It’s easy to assume that Witkoff is, to quote the article, “a bumbling fucking idiot,” but it’s not outside of the realms of possibility that this is a deliberate act of a Russian asset.

If you assume that Witkoff is a Russian asset, then he’d want fewer intelligent Americans in the room when he speaks with Russians. It would be silly to think that he’d be getting orders or giving a report in a meeting with Putin, as there would be other less high profile opportunities, but assuming he’s heavily compromised, there’s a good chance he’d give something away to his American team. Fewer people means a smaller chance of being exposed.

I’m not saying that it’s off the table that he’s “a bumbling fucking idiot.” Just pointing out that there are other possibilities. Witkoff is described as a real estate tycoon and a cryptocurrency trader, so there would have been plenty of chances for him to be targeted by Russia in the past, similar to how they targeted Trump long ago.

Hire incompetent people…