“Donald Trump exposed after the disclosure of a 2005 recording of Mr. Trump speaking in vulgar language about pushing himself on women, sex and groping. 

In a three-minute recording, which was obtained by The Washington Post, Mr. Trump recounts to the television personality Billy Bush of the program “Access Hollywood,” how he once pursued a married woman and moved on her…”

The release of this 2005 video by the Washington Post containing lewd and sexist statements by the Republican Party’s presidential candidate Donald Trump is likely to play a decisive role.

It is a victory for the Hillary Clinton campaign.

We must however beg the question.

What motivated this carefully timed release, prior to the second presidential candidates’ debate?

Donald Trump’s lewd and sexist behavior or his foreign policy stance regarding US-Russia relations? Or both?

2005 Leaked Video

Trump had already been rejected by the Republican establishment prior to the release of the video for his stance against war with Russia.  In fact many leaders of the Republican party have endorsed Hillary Clinton, including George H.W. (“Poppy”) Bush.

Was the Trump campaign attempting to derail the Neoconservative Republican platform? According to the Washington Post:

The Trump campaign worked behind the scenes last week [July] to make sure the new Republican platform won’t call for giving weapons to Ukraine to fight Russian and rebel forces, contradicting the view of almost all Republican foreign policy leaders in Washington.

Throughout the campaign, Trump has been dismissive of calls for supporting the Ukraine government as it fights an ongoing Russian-led intervention. Trump’s campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, worked as a lobbyist for the Russian-backed former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych for more than a decade.

Still, Republican delegates at last week’s national security committee platform meeting in Cleveland were surprised when the Trump campaign orchestrated a set of events to make sure that the GOP would not pledge to give Ukraine the weapons it has been asking for from the United States.  (WP, June 18, 2016)

The Washington Post has been a key instrument of the propaganda campaign against Donald Trump, a presidential candidate who has failed to endorse the bipartisan tenets of US foreign policy.

It is worth noting that the release of the video was followed by statements by a number of Republican personalities including former Utah Governor  Jon Huntsman Jr., who happens to be chairman of the Washington-based foreign policy think-tank The Atlantic Council.

The Atlantic Council chaired by Jon Huntsman –integrated by a stable of key Neocon advisers including Lt. Gen. Brent Scowcroft, (Chairman Emeritus),  Madeleine Albright, Zbigniew Brzezinski, Larry Summers, Marillyn A. Hewson (Chairman, President and CEO, Lockheed Martin), et al–  plays a key role in the formulation of both US foreign policy and the Pentagon’s military agenda.

In fact, Jon Huntsman Jr. –a firm supporter of Hillary Clinton– tacitly expressed reservations regarding Donald Trump’s candidacy prior to the Video release. He also called upon Trump’s running mate Indiana Governor Mike Pence, “to take his place at the top of the ticket”. (Politico, October 7, 2016)

source: screenshot from Atlantic Council’s website

 screenshot of Trump sexist-lewd video 

 Video: Donald Trump Apologizes. “See You at the Debate on Sunday”