# 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:** 171
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2018, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/3404 "2018-01-03T17:55:26Z")
Et tu, Bannon? He is a disgusting individual, but he’s got his nose right up on the white nationalist underbelly and knows he is smelling some doubt. He has gauged the long-term ability of his followers to entirely deny reality and found it is beginning to soften. With respect to Mueller’s investigation, the truest thing Bannon was quoted as saying in the article is that the Trumps are sitting on a beach, trying to stop a Category 5 hurricane. Bannon has no intention of getting swept away from his place on the national stage by sticking around on the beach with them. The futility of it will only become more apparent as more Trump associates enter pleas or are indicted. Bannon knows this, and he knows that as a result it will become almost impossible to keep his cadre of racists and thugs in denial of the truth and buying his special brand of hateful disruption. It’s pretty smart, really. He used TrumpCo to gain national prominence and now feels he controls enough of the electorate that he can betray the Trumps in order to further his quest to break the government. But Bannon is never as clever as he himself thinks he is. > [@](#): > > Bannon went on, Wolff writes, to say that if any such meeting had to take place, it should have been set up “in a Holiday Inn in Manchester, New Hampshire, with your lawyers who meet with these people”. Any information, he said, could then be “dump[ed] … down to Breitbart or something like that, or maybe some other more legitimate publication”. > > Bannon added: “You never see it, you never know it, because you don’t need to … But that’s the brain trust that they had.” With the above, he’s all but saying to Trump, “See, you moron? If you’d have listened to me, we could have pulled it off without anyone ever finding out!” So who’s the traitor, again? It will be interesting to see how Teh Base™ reacts, and which candidate behind whom they will next throw their weight. Also how they treat their White House hero going forward. That is, assuming Bannon doesn’t himself have a place in Mueller’s clean-up on Aisle 1600. I’m skeptical that Bannon is going to avoid scrutiny and/or consequences, due to his connections with Cambridge Analytica and Rebekah Mercer. I don’t think he has yet spoken to Mueller, and the first time he does, it may be in handcuffs. On the bright side for the rest of us, it should take some of the heat off Mueller and turn the unhinged rage of Teh Base™ more toward the poseurs in Congress and the Oval Office. It will further splinter the Republican brand – whatever the hell that is, nowadays – and render them even more ineffectual in the election ahead. I’ll take good news wherever I can find it for now. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2018, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/3405 "2018-01-03T18:03:11Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Same; thanks for the link, **FYL**. Here is a [link with an excerpt from the book](http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2018/01/michael-wolff-fire-and-fury-book-donald-trump.html). It’s, umm, something. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2018, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/3406 "2018-01-03T18:38:51Z")
Appears to be a big Bannon/Trump rift. Bannon now saying that it’s likely that Trump not only knew about the collusion, but that Trump Jr likely [brought the Russians](http://www.newsweek.com/trump-russians-bannon-tower-meeting-769567) to meet with Trump directly. White House released a [statement](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2018/01/03/trump-steve-bannon-has-nothing-to-do-with-me-or-my-presidency-when-he-was-fired-he-not-only-lost-his-job-he-lost-his-mind/?utm_term=.25bf28e3b4fc) including: "Steve pretends to be at war with the media, which he calls the opposition party, yet he spent his time at the White House leaking false information to the media to make himself seem far more important than he was. It is the only thing he does well.” “Steve Bannon has nothing to do with me or my Presidency. When he was fired, he not only lost his job, he lost his mind.” This is rapidly getting good. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2018, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/3407 "2018-01-03T18:55:27Z")
> [@Fiveyearlurker](#): > > Appears to be a big Bannon/Trump rift. Bannon now saying that it’s likely that Trump not only knew about the collusion, but that Trump Jr likely [brought the Russians](http://www.newsweek.com/trump-russians-bannon-tower-meeting-769567) to meet with Trump directly. > > White House released a [statement](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2018/01/03/trump-steve-bannon-has-nothing-to-do-with-me-or-my-presidency-when-he-was-fired-he-not-only-lost-his-job-he-lost-his-mind/?utm_term=.25bf28e3b4fc) including: > > "Steve pretends to be at war with the media, which he calls the opposition party, yet he spent his time at the White House leaking false information to the media to make himself seem far more important than he was. It is the only thing he does well.” > > “Steve Bannon has nothing to do with me or my Presidency. When he was fired, he not only lost his job, he lost his mind.” “We’ve always been at war with Eastasia.” ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2018, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/3408 "2018-01-03T18:56:00Z")
Even [Mitch McConnell](https://twitter.com/Team_Mitch/status/948627440913604609) is openly cackling about this. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2018, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/3409 "2018-01-03T19:04:05Z")
Isn’t Bannon implicated in this whole thing as well? ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2018, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/3410 "2018-01-03T19:05:31Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Even [Mitch McConnell](https://twitter.com/Team_Mitch/status/948627440913604609) is openly cackling about this. I don’t even know what to make of that. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2018, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/3411 "2018-01-03T19:09:18Z")
