Elizabeth Graham, an authority on the Trump-Putin relationship and a former consultant to USAID, has issued a stark warning about Russia's influence on U.S. elections and the erosion of American democracy. Graham, who has spent over twenty years in strategic cities including Moscow and St. Petersburg, claims that Russia's influence is not speculative but evident in current political events.
Graham, whose articles have reached 11.7 million readers and who writes a popular Substack on democracy and Russia, asserts that Vladimir Putin's plan to undermine the United States was published in 1997 as The Foundations of Geopolitics. The plan, she says, involves placing a manipulable man in the presidency and infiltrating the country with Russian Organized Crime to disrupt American lives. She states, "Vladimir Putin's vengeance includes a detailed plan... to undermine the United States from the top down by placing a manipulable man enticed by money and sex in the presidency, and from the bottom up by infiltrating the country with Russian Organized Crime (ROC) to disrupt American lives - drugs, gambling, arson, murder, threatening phone calls, and more."
Graham points to recent events as evidence of Putin's influence over President Trump. These include the U.S. stopping support for Ukraine, the war in Iran benefiting China and Russia at a cost of $2 billion per day to U.S. taxpayers, the kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, and the withdrawal of U.S. troops from several countries, which weakens American military power. She also highlights the fracturing of NATO and the shutdown of USAID, which she warns could cause approximately 22 million preventable deaths in Africa by 2030, most of them children, according to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Graham, who was invited to join the KGB at least five times, notes that many Americans overlook what she calls a grave threat. "Many Americans fail to see that Mr. Trump is committing treason—or that Russia wants him in the White House because he is weakening our democracy, dismantling our government, and alienating our border neighbors and allies abroad," she said. She references Trump's long-standing ties to Russian interests and the closure of roughly 300 bank accounts linked to his businesses by Capital One due to an internal anti-money laundering review.
Graham also criticizes Trump's attempts to change election rules, stating, "President Trump, long associated with dishonesty and convicted of fraud and 34 felony counts, is again using the federal government—as he did in 2020—to illegally change election rules in his favor. Without intervention in 2026, America may hold its last free election in November 2026."
Graham's perspective is informed by her personal experiences, including meeting with President Yeltsin, Mayor Sobchuk, Vice Mayor Putin, and former President Gorbachev. She also endured the personal tragedy of her oldest daughter's death, which was ruled a homicide by the Tokyo Police, possibly by poison—a signature method used by Russians. Her book, From Democracy to Democrazy, details her experiences.
As the 2026 midterm elections approach, Graham's warnings serve as a critical reminder of the ongoing threats to democratic institutions and the importance of vigilance against foreign interference.
