# How did the Russians meddle in our election? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 8, 2018, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-russians-meddle-in-our-election/819293 "2018-08-08T19:11:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Mangosteen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Mangosteen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangosteen)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2018, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-russians-meddle-in-our-election/819293/41 "2018-08-09T03:33:10Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > 1. They appear to have provided assistance to the Trump campaign in the form of Facebook postings, Twitter tweets, and similar social media content that favored Ztrump or disfavored Clinton. They also are alleged to have directly contacted Trump campaign staff with offers of helpful negative information on Clinton. Finally, they are alleged to have obtained negative information about the Clinton campaign and released it via Wikileaks, to the benefit of the Trump campaign. > > 2. I’m a bit fuzzier on that one, but I think the answer is: the above-mentioned contact with Trump campaign staff is the “collusion,” that is most often mentioned. AGAIN with the “They appear to…”, “They also are alleged to…”, “Finally, they are alleged to…”. WTF!!! Produce some concrete evidence instead of making this baseless allegations! Mueller has been at it for almost two years now, If there had been ANYTHING of real substance, it would had been leaked already. Facebook postings and Twitter tweets??? There are millions of Facebook postings and Twitter tweets flowing into the internet every day coming from the far Left to the far Right and every place in between and yet somehow a few postings and tweets from Russians managed to influence the 2016 election to the point where one candidate won over the other one? Many of the Russian postings and tweets were anti Trump and pro Hillary. Are you really saying 100% of the postings and tweets were pro Trump? The Right is often blamed for coming up with weird and crazy conspiracy theories, but this one from the Left takes the cake. Trump was a better candidate than Hillary. Trump won, Hillary lost. Get over it! As Obama famously said, “Elections have consequences”. Funny how Hillary and the Left made a big deal about whether or not Trump would accept the results of the 2016 election, yet here it is almost 2 years after the election and Hillary and the Left STILL haven’t accepted the result. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2018, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-russians-meddle-in-our-election/819293/42 "2018-08-09T03:36:13Z")
> [@UltraVires](#): > > Thanks. And yet another question. > > Let’s say I am running for President and my secretary schedules a meeting with an official from, say, Luxembourg. The official tells me that his country supports my candidacy and thinks my opponent would be very bad for his country and would like to help in any way. > > Indeed, Ultravires, here is a picture of your opponent having sex with a goat. Then he leaves. Was there any law violated? What if I release the picture? What if we go to the local watering hole and have a drink that I pay for? As others have said, I do believe this would be illegal to use. Now, the legal wrinkle appears to be that you can hire an investigator (or, more precisely, your attorneys can hire an investigator) to go to Luxembourg and obtain the picture. You just can’t coordinate it, or have verifiable knowledge of where it came from. The answer to the collusion question is pretty blunt. The Russian government offered the Trump campaign stolen/hacked data from the Clinton campaign, which the Trump campaign gleefully accepted. And Trump knew, and approved of it all. ---
**Author:** ![am77494](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d2c977/32.png) [@am77494](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/am77494)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2018, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-russians-meddle-in-our-election/819293/43 "2018-08-09T05:09:20Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > I’ve asked this question before. > > Here it is again: > > Imagine that the Clinton campaign is approached in September 2016 by five Mexican nationals who are illegally present in the country. They reveal that they have been working at Mar-a-Lago Golf Club “under the table,” for less than minimum wage, paid in cash, and threatened with deportation if they complained. They want to provide the Clinton campaign with any assistance it needs to tell this story: interviews, video of a Mar-a-Lago manager paying them/threatening them, etc. > > Does the Clinton campaign’s decision to accept this offer mean a crime was committed involving foreign meddling? IMNAL, 1\> As far as I know Immigrant whistleblowers do not need to disclose their immigration status. cite : [https://www.whistleblowersblog.org/2011/01/articles/corporate-whistleblowers/immigrant-whistleblowers-dont-have-to-answer-questions-about-status/](https://www.whistleblowersblog.org/2011/01/articles/corporate-whistleblowers/immigrant-whistleblowers-dont-have-to-answer-questions-about-status/) So reporting a crime by immigrants to Clinton or the Authorities is not in itself a crime. 