> [@Fiveyearlurker](#): > > I don’t even know what to make of that. Well, his campaign team is throwing tons of shade at today’s back and forth. Good stuff! Yeah, I hate the man… but that’s an awesome tweet. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2018, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/3412 "2018-01-03T19:27:25Z")
> [@Fiveyearlurker](#): > > Here is a [link with an excerpt from the book](http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2018/01/michael-wolff-fire-and-fury-book-donald-trump.html). It’s, umm, something. This is an amazing read. This paragraph is remarkable: > [@](#): > > And making suggestions to [Trump] was deeply complicated. Here, arguably, was the central issue of the Trump presidency, informing every aspect of Trumpian policy and leadership: He didn’t process information in any conventional sense. He didn’t read. He didn’t really even skim. Some believed that for all practical purposes he was no more than semi-literate. He trusted his own expertise — no matter how paltry or irrelevant — more than anyone else’s. He was often confident, but he was just as often paralyzed, less a savant than a figure of sputtering and dangerous insecurities, whose instinctive response was to lash out and behave as if his gut, however confused, was in fact in some clear and forceful way telling him what to do. It was, said [Deputy Chief-of-Staff, Katie] Walsh, “like trying to figure out what a child wants.” ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2018, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/3413 "2018-01-03T19:30:42Z")
Ooh, and this one! > [@](#): > > During that first month, Walsh’s disbelief and even fear about what was happening in the White House moved her to think about quitting. Every day after that became a countdown toward the moment she knew she wouldn’t be able to take it anymore. To Walsh, the proud political pro, the chaos, the rivalries, and the president’s own lack of focus were simply incomprehensible. In early March, not long before she left, she confronted Kushner with a simple request. “Just give me the three things the president wants to focus on,” she demanded. “What are the three priorities of this White House?” > > It was the most basic question imaginable — one that any qualified presidential candidate would have answered long before he took up residence at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Six weeks into Trump’s presidency, Kushner was wholly without an answer. > > “Yes,” he said to Walsh. “We should probably have that conversation.” ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2018, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/3414 "2018-01-03T19:38:14Z")
> [@Fiveyearlurker](#): > > The meeting in the Trump tower was “[treasonous](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jan/03/donald-trump-russia-steve-bannon-michael-wolff?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_reddit_is_fun)”, according to Steve Bannon. > > “Even if you thought that this was not treasonous, or unpatriotic, or bad shit, and I happen to think it’s all of that, you should have called the FBI immediately.” > > “They’re going to crack Don Junior like an egg on national TV.” What’s a jumo? ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2018, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/3415 "2018-01-03T19:40:37Z")
Reading that book excerpt gives me a clue about why Bannon has been relatively silent on the subject of Trump since he was fired. I expected a shit-storm; that storm is coming out in hard-cover. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2018, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/3416 "2018-01-03T20:26:36Z")
Paul Manafort has fired a lawsuit against Mueller and Rosenstein. > **[Manafort Sues Mueller, Rosenstein, and the Justice Department](https://www.thedailybeast.com/manafort-sues-mueller-rosenstein-and-the-justice-department)** > > Former Trump campaign chief claims the special counsel acted outside his mandate. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2018, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/3417 "2018-01-03T20:33:36Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > What’s a jumo? Assuming they meant “[jamoke](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/jamoke)”? ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2018, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/3418 "2018-01-03T20:36:53Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Paul Manafort has fired a lawsuit against Mueller and Rosenstein. > [Manafort Sues Mueller, Rosenstein, and the Justice Department](https://www.thedailybeast.com/manafort-sues-mueller-rosenstein-and-the-justice-department) His argument appears to be, since my money laundering all took place prior to all of the Russian collusion, the special council has overstepped their bounds. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2018, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/3419 "2018-01-03T20:49:28Z")
Eric Trump seems to think that Ellen Degeneres is part of the Deep State. [https://twitter.com/EricTrump/status/948378088899072000?ref\_src=twsrc^tfw&](https://twitter.com/EricTrump/status/948378088899072000?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&) ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2018, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/3420 "2018-01-03T22:10:43Z")
I forget, which one was supposed to be the smart one? ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2018, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/3421 "2018-01-03T22:13:44Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > I forget, which one was supposed to be the smart one? Tiffany. :rimshot: ---
**Author:** ![Airbeck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/airbeck/32/6574_2.png) [@Airbeck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airbeck)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2018, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/3422 "2018-01-03T22:15:32Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > I forget, which one was supposed to be the smart one? That’s like wondering who is smarter between Dumb or Dumber. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2018, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/3423 "2018-01-03T23:54:27Z")
Rod Rosenstein had an unscheduled meeting late this afternoon with Paul Ryan to discuss Trump/Russia > > > Scott Wong @scottwongDC [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799.md?page=170) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799.md?page=172)