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A year ago colleagues & I at @UNCPoliSci began coding an interactive dynamic network plot of Trump-Russia ties since the 70s. By the time we had a think piece drafted we missed all the news cycles. We're posting findings & replication code now because better late than never? 1/8
Initially we were curious about what the network would look like & how useful a tool the dynamic/interactive feature would be. A link to plots & replication code are shared below for anyone looking to embark on a similar endeavor (or knows a better method!). 2/8
We also wanted to better understand when Donald Trump came to be associated with Russian actors, which individuals proved crucial in making the connections, and how those relationships formed in the lead up to the 2016 election. 3/8
We used @SethAbramson’s 2018 book Proof of Collusion given its focus on the deeper roots of Trump’s connections to Russia and detailed sourcing. In total, we identified over 300 individuals and institutions with over 700 connections between them. 4/8
We created the following dynamic & static plots w/ individuals/institutions as nodes & ties indicating the connections between them to track over-time changes. Going to the replication site (link below) allows you to click on nodes & ties to see info about them from the book. 5/8
The plots help show that, at least per our data source, Trump and Putin’s networks did not connect until the early 2000s. Felix Sater, a longtime friend of Michael Cohen, seems to be the key figure that begins the integration of the two networks. 6/8
These early business connections between Trump and Putin spread following 2005 and seem related to the political connections that emerged during and amidst the beginning of Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. Static plots help show the fuller network formed after 2010. 7/8
Replication materials, the interactive static & dynamic plots, and more on our methodology can be found here: https://devincr.github.io/trumpnetwork/ . Thank you to @GreenbergMP @AmandaAzizPS @jgunderson8 @tyler_ditmore for working on this rather high cost, low payoff endeavor! 8/8
