Jack - I have wondered for weeks why Witkoff was the US negotiator. Your analysis answers my question. I am seriously concerned what it portends for Ukraine but I’m glad to get the big picture. Thank you.
Jay...I'm glad that helped fill in a few gaps for you. Yes, I too...and deeply concerned about what this signals for Ukraine. You're most welcome...and...thank YOU.
Putin didn’t “choose” Witkoff—he engineered him. The least insulated, most Kremlin-friendly channel became the go-to, sidelining diplomats and leaving U.S. credibility on the line. This isn’t negotiation; it’s a gift to Moscow. Great one Jack.
That’s exactly it...and you nailed the distinction!
This wasn’t about finding a channel. It was about designing the easiest one to shape.
Once the least insulated...most Kremlin-comfortable path becomes “the productive option,”...everything else gets quietly framed as obstruction. That’s how diplomats get sidelined without a fight...and how credibility leaks out...without a single headline announcing it.
And you’re right...that’s not negotiation. Negotiation assumes symmetry...guardrails...and consequences. This is environment control...and Moscow has been perfecting it...for decades.
When credibility becomes optional...and institutions become inconvenient...the gift isn’t just access...,it’s leverage. And leverage...COMPOUNDS.
Really appreciate the read and the framing. You’re seeing the board clearly!
Please, Jack, hold off, just for this moment? Tis the Season... and I thank you for everything you do for me and the American People, and will look forward to 2026🙏 Happy Holidays to you and your readers, Thank You for being here on Substack 🎄✨🎁
“Come alone” isn’t a request. It’s a system hack. If you want to understand what that demand is doing…think like a prosecutor or a salesman.”
Excellent analysis, but are you sure in this case it’s tradecraft or psychological profiling? Witkoff has been playing in Putin’s orbit for decades. He has had relationships with Russian oligarchs and mobsters since the 90’s.
Like Trump, Witkoff was targeted in the late eighties, and after the 1990 commercial real estate bubble, he started doing business with the Russian’s.
Guys like Trump and Witkoff are morally flexible and possibly morally bankrupt; they may not be evil, but they have no problem dealing with shady, dangerous criminals and other nefarious characters; it’s just business to these people.
Bottom line, whether they are closet fascists or not, one thing is for sure; they only see green! And when you’re dealing with morally bankrupt or morally flexible people, they tend to have sociopathic tendencies; to say the least! IMHO..:)
Happy holidays everyone. Wishing all of you a wonderful holiday season, Christmas, Hanukah, Ramadan, and Festivus for the rest of us. Enjoy and stay safe!…:)
always had te, mainly because the Russian’s bailed them out after they almost lost everything and owed the banks billions.
Robert, that’s a sharp pushback...I love it...and you’re right to raise it.
It may not be either/or. What you’re describing actually strengthens the analysis.
Tradecraft and psychological profiling don’t require a blank slate...they work best when there’s already a long history of contact...comfort...and moral flexibility.
If Witkoff has been moving in Russian oligarch and underworld-adjacent circles since the ’90s...as Trump did...then the “come alone” demand isn’t about discovering his psychology. It’s about exploiting....what’s ALREADY known.
In that light, profiling isn’t a fishing expedition...it’s confirmation. A way of saying...this is someone who treats power as transactional...ethics as optional...and risk as just part of the deal.
Those traits don’t make someone evil...but they do make them...PREDICTABLE. And predictability...is gold in influence operations.
So yes, you’re right...decades of business entanglements...bailouts...and survival...after the real-estate collapse...MATTER.
When people learn that the system bends...for those willing to bend with it...loyalty shifts from rules to relationships...and from law to leverage. That’s not fascism...it’s amorality... with a balance sheet.
Which is why “come alone”...still reads as a system hack. Not to create vulnerability from scratch...but to activate an existing one...by stripping away the last remaining guardrails.
And...on that broader point: agreed. When everything is green...everything else is gray.
Happy holidays to you too...and thank you for pushing the analysis further. That’s how this stays honest!
I apologize, I wasn’t trying to push back or be a jerk, but it is known that Witkoff has been in those circles for decades. I was just suggesting that in his case (as you suggested in the newsletter), he was targeted and became a willing participant.
I just don’t think there was too much arm twisting needed. These guys owe their reputations and careers to the Russia’s; otherwise, they’d both just be washed up businessman, if you could call them businessmen! Just saying…:)
Oh...no, no, no....I didn't mean "push back," in anything remotely negative. I just mean't..being willing to engage, ask questions...and not just take everything at face value. I love that!
I feel the weight of what you’re saying. You’re not wrong to be uneasy.