2\> The 5 immigrants in this case have no relationship to the Mexican Government business in the US. Natalia V. Veselnitskaya, worked hand in glove with Russia’s chief legal office to thwart a Justice Department civil fraud case against a well-connected Russian firm. cite : [https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/27/us/natalya-veselnitskaya-trump-tower-russian-prosecutor-general.html](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/27/us/natalya-veselnitskaya-trump-tower-russian-prosecutor-general.html) 3\> The 5 immigrants have not obtained any videos (or documentation illegally). It is well established that the Russians obtained the information illegally. Come up with a better analogy, please. This one sucks. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2018, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-russians-meddle-in-our-election/819293/44 "2018-08-09T05:22:11Z")
The [Mueller indictments](https://www.justice.gov/file/1080281/download) give a pretty detailed account of how Russian agents phished for access and then installed keyloggers, worms and other malware in various computer systems. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2018, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-russians-meddle-in-our-election/819293/45 "2018-08-09T05:34:21Z")
> [@Moriarty](#): > > Now, the legal wrinkle appears to be that you can hire an investigator (or, more precisely, your attorneys can hire an investigator) to go to Luxembourg and obtain the picture. You just can’t coordinate it, or have verifiable knowledge of where it came from. Or just not receive it as a gift from a foreigner. If the campaign pays for it, then it’s not a campaign contribution. And _if_ the picture was obtained legally to begin with (e.g. photo taken by a paparazzi in public), then there would be no crime. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2018, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-russians-meddle-in-our-election/819293/46 "2018-08-09T05:38:25Z")
> [@nelliebly](#): > > Actually, the Russians [spent over $1.25 million,](http://adage.com/article/digital/russia-spent-1-25m-ads-acted-agency-mueller/312424) not $100,000, and that’s simply on ads. It doesn’t include the social media presence that doesn’t cost money. You mean, it doesn’t include other costs. It does cost money to hire an army of trolls. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2018, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-russians-meddle-in-our-election/819293/47 "2018-08-09T09:21:49Z")
> [@Mangosteen](#): > > The Right is often blamed for coming up with weird and crazy conspiracy theories, but this one from the Left takes the cake. > > Trump was a better candidate than Hillary. Trump won, Hillary lost. Get over it! As Obama famously said, “Elections have consequences”. > > Funny how Hillary and the Left made a big deal about whether or not Trump would accept the results of the 2016 election, yet here it is almost 2 years after the election and Hillary and the Left STILL haven’t accepted the result. **Moderator Warning** **Mangosteen** , you’ve been around long enough to know that political potshots are not permitted in GQ. This is an official warning. Do not do this again. I remind everyone to stick to the subject in the OP. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2018, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-russians-meddle-in-our-election/819293/48 "2018-08-09T10:04:44Z")
> [@am77494](#): > > IMNAL, > 1\> As far as I know Immigrant whistleblowers do not need to disclose their immigration status. cite : [https://www.whistleblowersblog.org/2011/01/articles/corporate-whistleblowers/immigrant-whistleblowers-dont-have-to-answer-questions-about-status/](https://www.whistleblowersblog.org/2011/01/articles/corporate-whistleblowers/immigrant-whistleblowers-dont-have-to-answer-questions-about-status/) So reporting a crime by immigrants to Clinton or the Authorities is not in itself a crime. > > 2\> The 5 immigrants in this case have no relationship to the Mexican Government business in the US. Natalia V. Veselnitskaya, worked hand in glove with Russia’s chief legal office to thwart a Justice Department civil fraud case against a well-connected Russian firm. cite : [https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/27/us/natalya-veselnitskaya-trump-tower-russian-prosecutor-general.html](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/27/us/natalya-veselnitskaya-trump-tower-russian-prosecutor-general.html) > > 3\> The 5 immigrants have not obtained any videos (or documentation illegally). It is well established that the Russians obtained the information illegally. > > Come up with a better analogy, please. This one sucks. [Moderating] Let’s not pursue this debate. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2018, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-russians-meddle-in-our-election/819293/49 "2018-08-09T10:51:19Z")
