Donald Trump has broken with the Republican Party line in his praise of Russian President Vladimir Putin, promoting good relations with Russia, and criticizing NATO. What’s more, Putin has spoken warmly of Trump, and Russia is accused of hacking emails that are then leaked to help Trump’s presidential campaign. A week before the election, former LA Times Moscow Bureau Chief Carol J. Williams addressed the intrigue involving Trump, Putin, and Russia at a lively discussion at the UW moderated by Ellison Center Director Scott Radnitz.
From speculation over covert deals with the Putin regime to theories that Trump may have some kind of debt to Russia, Williams spoke about competing claims and rumors that have swirled in mass media over the past several months. Drawing on her background as an international reporter with an eye on Russia, Williams fielded questions about Russian relations with the US and tried to shed some light on what is going on between the Republican nominee and the Russian president.
Williams is former senior international writer for the Los Angeles Times and has won five Overseas Press Club awards, two Sigma Delta Chi citations, and was a 1993 finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in international reporting.
