There have been conspiracy theories before that Melania Trump is a Russian agent. Business Insider called the theories “shaky” but failed to debunk the idea thoroughly. I have zero documented evidence to show that she is, but what I will be presenting here is speculation – based on uncovered Russian intelligence operations that have been brought to light, as well as some interesting timing of events in Donald Trump’s life leading up to being elected in 2016.

On multiple occasions over the years, the FBI has arrested members of Russian spy rings in New York, as well as other locations around the United States. After the end of the Cold War, Moscow’s focus was on collecting economic and industrial secrets, rather than just military intel.

One of the most famous of these spies is named Anna Chapman, and her story sounds similar to that of none other than First Lady Melania Trump.

The accused allegedly received their directions from the Russian military intelligence division known as the “SVR.” The complaint alleges that members of the group sought to establish ties with congressional aides and scientists who worked on nuclear weapons development.

The FBI has referred to the operatives as “The Illegals” who were sent to the U.S. undercover after extensive training to assume false identities.

In one message that was decrypted by the FBI the message allegedly sent to Chapman and Semenko said, “You were sent to USA for long term service trip. Your education, bank accounts, car, house ect… -all these serve one goal: fulfil your main mission, i.e to search and develop ties in policymaking circles in US to send intel [intelligence reports] to C. [center]” (Source)

Anna Chapman was busted, along with a number of other spies like Maria Butina. They did manage to infiltrate New York social circles, work with the NRA, and accomplish other tasks before being arrested.

So where does Melania Trump fit into all of this? Am I saying that she is a Russian operative? Well, let’s look at the comparisons and you can come to your own conclusions. I don’t have solid evidence of this, but let’s just say the missions, strategies, and timing are very similar.

Russia’s spy missions are very well documented, as noted in the beginning of this article. It wasn’t just foreign agents that they used, Russia also has a long history of turning American citizens, even members of the FBI, into operatives.

Why would an attractive, younger model find a man with a troubled financial and marital history so compelling that she would not only marry him, but stay by his side, even after he repeatedly cheated on her? If he was worth as much as he claims to be, why not file for divorce and her share of the assets?

I believe the answer is that if Melania Trump is indeed a Russian operative, they couldn’t have picked an easier target than Donald Trump. A self-proclaimed billionaire who was always on the news and TV before running for office, and someone who could be easily manipulated by feeding his need for affirmation and attention.

But why not Donald himself? Why isn’t he the one colluding with Russia and everything that comes with it? I think the answer is that he’s too erratic and would have blurted it out by now if he had. Moscow doesn’t directly hire idiots, useful or not. Someone like that requires a handler, and what better handler for an older, egotistical character like Donald than Melania?

As for the financial aspect of it, Donald Trump has declared business bankruptcies six times since 1991. His credit history and failure to repay made it nearly impossible for him to get loans domestically. His fortunes appear to have turned somewhat after marrying Melania, and he actually turned a profit on his Miss Universe pageant when it was held in, you guessed it, Moscow.

By using positive reinforcement, it wouldn’t be very hard to convince Trump that by doing things Moscow wanted, he could enjoy personal and business successes like never before. It would also be easy to exploit his racism and hatred for Barack Obama into running for president, especially after Obama mocked his “birther” crusade on national television.

We may never know the whole truth. However, in my opinion, the timing, the strategy, and the mission certainly make her the number one suspect if Trump is indeed being controlled by Russia.