Sorry about your thread, OP. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2018, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-russians-meddle-in-our-election/819293/50 "2018-08-09T12:29:00Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > New hypothetical question: > > Elin Suleymanov, the ambassador from the Azerbaijan Republic to the United States, writes the following letter to the Washington Post editorial page, on September 20, 2016: > > "I respectfully urge all United States citizens to consider carefully their choice for President next month. The Azerbaijan Republic strongly believes that a weak, ineffectual president in the White House will destabilize the world stage. Mrs. Clinton’s terrible performance as Secretary of State and her vacillating on key world issues will make the United States lose influence it desperately needs. Donald Trump’s forceful and direct leadership will serve as a needed bridge to the countries that fear lawless strongmen will topple their democratically elected governments. > > “When you vote, citizens of the US, vote for strong leadership that will calm the simmering pot of world tensions. Vote Trump.” > > The Post publishes the letter. > > Is any of that a crime? I am interested in the answer. Can you just answer your own question instead of asking other people? ---
**Author:** ![Iggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iggy/32/3364_2.png) [@Iggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggy)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2018, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-russians-meddle-in-our-election/819293/51 "2018-08-09T12:50:37Z")
There is a volunteer exception to federal laws regarding campaign finance contributions. Case law and administrative FEC decisions have made that a hole big enough to cram a lot of contribution through. For example Elton John, a well known foreign national performer, can headline a concert to raise funds for a political campaign of Hillary Clinton so long as the campaign does not directly pay the performer and the campaign covers costs such as renting the venue and providing security. Further the performer did not commit a violation when he sent out an email promoting the concert and soliciting funds for the campaign. The performance arguably has significant value in that the performer is normally paid for his services. But so long as the Hillary Clinton campaign did not pay Elton John for that particular performance it was was legal with respect to campaign finance regulations. [Scroll down to MUR 5987](https://www.fec.gov/updates/fec-takes-final-action-on-six-matters/) In another example the US Supreme Court upheld the ruling of the US District Court for the District of Columbia that the ban of contributions by foreigners “does not restrain foreign nationals from speaking out about issues or spending money to advocate their views about issues. It restrains them only from a certain form of expressive activity closely tied to the voting process—providing money for a candidate or political party or spending money in order to expressly advocate for or against the election of a candidate.” So the Russian government spending money to speak out about issues and advocate their views is not in and of itself a campaign violation. Whether a specific expenditure would cross the line would have to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. [See Bluman v FEC](http://www.scotusblog.com/case-files/cases/bluman-v-federal-election-commission/) So it is not as simple as saying anything coming from a foreigner is automatically illegal. Foreigners can make significant volunteer contributions of their labor and information, even if that information or the services volunteered had significant value. ---
**Author:** ![Iggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iggy/32/3364_2.png) [@Iggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggy)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2018, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-russians-meddle-in-our-election/819293/52 "2018-08-09T13:22:32Z")
\… The author of that opinion is a judge you might have heard of… Brett Kavanaugh. The full text of the opinion he wrote can be [found here](https://www.bloomberglaw.com/public/desktop/document/Bluman_v_Federal_Election_Commission_Civil_No_101766_BMK_RMURMC_2?1533819887). While generally upholding bars on direct contributions to campaigns by foreigners he does make the distinction between issue advocacy and express advocacy. [Issue advocacy ads](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Issue_advocacy_ads) are familiar in election season. The NRA might run an ad saying something like “If you value your Second Amendment rights you need to know that Senator Whatshisname voted to support GunRegulationX. Tell Senator Whatshisname how you feel about your Second Amendment rights.” And such an issue advocacy ad would be perfectly legal for a foreign national to pay to run. Express Advocacy ads take the form of encouraging a specific vote for or against a candidate. An ad that ends with “Vote No! on Proposition XYZ” or “Vote for Candidate John Doe” would not be legal for a foreign national to run. That specific call to vote a particular way for or against a candidate or ballot measure is what crosses the line into prohibited election activity if carried out or paid for by a foreign national\*. - Foreign nationals who are admitted to the United States as Lawful Permanent Residents can legally engage in such express activity. