# Trump associates may have coordinated with Russians, according to US officials **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [March 23, 2017, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799 "2017-03-23T00:28:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 132
**Author:** ![Chisquirrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6bbea6/32.png) [@Chisquirrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chisquirrel)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2017, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/2624 "2017-10-24T04:42:56Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > It’s very difficult to read through a 53 page thread to completely confirm that none of the breathless anticipations ever panned out, and certainly not worth my while. That’s my recollection. Why verify when you can just pronounce what is and isn’t true? ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2017, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/2625 "2017-10-24T13:23:45Z")
Yes, that’s pretty much it. You need to have priorities in life. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2017, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/2626 "2017-10-24T14:37:01Z")
Sure. Truth is hard work. Truthiness is easy and fun. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2017, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/2627 "2017-10-24T17:14:53Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > Yes, that’s pretty much it. You need to have priorities in life. You have the option of not making the false claim in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2017, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/2628 "2017-10-24T17:16:43Z")
Of course. Always wonderful to have that option. Only in case it just happens to be a true claim, so that option is moot. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2017, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/2629 "2017-10-24T17:37:32Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > Of course. Always wonderful to have that option. > > Only in case it just happens to be a true claim, so that option is moot. And it’s true because you’ve said so, but you are unable to demonstrate that it’s true. But it is true. Because you’ve said so. Convenient logic. ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2017, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/2630 "2017-10-24T17:39:46Z")
Works for me. Sorry to cause you any angst. Though I suspect you will get over it, one day. ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2017, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/2631 "2017-10-24T18:37:14Z")
This whole tick tick tick boom thing is Benjamin Wittes’ schtick, he’s got this whole cannon motif with hashtags and everything. You can see how many [booms he’s made in the past](https://www.google.com/search?q=benjamin+wittes+boom!) because he uses that word when dropping a link. I went through a few and some seemed like legit bombshells and others [seemed completely unworthy of a boom!](http://amp.thedailybeast.com/trump-campaign-staffers-pushed-russian-propaganda-days-before-the-election) Benjamin Wittes himself seems to acknowledge that there’s a lot of noise in his own twitter feed. > [@Wittes' Twitter](#): > > Some folks have complained that these are not proper “booms,” that “booms” should be reserved for major stories. To **F-P** ’s point, a lot of these booms ended up being nothing more than a one-cycle news story, and even the stuff that _should_ have been big hasn’t exactly brought down the presidency (yet). I think it’s safe to say that, at this point, “tick tick tick” doesn’t imply much. ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2017, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/2632 "2017-10-24T18:48:22Z")
Though I should note again that I’ve not commented about Wittes or his “tick tick boom” shtick (both of which I’ve been blissfully unaware of). My comment was about posts in this thread. There have been many instances where posters have announced that there must be some sort of Big News about to blow, based on subtle omens such as Rod Rosenstein doing/saying this or that, and similar such. To my recollection, none of these have actually portended any actual Big News. Now someone decided that the sudden activation of Comey’s twitter account (posting innocuous material) is yet another indication that Something Big is in the Offing, and I think it’s worth bearing in mind that past predictions of this sort have consistently come to nothing. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2017, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/2633 "2017-10-24T18:56:17Z")
> [@steronz](#): > > …and even the stuff that _should_ have been big hasn’t exactly brought down the presidency (yet)… Well, to be fair, its not so much a matter of scandals that might “bring a President down”, its the lack of an effective procedure. The only really _kosher_ plan is impeachment, which was deliberately designed to be difficult. And, really, what are Trump’s minor indiscretions and fanciful conjectures compared to a blow job that disrespects our flag and our troops! ---
**Author:** ![Lance\_Turbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lance_turbo/32/6156_2.png) [@Lance\_Turbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_Turbo)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2017, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/2634 "2017-10-24T18:57:41Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > Though I should note again that I’ve not commented about Wittes or his “tick tick boom” shtick (both of which I’ve been blissfully unaware of). My comment was about posts in this thread. > > There have been many instances where posters have announced that there must be some sort of Big News about to blow, based on subtle omens such as Rod Rosenstein doing/saying this or that, and similar such. To my recollection, none of these have actually portended any actual Big News. Now someone decided that the sudden activation of Comey’s twitter account (posting innocuous material) is yet another indication that Something Big is in the Offing, and I think it’s worth bearing in mind that past predictions of this sort have consistently come to nothing. I think this is the post you are talking about. > [@Fiveyearlurker](#): > > James Comey’s secret twitter account [tweeted](https://twitter.com/FormerBu/status/920783485413060608) for the first time in a long time. As usual, the internet is reading into it. That, to you, is someone deciding that something big is in the offing? It looks like someone commenting that the internet is overreacting. ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2017, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/2635 "2017-10-24T19:17:49Z")
I think my interpretation is correct, and has been vindicated by the reaction of the guy I was quoting. ---
