To the editor:

What has Putin got on him? That is the obvious question that arises from the disgusting performance by the current occupant of the White House in his meeting with the Russian tyrant in Helsinki, Finland. What could explain that boot-licking performance by someone who likes to portray himself as a tough guy? How can we explain the fact that he has set about weakening the Western alliance against Putin at every turn, while dancing to the Kremlin’s tune? Is it just that he has a great affinity for the world’s nastiest dictators because he would really like to be one of them? The only reasonable explanation for this behavior is that Putin has information that would cause the current occupant irreparable harm. It’s called “Kompromat” in Russian.

If even some of allegations in the dossier prepared by British intelligence agent Christopher Steele are true, Putin has all that he needs to blackmail the current occupant into subservience. (Steele is generally regarded as a seasoned and reliable source.)

We seem to have no recording or transcript of that meeting in Helsinki that lasted more than two hours with only the interpreters present. You can bet that Putin secretly recorded what was said and agreed to in order to advance his agenda. Putin has spent most of his career as a clandestine agent for the Soviet Union. He has not changed his stripes. He is much more knowledgeable and sophisticated than the current occupant — and classier too.

Since we don’t know what was said at the Helsinki meeting, I will take the liberty of suggesting that Putin leaned across the table, and while patting a mass of yellow fur said, “Molodets. Molodets.” (Russian dog command for

“Good boy. Good boy.”)

Stay tuned. There is more.

John H. Burns

Willmar