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2018, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-russians-meddle-in-our-election/819293/53 "2018-08-09T13:53:14Z")
> [@Iggy](#): > > \… > > The author of that opinion is a judge you might have heard of… Brett Kavanaugh. > > The full text of the opinion he wrote can be [found here](https://www.bloomberglaw.com/public/desktop/document/Bluman_v_Federal_Election_Commission_Civil_No_101766_BMK_RMURMC_2?1533819887). > > While generally upholding bars on direct contributions to campaigns by foreigners he does make the distinction between issue advocacy and express advocacy. > > [Issue advocacy ads](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Issue_advocacy_ads) are familiar in election season. The NRA might run an ad saying something like “If you value your Second Amendment rights you need to know that Senator Whatshisname voted to support GunRegulationX. Tell Senator Whatshisname how you feel about your Second Amendment rights.” And such an issue advocacy ad would be perfectly legal for a foreign national to pay to run. > > Express Advocacy ads take the form of encouraging a specific vote for or against a candidate. An ad that ends with “Vote No! on Proposition XYZ” or “Vote for Candidate John Doe” would not be legal for a foreign national to run. That specific call to vote a particular way for or against a candidate or ballot measure is what crosses the line into prohibited election activity if carried out or paid for by a foreign national\*. > > - Foreign nationals who are admitted to the United States as Lawful Permanent Residents can legally engage in such express activity. Thanks for the information. But how would US laws be applicable to a foreign national located in a foreign country? ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2018, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-russians-meddle-in-our-election/819293/54 "2018-08-09T14:07:25Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > Thanks for the information. But how would US laws be applicable to a foreign national located in a foreign country? I’m not clear on what specific activity you’re asking about, but below you can read the indictment of Russian intelligence officers responsible for hacking the DNC and other Democratic organizations. They are charged with illegal entry to computer systems, money laundering, and some other stuff. While they resided abroad, the hacking took place within the U.S. jurisdiction, and the money laundering seems to involve crossing U.S. jurisdiction as well. > **[gru.indictment.pdf](https://cdn.cnn.com/cnn/2018/images/07/13/gru.indictment.pdf)** > > 6.67 MB ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2018, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-russians-meddle-in-our-election/819293/55 "2018-08-09T14:15:18Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > I’m not clear on what specific activity you’re asking about, but below you can read the indictment of Russian intelligence officers responsible for hacking the DNC and other Democratic organizations. They are charged with illegal entry to computer systems, money laundering, and some other stuff. While they resided abroad, the hacking took place within the U.S. jurisdiction, and the money laundering seems to involve crossing U.S. jurisdiction as well. > > [http://cdn.cnn.com/cnn/2018/images/07/13/gru.indictment.pdf](http://cdn.cnn.com/cnn/2018/images/07/13/gru.indictment.pdf) I meant the “Express Advocacy” ads as mentioned above. If I’m a, say, French guy living in France, and take out a full page ad in the NYT or pay for Facebook ads or whatever, how does US law affect me? ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2018, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-russians-meddle-in-our-election/819293/56 "2018-08-09T14:22:51Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > I meant the “Express Advocacy” ads as mentioned above. > > If I’m a, say, French guy living in France, and take out a full page ad in the NYT or pay for Facebook ads or whatever, how does US law affect me? I’m not clear on that, but the same provision of law prohibits someone from receiving or soliciting foreign contributions, so it is entirely possible that a U.S. person may get in hot water (which goes back to the OP’s question). ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2018, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-russians-meddle-in-our-election/819293/57 "2018-08-09T16:29:18Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > 1. They used public media (Facebook, mostly) to plant disinformation designed to influence voters. What made it illegal is that they pretended to be Americans (because foreigners can’t directly campaign for candidates) and committed various crimes to hide their true Russian identity. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2018, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-russians-meddle-in-our-election/819293/58 "2018-08-09T19:24:52Z")