When leaders start signaling for weeks...when warnings pile up in plain sight...and when the public is distracted or exhausted...history tells us that’s often how things begin...not with a bang...but with inattention.
You’re also right that Congress almost NEVER acts preemptively. They react after momentum has already hardened...not before. Expecting them to pull forces home would’ve required political courage they rarely show.
That said, I’d separate signaling from inevitability. Signaling can serve multiple purposes: intimidation... leverage...distraction...internal consolidation. War is one possible outcome...but it’s also the most costly one for everyone involved...including the person doing the signaling. Even authoritarian leaders don’t choose it lightly...despite appearances.
What concerns me most...isn’t just the risk of conflict...it’s the normalization of drift.
People looking away because they’re tired...numb...or overwhelmed. That’s the real danger zone...and you’re right to call it out.
For tonight, though...try to hold on to the small things that are still human...warmth...connection...a pause in the noise.
Vigilance doesn’t require despair...and hope doesn’t require blindness. We stay awake ...AND... we stay grounded.
Wishing you peace tonight...even if the world doesn’t fully cooperate.
I worry about the war thing too. Be it Venezuela o rGreenland in the not to distant future or another south American country. Anything to distract from Epstein ...#HOLDFAST
I am really out of my depth on Witkoff, so started reading. You may have seen this, but I got a chuckle from there being another MAGA cage fight between him and Rubio.
I will not be becoming an expert on all things Witkoff. However, as Robert said, they met in the 1990s, Witkoff was an attorney, now a billionaire. trump was trump. And he is trump's golf partner. Was with trump when the "second assassination attempt" was made. Good buddies. I would wonder if they had a mutual "friend" in Epstein.
I asked Google if Witkoff spoke Russian. He does not, and relies on Putin's translators. So not only has he met privately with him numerous times, he does it without an American translator. Who else did something similar? Oh yeah, trump in Helsinki. There was an American translator, but no transcript or even summary of the meeting was ever made public. Remember the whipped dog look as they finished their little tete a tete? There is an old song that goes "No one knows what goes on behind closed doors." But in these cases, you can bet it is nothing good for the US or Ukraine.
Well Jack… That was deep… at least for me… which is what I’ve come to expect from you. I hate to admit it but this was off my radar completely. Not the fact that Witkoff was chosen of course. I’m not living under a rock but the why and how he was “engineered.” I definitely learned a lot from this. Not that I don’t always but more than usual because this isn’t my wheelhouse. You made it very clear though, which I appreciate. Will I catch it next time? I honestly don’t know. But if I don’t I expect you’ll point it out again… in great detail.
Thank you for informing me. I’m never the smartest or most informed person in the room and that used to bother me but it doesn’t anymore… not much anyway lol… I look at it this way. If you’re always the smartest person in the room you’re not going to learn anything new… I’m learning a lot from you.
I’m really glad to be here!
Thank you!
PS. Off topic… Have you listened to Lev Parnas lately? I’d love your take on what’s going down between him and the MeidasTouch crew… and Michael Cohen. His problem with Cohen doesn’t surprise me. Let’s just say, I’ve never had a good feeling about him. My gut tells me Lev is on the right side of this dark moment but I’m no psychologist.
Putin knows the useful idiots. They care not if they compromise or support the US, they like the feeling of power. Sending a know nothing to do diplomatic work was telling in and of itself. He is the master manipulator and can speak the language that gets their attention, strokes their egos, and drives the narrative. Thanks, Jack!
Very helpful explanation. "Come alone" so we can manipulate you unhindered. I often wonder how many of our Congress-people and others now inside the regime have had similar treatment. Their world view has been compromised.
Jack - I have wondered for weeks why Witkoff was the US negotiator. Your analysis answers my question. I am seriously concerned what it portends for Ukraine but I’m glad to get the big picture. Thank you.
Jay...I'm glad that helped fill in a few gaps for you. Yes, I too...and deeply concerned about what this signals for Ukraine. You're most welcome...and...thank YOU.
-Jack
mine too
Putin didn’t “choose” Witkoff—he engineered him. The least insulated, most Kremlin-friendly channel became the go-to, sidelining diplomats and leaving U.S. credibility on the line. This isn’t negotiation; it’s a gift to Moscow. Great one Jack.
That’s exactly it...and you nailed the distinction!
This wasn’t about finding a channel. It was about designing the easiest one to shape.
Once the least insulated...most Kremlin-comfortable path becomes “the productive option,”...everything else gets quietly framed as obstruction. That’s how diplomats get sidelined without a fight...and how credibility leaks out...without a single headline announcing it.