**Author:** ![Lance\_Turbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lance_turbo/32/6156_2.png) [@Lance\_Turbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_Turbo)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2017, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/2636 "2017-10-24T19:51:16Z")
The guy who said your claim is false? That guy? He made a post. You made a claim about it. He said your claim is false. That’s the guy whose reaction vindicated you? ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2017, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/2637 "2017-10-24T20:08:36Z")
Yes, that guy. You seem confused. I interpreted his post as a suggestion that something big was in the offing, and I cast doubt on that notion. You’re trying to interpret him as having himself meant to cast doubt on that notion (in saying “that the internet is overreacting”). And my counter is that since his response was not to say that I was wrong in interpreting his post, but rather that I was wrong in casting doubt on the notion, this validates my interpretation of his post and counters yours. The fact that this guy disputes my counter to his post is irrelevant. ---
**Author:** ![Lance\_Turbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lance_turbo/32/6156_2.png) [@Lance\_Turbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_Turbo)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2017, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/2638 "2017-10-24T20:36:27Z")
Perhaps **Fiveyearlurker** can clear things up, but I can not see how you can read his posts in this thread and come to the conclusion that he thought Comey’s secret Twitter account was portending that Big News was about to blow. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2017, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/2639 "2017-10-24T20:47:14Z")
> [@Lance\_Turbo](#): > > I think this is the post you are talking about. > > That, to you, is someone deciding that something big is in the offing? It looks like someone commenting that the internet is overreacting. That was exactly what my point was. I thought it was interesting and fun that Comey might have a secret twitter account (which he did) and that it was interesting and fun that there were people attempting to over interpret it into meaning more than it did. ---
**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:** [October 24, 2017, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/2640 "2017-10-24T21:11:00Z")
> [@Lance\_Turbo](#): > > Perhaps **Fiveyearlurker** can clear things up, but I can not see how you can read his posts in this thread and come to the conclusion that he thought Comey’s secret Twitter account was portending that Big News was about to blow. No one reading in good faith could have thought such a thing. ---
**Author:** ![Lance\_Turbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lance_turbo/32/6156_2.png) [@Lance\_Turbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_Turbo)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2017, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/2641 "2017-10-24T21:13:44Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > There have been many instances where posters have announced that there must be some sort of Big News about to blow, based on subtle omens such as Rod Rosenstein doing/saying this or that, and similar such. I wonder if any of these posts are real or are they are all weird misinterpretations of other posters. Too bad **Fotheringay-Phipps** can’t be bothered to back up his claims by quoting the posts. We may never know. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2017, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/2642 "2017-10-24T23:31:46Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > Yes, that guy. You seem confused. > > I interpreted his post as a suggestion that something big was in the offing, and I cast doubt on that notion. You’re trying to interpret him as having himself meant to cast doubt on that notion (in saying “that the internet is overreacting”). And my counter is that since his response was not to say that I was wrong in interpreting his post, but rather that I was wrong in casting doubt on the notion, this validates my interpretation of his post and counters yours. > > The fact that this guy disputes my counter to his post is irrelevant. This is not how a normal, emotionally healthy person reacts to people trying to engage them in a conversation. Something’s off. Is it that you’re treating Trump’s tenure as a game where you can score points off liberals? Or something… I’ll admit I’m baffled. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2017, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/2643 "2017-10-25T00:43:39Z")
Back to the task at hand. Trump’s campaign manager and all around guy who is royally fucked, Paul Manafort,[is facing a new money laundering investigation](https://www.wsj.com/articles/former-trump-campaign-chairman-paul-manafort-faces-another-money-laundering-probe-1508888106). In New York. New York State. State crimes which can’t be pardoned by Mr. Trump. Interesting that Mr. Trump has [insisted on personally interviewing](http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/20/opinions/us-attorney-trump-interview-callan-opinion/index.html)candidates to lead these jurisdictions, which like most things here, is not normal. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799.md?page=131) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799.md?page=133)