move, saying that it would save the US the burdensome costs of maintaining so many personnel abroad.

This has led McFaul to go on an Russophobic Twitter rampage which including grave insults against President Putin as well as a mischaracterisation of Russia’s expulsion of diplomat staff as a first move when in reality it was delayed retaliation for Obama’s opening salvo at the end of 2016.

The following are McFaul’s absurd Tweets,

Michael McFaul on Twitter: “Trump just applauded cuts of 755 in Russian embassy. Maybe he should look to trim his own staff? https://t.co/KKF0tP0PL2 / Twitter”

Trump just applauded cuts of 755 in Russian embassy. Maybe he should look to trim his own staff? https://t.co/KKF0tP0PL2

Michael McFaul on Twitter: “That @realDonaldTrump praised Putin today for cutting 755 people from our embassy in Russia shows that he doesn’t understand diplomacy. / Twitter”

That @realDonaldTrump praised Putin today for cutting 755 people from our embassy in Russia shows that he doesn’t understand diplomacy.

Michael McFaul on Twitter: “Our diplomats, professional staff, and military serving in Russia provide Washington with invaluable information about Russia. https://t.co/6XHtSZkSWm / Twitter”

Our diplomats, professional staff, and military serving in Russia provide Washington with invaluable information about Russia. https://t.co/6XHtSZkSWm

Michael McFaul on Twitter: “Imagine wanting to know less about Russia’s military modernization! That’s what Trump praised today. https://t.co/qMorkknjhU / Twitter”

Imagine wanting to know less about Russia’s military modernization! That’s what Trump praised today. https://t.co/qMorkknjhU

Michael McFaul on Twitter: “Imagine wanting to know less about Russian foreign policy intentions and plans ! That’s what embassy personnel reductions will do. https://t.co/O1XP5Upyr5 / Twitter”

Imagine wanting to know less about Russian foreign policy intentions and plans ! That’s what embassy personnel reductions will do. https://t.co/O1XP5Upyr5

Michael McFaul on Twitter: “Imagine wanting to have less capability to gather data about dangerous transnational diseases originating in Russia!Trump seems to want that https://t.co/xTVOkVohre / Twitter”

Imagine wanting to have less capability to gather data about dangerous transnational diseases originating in Russia!Trump seems to want that https://t.co/xTVOkVohre

Michael McFaul on Twitter: “Imagine dissing Americans –patriots serving our country under difficult conditions in Russia -to praise Putin. Our president did today. https://t.co/KovoLuMISa / Twitter”

Imagine dissing Americans –patriots serving our country under difficult conditions in Russia -to praise Putin. Our president did today. https://t.co/KovoLuMISa

Michael McFaul on Twitter: “Punk Putin?! Cmon man ! I know Putin. He is not punked by these silly comments. Putin will see Trumps comments as another sign of weakness https://t.co/eO4XKWc8sw / Twitter”

Punk Putin?! Cmon man ! I know Putin. He is not punked by these silly comments. Putin will see Trumps comments as another sign of weakness https://t.co/eO4XKWc8sw

The series of deranged Tweets do however reveal an important accidental confession. McFaul has stated that the lack of extra diplomats in Russia will retard America’s ability to find out what Russia’s military, foreign policy and biological warfare abilities are. These statements would appear to imply that US diplomats in Russia are spies, a position which is incompatible with diplomacy.

Secondly, far from Russia working on biological warfare, there is evidence that the US is engaging in a bio-warfare program designed specifically at targeting Russian DNA.

Finally, calling the President of Russia a ‘punk’ which in this context appears to be synonymous with calling him a hooligan, is totally unacceptable. Mr. McFaul must apologise for this insulting remark as it is inappropriate language for a former diplomat to use in public.