# Practical implications of Trumps recent 'joke' about Russians finding Hillary's email? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [July 29, 2016, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-implications-of-trumps-recent-joke-about-russians-finding-hillarys-email/761187 "2016-07-29T13:32:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ace)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2016, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-implications-of-trumps-recent-joke-about-russians-finding-hillarys-email/761187/21 "2016-07-29T17:45:51Z")
I’m in total disagreement with Harry Reid calling for denial of briefings. I _want_ Trump to get his classified briefings, so he can shoot his mouth off and get investigated. He won’t be getting anything seriously damaging to national security, just enough to show him up as an unequivocal (and criminal) idiot. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2016, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-implications-of-trumps-recent-joke-about-russians-finding-hillarys-email/761187/22 "2016-07-29T17:51:40Z")
Fully aware that everybody spies. But, of course. Not everybody uses the product of such spying to interfere with our elections. That’s a bit much. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2016, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-implications-of-trumps-recent-joke-about-russians-finding-hillarys-email/761187/23 "2016-07-29T18:19:43Z")
> [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](#): > > Really? I don’t think it is. As a private individual I can see the benefits of such a hack and data dump, but if the state has one job it is to protect it’s secrets. And if a state does not protect it’s secrecy then it has no business calling itself a state bureaucracy. Trump is not quite in my position as a private individual. However, he is probably within his rights to make a flippant comment such as the one he made but also to legitimately head a state which fully prosecutes such hackers. Of course he’s within his rights, as are you to hold conflicting opinions. Let’s tighten up your position: You support the prosecution of people who commit acts that you welcome. Now you could shave off some of the inherent conflict if you merely “accepted” their prosecution. The law is the law. But if you welcome these hack and dumps then you should support changing the law that forbids them not their prosecution. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2016, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-implications-of-trumps-recent-joke-about-russians-finding-hillarys-email/761187/24 "2016-07-29T18:48:53Z")
> [@Corry\_El](#): > > … Trump’s comments on NATO, especially the ones about not necessarily helping the Baltics against Russian aggression (as the US is treaty bound to do) could have an effect on Russia. It could be a reason for them to take more risk of exposure in meddling in the US election to help Trump… I agree with this; Trump’s calling on Russia to provide a US candidate’s emails was yet another clear signal to Russia that he is Their Guy. They will be motivated to work harder to ensure his election. By the way, I’m surprised that so many are giving Trump even the benefit of the doubt by using the word “joke” in quotes (let alone speaking of the remark as if it had been a joke). Listen to the video again: no one in the room laughs or even pretends to laugh. When people make what they consider to be a joke, they will react if there’s no laughter–they will make another joke about how bad the first one was, or they will criticize the audience for failing to get the joke, or they will at least grimace or look flustered or even embarrassed. But there is nothing like that in the video. It wasn’t said as a joke. It was clearly said as a serious remark that he hoped would be taken seriously. Nor was it “sarcasm”–in sarcasm you say the opposite of what you mean. He said > [@](#): > > Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing. Are we to believe that he was trying to convey the message that he hopes those emails remain missing? If so, why would he want to get such a message across? How does it serve him? People should stop giving him a pass. He didn’t say it as a joke, and he didn’t say it sarcastically. He meant exactly what he said. > **[Trump: 'Russia, I hope you can find Hillary's missing emails' – video](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/video/2016/jul/27/donald-trump-russia-dnc-email-hack-video)** > > Donald Trump appeared to suggest on Wednesday that Russian operatives hack into the email account of Hillary Clinton, to help retrieve her 30,000 deleted emails ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2016, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-implications-of-trumps-recent-joke-about-russians-finding-hillarys-email/761187/25 "2016-07-29T18:58:53Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > People should stop giving him a pass. He didn’t say it as a joke, and he didn’t say it sarcastically. He meant exactly what he said. > [Trump: 'Russia, I hope you can find Hillary's missing emails' – video | Donald Trump | The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/video/2016/jul/27/donald-trump-russia-dnc-email-hack-video) The “It was only a joke” crapolla is simply another manifestation of Trump’s bully-boy personality. It’s the _modus operandi_ of every asshole high school bully throughout history. Get called on saying some nasty shit? “Oh, I was just joking, can’t you take a joke?” It goes along with using using violent language and imagery, and then claiming it meant something else: > [@](#): > > “I was going to hit one guy in particular, a very little guy,” Trump said to laughs at a campaign rally in Davenport, Iowa. “I was going to hit this guy so hard his head would spin, he wouldn’t know what the hell happened.” ``` Trumps apologists would later explain he didn't REALLY mean he'd physically hit someone. ``` He’s a bully, using schoolyard juvenile bully tactics. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2016, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-implications-of-trumps-recent-joke-about-russians-finding-hillarys-email/761187/26 "2016-07-29T19:09:44Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > ?" > > It goes along with using using violent language and imagery, and then claiming it meant something else: Trumps apologists would later explain he didn’t REALLY mean he’d physically hit someone. No. I’m not a Trump apologist but it’s pretty unlikely he meant he would physically hit someone. See my and DSeid’s posts here: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=19515057#post19515057](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=19515057#post19515057) ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2016, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-implications-of-trumps-recent-joke-about-russians-finding-hillarys-email/761187/27 "2016-07-29T19:17:04Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > No. I’m not a Trump apologist but it’s pretty unlikely he meant he would physically hit someone. See my and DSeid’s posts here: > [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=19515057#post19515057](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=19515057#post19515057) I agree - because he’s a bully and a coward. Bullies like to use violent words and imagery a lot to intimidate. He could have expressed himself in a variety of ways - but he simply can’t help himself, and resorts to this kind of language. It’s absolutely stereotypical of a coward bully. > [@](#): > > “I was going to hit one guy in particular, a very little guy,” Trump said to laughs at a campaign rally in Davenport, Iowa. “I was going to hit this guy so hard his head would spin, he wouldn’t know what the hell happened.” Absolutely pathetic. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2016, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-implications-of-trumps-recent-joke-about-russians-finding-hillarys-email/761187/28 "2016-07-29T20:25:34Z")
The practical implications of him calling on the Russians to assassinate Clinton are nil too, but it’s still a crazy and immoral thing to say. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-implications-of-trumps-recent-joke-about-russians-finding-hillarys-email/761187.md?page=1)