And you’re right...that’s not negotiation. Negotiation assumes symmetry...guardrails...and consequences. This is environment control...and Moscow has been perfecting it...for decades.
When credibility becomes optional...and institutions become inconvenient...the gift isn’t just access...,it’s leverage. And leverage...COMPOUNDS.
Really appreciate the read and the framing. You’re seeing the board clearly!
-Jack
Please, Jack, hold off, just for this moment? Tis the Season... and I thank you for everything you do for me and the American People, and will look forward to 2026🙏 Happy Holidays to you and your readers, Thank You for being here on Substack 🎄✨🎁
“Come alone” isn’t a request. It’s a system hack. If you want to understand what that demand is doing…think like a prosecutor or a salesman.”
Excellent analysis, but are you sure in this case it’s tradecraft or psychological profiling? Witkoff has been playing in Putin’s orbit for decades. He has had relationships with Russian oligarchs and mobsters since the 90’s.
Like Trump, Witkoff was targeted in the late eighties, and after the 1990 commercial real estate bubble, he started doing business with the Russian’s.
Guys like Trump and Witkoff are morally flexible and possibly morally bankrupt; they may not be evil, but they have no problem dealing with shady, dangerous criminals and other nefarious characters; it’s just business to these people.
Bottom line, whether they are closet fascists or not, one thing is for sure; they only see green! And when you’re dealing with morally bankrupt or morally flexible people, they tend to have sociopathic tendencies; to say the least! IMHO..:)
Happy holidays everyone. Wishing all of you a wonderful holiday season, Christmas, Hanukah, Ramadan, and Festivus for the rest of us. Enjoy and stay safe!…:)
always had te, mainly because the Russian’s bailed them out after they almost lost everything and owed the banks billions.
Robert, that’s a sharp pushback...I love it...and you’re right to raise it.
It may not be either/or. What you’re describing actually strengthens the analysis.
Tradecraft and psychological profiling don’t require a blank slate...they work best when there’s already a long history of contact...comfort...and moral flexibility.
If Witkoff has been moving in Russian oligarch and underworld-adjacent circles since the ’90s...as Trump did...then the “come alone” demand isn’t about discovering his psychology. It’s about exploiting....what’s ALREADY known.
In that light, profiling isn’t a fishing expedition...it’s confirmation. A way of saying...this is someone who treats power as transactional...ethics as optional...and risk as just part of the deal.
Those traits don’t make someone evil...but they do make them...PREDICTABLE. And predictability...is gold in influence operations.
So yes, you’re right...decades of business entanglements...bailouts...and survival...after the real-estate collapse...MATTER.
When people learn that the system bends...for those willing to bend with it...loyalty shifts from rules to relationships...and from law to leverage. That’s not fascism...it’s amorality... with a balance sheet.
Which is why “come alone”...still reads as a system hack. Not to create vulnerability from scratch...but to activate an existing one...by stripping away the last remaining guardrails.
And...on that broader point: agreed. When everything is green...everything else is gray.
Happy holidays to you too...and thank you for pushing the analysis further. That’s how this stays honest!
-Jack
I apologize, I wasn’t trying to push back or be a jerk, but it is known that Witkoff has been in those circles for decades. I was just suggesting that in his case (as you suggested in the newsletter), he was targeted and became a willing participant.
I just don’t think there was too much arm twisting needed. These guys owe their reputations and careers to the Russia’s; otherwise, they’d both just be washed up businessman, if you could call them businessmen! Just saying…:)
Oh...no, no, no....I didn't mean "push back," in anything remotely negative. I just mean't..being willing to engage, ask questions...and not just take everything at face value. I love that!
We get great info when someone brings up a good point. That’s one reason I like it here so much.
Good stuff Jack.💕🗽🇺🇲🇺🇦
Merry Christmas! to you and yours.🎄☃️
I'm looking for war to start tomorrow.
348 million people looking away from DT.
Hope not. He has signaling for invasion for weeks. Guess it was too much to expect Congress would order the fleet and 10,000 U.S. troops home.
This is about the 5th war that has started this way.
😡😠😡
Take care
#HOLDFAST
NK...Merry Christmas to YOU too!
I feel the weight of what you’re saying. You’re not wrong to be uneasy.
When leaders start signaling for weeks...when warnings pile up in plain sight...and when the public is distracted or exhausted...history tells us that’s often how things begin...not with a bang...but with inattention.
You’re also right that Congress almost NEVER acts preemptively. They react after momentum has already hardened...not before. Expecting them to pull forces home would’ve required political courage they rarely show.
