Politico: Chabad Is Nexus Of Putin-Trump Conspiracy

On Sunday, Politico published an article casting Chabad (a Jewish organization dedicated to increasing religious observance among global Jewry) as an interlocutor of political power connecting President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Against a backdrop in which 2016’s presidential election is suggested to have been compromised by “interference” from the Russian government at the direction of Putin (with possible “collusion” from Trump and his political teams), Politico portrays Chabad as another brick of intrigue in its narrative wall.

“Some of the shortest routes between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin run straight through [Chabad],” alleges Politico.

As an example of the “piling up” of “links between Trump and Chabad,” Politico points to Trump’s hosting of a wedding at Mar-a-Lago between the daughter and son of two separate Chabad-connected Jewish Soviet emigres.

Politico alleges the existence of an “affinity” between “Chabad enthusiasts” and Trump, describing Chabad’s Jewish membership as “Trump’s kind of Jews.” No mention is made by Politico of long-term political support across observant Jewish denominations – and religious Jews and Christians, more broadly – for Republican and broader conservative values.

Chabad’s relationship with the Russian government is framed as a function of the organization’s political ambition, rather than a function of political necessity given the nature of Russia’s politics. No consideration is offered by Politico of political realities in Russia that would compel Chabad to develop and maintain relationships with Putin in order to best serve its mission.

A Chabad source told The Daily Wire that Rabbi Berel Lazar (a Chabadnik who operates as Russia’s chief rabbi) likely cultivated a relationship with Putin for the purpose of better positioning Chabad towards spreading Judaism to Russia’s Jews.

Politico also hypes tensions between Chabad in Ukraine and Russia, noting the different views expressed by the two Chabad branches over Russia’s annexation of Crimea. No consideration was offered by Politico regarding political pressures on Chabad in Russia to express support for Russia’s policy towards Ukraine.

The Daily Wire was also advised by a Chabad source of Russia’s expulsion of some Chabad emissaries, something not noted by Politico. In March, Ari Edelkopf was deemed a threat to national security by a Russian court and ordered to leave the country. In 2014, another Chabad emissary was similarly kicked out of Russia.

Several Twitter users derided Politico‘s narrative: