I agree that when Junior and Veselnitskaya speak of "adoptions," they're probably using coded language. The real purpose of the meeting, I am convinced, was to cement a deal to remove the Magnitsky act. Bill Browder's many YouTube interviews are essential viewing for those who want a fuller background of how the act came to be.
Nevertheless, there is an ominous, overlooked side to all this talk about adopting Russian orphans. I think it deserves further investigation.
Many Russian orphans were brought into this country and kept in orphanages run by a "Christian" religious cult founded by one Bill Gothard. His main ultra-fundamentalist organization is called Advanced Training Institute, or ATI; he also heads up something called the Institute in Basic Life Principles. If memory serves, Gothard is now 80 years old.
This sect has long had strong political connections. You may have learned about this group previously due to its links to Mike Huckabee and the Duggars. Sonny Perdue, Trump's Agriculture Secretary, also came out of this movement.
It shouldn't take you much Googling to learn that this cult is genuinely dangerous -- moreso, in my estimation, than (say) Scientology. There are several websites set up to allow survivors to tell their stories. Pretty harrowing stuff.
Gothard's cult established a presence in Russia during the waning days of the USSR. That's when he set up a system whereby Russian kids would be brought to America and placed in orphanages in Indiana and Illinois. Again, some deep-dish Googling will confirm what I'm saying here.
There are persuasive stories about the abuse, exploitation and brainwashing the American kids placed in the care of Gothard's religious institutions. One can only imagine the fate of Russian orphans -- kids without families, transported thousands of miles away from their home country.
Please understand: I'm not leaping to conclusions, and I'm not trying to create a scenario for which I do not yet have evidence. I honestly don't know if anyone who attended that meeting in Trump Tower had any awareness of Bill Gothard and his long history of importing Russian orphans. But I know this: American adoption of Russian orphans is now a common topic of discussion -- and for a quarter of a century, most Russian orphans entering this country did so via Bill Gothard's organization.
My gut tells me that this means something. If your gut is sending a different message -- fine. I understand. I'm not looking for an argument, and I'm fully aware that I may be wrong. Still, perhaps some of you will feel motivated to research the matter further.
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