The only people who know the answer to that, unfortunately, are Trump, Putin and Putin’s translator. Another problem, though, is Trump’s obliviousness to the potential consequences of a little impromptu — if it indeed was impromptu — chat with Putin. And whatever spin the White House now embraces has little credibility, which is Trump’s largest self-inflicted problem. Who is the public to believe, an international political-risk consultant quoting unidentified sources, or the White House? The answer, unfortunately, is clear — and it’s not the White House.

Source: Los Angeles Times July 19, 2017 17:54 UTC