A U.S. Air Force C-17A Globemaster III — the kind of aircraft designed to haul tanks and heavy equipment into combat zones — touched down at Moscow's Vnukovo International Airport on Tuesday morning. The only thing we know for sure that was on board was CIA Director John Ratcliffe.
Why was Director Ratcliffe in Moscow of all places? No one is for sure and the State Department refuses to confirm nearly any details.
The flight was first tracked by Flightradar24, which flagged it as "an unusual visitor to Moscow this morning," noting the C-17A flew from Riga, Latvia, to Vnukovo. CBS News reported that Ratcliffe "traveled to Russia aboard a C-17 for meetings in Moscow today." Russian state news agency TASS also confirmed that an "American Boeing C-17A Globemaster III military transport aircraft has reportedly landed in Moscow."
Flight-tracking data shows the C-17 originated from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, made a stop at Charleston Airport, then staged in Riga, Latvia on Sunday before making the final leg to Moscow on Tuesday, August 25.
No official statement came from the White House, the CIA, or Russian officials. The specifics of Ratcliffe's meetings remain undisclosed.
We spent four years listening to Democrats insist that any contact between the Trump orbit and Russia was evidence of treason. Robert Mueller's investigation ran taxpayers $25 million to try to find some dirt on the President. The Steele dossier. Years of breathless "Russia collusion" coverage on every network. The entire theory amounted to: Trump talks to Russia, therefore Trump works for Russia.
Now Trump's CIA director flies a military transport directly into Moscow for face-to-face meetings, and the same crowd has gone remarkably quiet. Funny how "dangerous Russian ties" become "diplomacy" when you can't spin it through a dossier.
The C-17 is also an interesting choice of airplane to fly to Russia. It's not a Gulfstream. It's not a chartered business jet that could be explained away as anything else. The U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III is a high-wing, four-engine strategic transport aircraft used to carry heavy equipment, supplies, and troops worldwide.
The staging through Riga is also worth noting. Latvia is a NATO ally on Russia's border — the kind of country that takes the Russia question a lot more seriously than a Georgetown think tank. Routing through Riga before heading into Moscow isn't just logistics. It's geography as a message.
Although mystery still surrounds this flight there is no doubt the talking heads on MSNBC, CNN, CBS and others will find a way to dredge up their old "Russia! Russia! Russia!" rallying cry to scare voters into believing Trump is going to hand America over to Putin.
