Russian asset

hey, Claude, I hear you got a new government job.
yeah, it's great! I get to meet all kinds of interesting and smart people.
yeah? like who?
like all kinds. I met Putin the other day.
yeah? isn't he a total thug, killer and creep?
no way! he was really cool! said all kinds of nice things about me!
and so you think. . . what?
to me, if he says nice things, that's a real asset.
and that affects how you perform your job?
yeah! he even gave me some tips about emptying the trash! makes sweeping up at the White House a lot easier.
I can totally see how it would.
I know, right?