**Moderator Note** > [@Jim\_s\_Son](#): > > They didn’t. Investigators realized early on that there was" no there there." Instead liberals have concentrated their efforts on trying to overturn the election in other ways: preaching violence, shutting down websites they came are fake news, demonizing anyone who disagreed with them as racists, fools, traitors and fascists (N Y Daily News did this repeatedly and it has cost them much of their blue collar readership), calls for impeachment, harassing Trump admi istration figures, no condemnations of the Antifa groups equipped with masks, 2’ by 4’s with nails in them to stab police horses. > > [Russianism: Democrats’ Psychological Malady & Scapegoating | National Review](https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/07/russianism-democrat-scapegoating-over-trump-victory-and-presidency/) > In October 2016 President Obama said our election process was safe. To question his ability or truthfulness means that you are a bigot, according to the left for the last decade (not to mention misogynistic since his attorney general was a woman). The 1980s are calling, they want their foreign policy back as he told Romney in 2012. > > “There is no serious person out there who would suggest somehow that you could even rig America’s elections, there is no evidence that has happened in the past or will happen in the future”. This is too political for GQ. Stick to the facts in GQ, please. You have had several warnings for inappropriate politics in GQ and other forums. You would be wise to figure out where such statements are appropriate and where they are not so that you don’t end up with your posting privileges here coming under review. ---
**Author:** ![Iggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iggy/32/3364_2.png) [@Iggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggy)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2018, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-russians-meddle-in-our-election/819293/59 "2018-08-09T21:00:19Z")
> [@sciurophobic](#): > > What made it illegal is that they pretended to be Americans (because foreigners can’t directly campaign for candidates) and committed various crimes to hide their true Russian identity. Foreigners can plant disinformation in an effort to assist a political campaign so long as they stay away from the narrow scope of Express Advocacy. They can even lie about their identities or use online pseudonyms as they do so. It might violate a user agreement to post as John Smith from Kansas when you are really Yuri Kachenkov from Moscow, but a violation of a user agreement on Facebook is not a violation of the law. So if the Russian GRU wants to take out ads on Facebook or post threads on internet discussion boards in an attempt to spread their point of view that “Crimea has always been a part of Russia. The people living there want to be governed by Russia. Other countries should support the Crimeans in making their free choice to be annexed into Russia and support leadership in their own countries that would respect the wishes of the Crimeans.” it is not, in and of itself, a violation of US campaign finance law even if that statement would tend to favor one candidate over another. Just don’t step over the line and say “Vote for Trump because he will support the Crimeans in their desire to be annexed into Russia.” So the Mueller investigation may tend to focus more tightly on actions that are illegal without regard to the citizenship of the person who carries out those acts. Unauthorized hacking into computer systems is a crime. So perhaps an American might commit the crime of conspiracy by working with a foreign national to hack into his political opponent’s computer. And if Mueller can prove the elements of such criminal acts then he can bring charges, subject to any relevant constitutional limits. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2018, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-russians-meddle-in-our-election/819293/60 "2018-08-09T23:57:19Z")
> [@Iggy](#): > > Just don’t step over the line and say “Vote for Trump because he will support the Crimeans in their desire to be annexed into Russia.” But if I’m a Russian guy, in Russia, and I do this, how am I under the jurisdiction of US law? I don’t understand that part. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-russians-meddle-in-our-election/819293.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-russians-meddle-in-our-election/819293.md?page=4)