Subject: RE: Trump FP advisors
From: "Brinster, Jeremy" <[email-masked]>
To: Vasishth Srivastava <[email-masked]>, "Dillon, Lauren" <[email-masked]>
Cc: Tony Carrk <[email-masked]>, "Roberts, Kelly" <[email-masked]>, "[email-masked]" <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 27 Apr 2016 07:58:04 -0700

Information on Dimitri Simes, who is hosting Trump today, is below and attached, h/t Kelly.

DIMITRI SIMES, A FORMER RAND PAUL FOREIGN POLICY ADVISER, HAD TIES TO THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT

Washington Free Beacon: One Of Rand Paul’s Foreign Policy Advisers, Dimitri Simes, Had “Deep Ties To The Kremlin.” “Sen. Rand Paul (R., Ky.) has named as one of his key foreign policy advisers a controversial Russia policy expert with deep ties to the Kremlin. Dimitri Simes, the president of the Center for the National Interest, and Ambassador Richard Burt, a member of the Center’s board of directors, are recent additions to Paul’s foreign policy advisory team, the senator told National Journal earlier this year.” [Washington Free Beacon, 8/20/14<http://freebeacon.com/politics/rand-pauls-russian-connection/>]

·         Dimitri Simes, A Member Of Rand Paul’s Foreign Policy Team, Was President Of The Center For The National Interest, Which Was Sympathetic To The Russian Government. “Dimitri Simes, the president of the Center for the National Interest, and Ambassador Richard Burt, a member of the Center’s board of directors, are recent additions to Paul’s foreign policy advisory team, the senator told National Journal earlier this year. For years, Simes and the center have provided a sympathetic platform for the Russian government in the heart of the D.C. policy establishment. Its ties to Moscow extend throughout the organization. The advisory council of the National Interest, the center’s chief publication, includes Alexey Pushkov, a Russian Duma official recently targeted for sanctions by the U.S. government in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.” [Washington Free Beacon, 8/20/14<http://freebeacon.com/politics/rand-pauls-russian-connection/>]

·         Dimitri Simes Appeared On Stage With Vladimir Putin And Said He Supported Putin’s Tough Stance On Syria. “Last September, days after Vladimir Putin published a column in the New York Times denouncing American exceptionalism, Simes joined the Russian president on stage at the Valdai International Discussion Club forum in Russia for a televised panel discussion…. ‘I fully support President Putin’s tough stance [on Syria],’ said Simes, according to the transcript released by the Kremlin. ‘Not because I’m not an American patriot, but because I believe that baby talk among great powers is not the way to reach an agreement. One has to understand what to expect from the other country, and what their mettle is.’” [Washington Free Beacon, 8/20/14<http://freebeacon.com/politics/rand-pauls-russian-connection/>]

·         Dimitri Simes Faced Allegations His Work Had A Pro-Kremlin Slant Throughout His Career. “The appearance with Putin ‘set off a lot of internal alarm bells with Russian experts,’ said one Russia policy specialist. ‘You don’t get onstage with Putin, and sit onstage with Putin, and ask him questions in public, unless everything has been greased and unless you’re not gonna do anything that detracts from the message.’ Simes has been dogged throughout his career by allegations that his work and his organizations have a pro-Kremlin slant.” [Washington Free Beacon, 8/20/14<http://freebeacon.com/politics/rand-pauls-russian-connection/>]

FORMER ROMNEY FOREIGN POLICY ADVISER DIMITRI SIMES WORRIED THAT ROMNEY CRITICIZED THE PRESIDENT’S FOREIGN POLICY FOR POLITICAL REASONS RATHER THAN STRATEGIC ONES

Former Romney Foreign-Policy Adviser Dimitri Simes: “I Worry That Too Much Of Romney's Criticism [Of President Obama’s Foreign Policy] Is Driven By What He Thinks Is Best Politically, And Not By Any Larger Strategic Vision.” “The Russia remark has fanned concerns among both Romney supporters and nonpartisan foreign-policy experts that Mr. Romney's desire to contrast himself with President Barack Obama has led the GOP candidate to take positions that would be difficult to maintain if he wins the presidency. ‘I think Obama's foreign policy is seriously flawed, but I worry that too much of Romney's criticism is driven by what he thinks is best politically, and not by any larger strategic vision,’ said Dimitri Simes, a Russia expert who was a Romney foreign-policy adviser in 2008.” [Wall Street Journal, 3/29/12<http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304177104577311994290395130.html?mod=WSJ_Election_LEFTTopStories>]

From: Vasishth Srivastava [mailto:[email-masked]]
Sent: Wednesday, April 27, 2016 10:16 AM
To: Dillon, Lauren
Cc: Tony Carrk; Brinster, Jeremy; Roberts, Kelly; [email-masked]
Subject: Re: Trump FP advisors

In case we hadn't seen, apparently former ambassador Rick Burt helped write Trump's speech.

http://maglobal.com/about-us/our-team/richard-burt/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Burt

https://twitter.com/BillKristol/status/725047427368128512
Bill Kristol ‏@BillKristol <https://twitter.com/BillKristol>  19h19 hours ago<https://twitter.com/BillKristol/status/725047427368128512>
Perfect. Trump's foreign policy speech apparently being drafted by yet another apologist for and lobbyist for dictators, Rick Burt.

Thanks,

Vas

On Wed, Apr 27, 2016 at 10:09 AM, Dillon, Lauren <[email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]>> wrote:
++
Brinster will take point on vetting these people and will send around what we already have on folks he's previously named. I have three people here who will be ready to go to vet names. We can pull others in depending on how many names there are.

I think the two themes we would want to look for - but others should feel free to flag others they think of:

·         He doesn’t surround himself with the best/competent people. These people are dangerous/bad folks to take advice from.

·         He differs from his advisors on things like Iraq (I don’t know that that is a particularly helpful message for us but reporters will be looking for it I would bet).

-----Original Message-----
From: Tony Carrk [mailto:[email-masked]]
Sent: Wednesday, April 27, 2016 9:42 AM
To: Dillon, Lauren; [email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]>
Cc: [email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]>
Subject: Trump FP advisors

Want to get us coordinated on how we go through the names once they are there. Lauren- can you loop the peeps on your team who would be doing that?

Sent from my iPhone