That said, I’d separate signaling from inevitability. Signaling can serve multiple purposes: intimidation... leverage...distraction...internal consolidation. War is one possible outcome...but it’s also the most costly one for everyone involved...including the person doing the signaling. Even authoritarian leaders don’t choose it lightly...despite appearances.
What concerns me most...isn’t just the risk of conflict...it’s the normalization of drift.
People looking away because they’re tired...numb...or overwhelmed. That’s the real danger zone...and you’re right to call it out.
For tonight, though...try to hold on to the small things that are still human...warmth...connection...a pause in the noise.
Vigilance doesn’t require despair...and hope doesn’t require blindness. We stay awake ...AND... we stay grounded.
Wishing you peace tonight...even if the world doesn’t fully cooperate.
-Jack
Thank you.
💕 I try to hold on. It is wearing to know that people are suffering. Especially because there is absolutely no reason they should be.
They take our taxes, have salaries, Healthcare, expense accounts (which they NEVER give up), and this year gave themselves a raise. 😡
I know you know this, but watching it so damn painful.
In order not to have KINGS, people have to stop treating him like one.
It isn't that complicated. The missing word is,
"NO."
Appreciate your posts. Feel like it gives us all something to hold on to.
It was Nigeria that he bombed today. No one knows why.
Venezuela was too risky just yet.
Nigeria was a surprise and a test?
Take Care💕
#HOLDFAST
🗽🇺🇲🇺🇦🎄☃️
I worry about the war thing too. Be it Venezuela o rGreenland in the not to distant future or another south American country. Anything to distract from Epstein ...#HOLDFAST
Indeed, Teri.
Hopefully tomorrow qwill be quiet but I am not holding my breath. Happy Holidays Jack #HOLDFAST
I am really out of my depth on Witkoff, so started reading. You may have seen this, but I got a chuckle from there being another MAGA cage fight between him and Rubio.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/sudden-trips-and-security-lapses-steve-witkoff-and-marco-rubios-clashing-diplomacy-on-russia-ukraine/ar-AA1SP0id?ocid=socialshare
I will not be becoming an expert on all things Witkoff. However, as Robert said, they met in the 1990s, Witkoff was an attorney, now a billionaire. trump was trump. And he is trump's golf partner. Was with trump when the "second assassination attempt" was made. Good buddies. I would wonder if they had a mutual "friend" in Epstein.
I asked Google if Witkoff spoke Russian. He does not, and relies on Putin's translators. So not only has he met privately with him numerous times, he does it without an American translator. Who else did something similar? Oh yeah, trump in Helsinki. There was an American translator, but no transcript or even summary of the meeting was ever made public. Remember the whipped dog look as they finished their little tete a tete? There is an old song that goes "No one knows what goes on behind closed doors." But in these cases, you can bet it is nothing good for the US or Ukraine.
Don’t retail outlets (esp. grocery stores) do kinda the same thing as your casino example?
Well Jack… That was deep… at least for me… which is what I’ve come to expect from you. I hate to admit it but this was off my radar completely. Not the fact that Witkoff was chosen of course. I’m not living under a rock but the why and how he was “engineered.” I definitely learned a lot from this. Not that I don’t always but more than usual because this isn’t my wheelhouse. You made it very clear though, which I appreciate. Will I catch it next time? I honestly don’t know. But if I don’t I expect you’ll point it out again… in great detail.
Thank you for informing me. I’m never the smartest or most informed person in the room and that used to bother me but it doesn’t anymore… not much anyway lol… I look at it this way. If you’re always the smartest person in the room you’re not going to learn anything new… I’m learning a lot from you.
I’m really glad to be here!
Thank you!
PS. Off topic… Have you listened to Lev Parnas lately? I’d love your take on what’s going down between him and the MeidasTouch crew… and Michael Cohen. His problem with Cohen doesn’t surprise me. Let’s just say, I’ve never had a good feeling about him. My gut tells me Lev is on the right side of this dark moment but I’m no psychologist.
#HOLDFAST
~Susan
Without is so eager to show Trump he is a player...he is the perfect person to pick for Putin. Anyone can see that a mile away. Ugh!
Putin knows the useful idiots. They care not if they compromise or support the US, they like the feeling of power. Sending a know nothing to do diplomatic work was telling in and of itself. He is the master manipulator and can speak the language that gets their attention, strokes their egos, and drives the narrative. Thanks, Jack!
Very helpful explanation. "Come alone" so we can manipulate you unhindered. I often wonder how many of our Congress-people and others now inside the regime have had similar treatment. Their world view has been compromised.