I

t’s not something you see every day, certainly not since Donald Trump became president: The heads of the FBI and National Intelligence as well as National Security Advisor John Bolton and Homeland Security chief Kirstjen Nielsen appearing at a press conference to detail the many ways in which Russia continues to meddle in American politics.

It was especially noteworthy that the administration communicated such a clear, unified stance against the ongoing Russian interference in America’s internal affairs just two weeks after the Trump-Putin summit in Helsinki, where the president effused about the “extraordinary relationship” between the two countries, and vowed that relations would only improve. Observers of the presidency point out that this kind of duality is yet another example of Trump’s divide-and-conquer policy: While his administration attacks Russia at every opportunity — levying sanctions and expelling Russian diplomats — Trump kowtows to Putin and is careful not to issue a single harsh word.

Even more interesting is the timing of the statement, coming on the very day US investigators reported that a Russian spy had been working undetected in the heart of the American embassy in Moscow for over a decade. Two days earlier, Facebook announced that it had removed fake accounts it says were used to disrupt the upcoming midterm elections, including fictitious pages that called on left-wing supporters to demonstrate against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency and right-wing activists in Washington.

Who cares? Well, a “Unite the Right” rally is planned for August 12 in front of the White House, and at least a few hundred people are expected to attend. And no, the date — the anniversary of the violent Charlottesville rallies — is no coincidence. As it happens, Black Lives Matter also received a license to hold a counter-rally. The idea that unseen elements are working behind the scenes to fan the flames of discord doesn’t seem so farfetched.

Meanwhile, congressional Republicans are doing their best to manage the Mueller investigation while Democrats have turned the Russian interference story into a campaign weapon. And maybe that’s precisely where Putin has been successful. Instead of both parties working together to further the interests of the country — first and foremost, to combat meddling on the part of foreign elements — the Democrats and Republicans have become warring factions, with their main concern what serves them best politically.

I doubt if Putin could have planned it better. (Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 722)