More than seven years after the Steele dossier was made public, former British intelligence operative Christopher Steele can’t confirm whether its most salacious detail, the “pee tape” involving Donald Trump and Russian prostitutes, is real or not. But Steele, who is an expert on Russia, says with confidence that if Trump wins the 2024 election, he would attempt to “run America in the way that Putin runs Russia.”
I spoke to Steele recently for “Salon Talks” about his new book, “Unredacted: Russia, Trump, and the Fight for Democracy,” where he offered a stark warning for all who treasure our democratic republic. Steele described Vladimir Putin as “basically a gangster” who came to power with his gang and is concerned about controlling power and wealth and making sure that his children, and those of his inner circle, are able to inherit that wealth and carry it forward.
That description also fits our former president, who also hopes to be the next one. So it was deeply concerning to hear Steele say that, if Trump wins, a Putin-esque “oligarchy is what might come to America.” The only thing that might prevent that happening is the allegedly solid checks and balances of our system. But Steele expressed concern that those would not hold up, given that the Supreme Court is controlled by justices likely to side with Trump and Republican members of Congress will do whatever he asks of them.
