# 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:** 18
**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:** [May 30, 2017, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/342 "2017-05-30T20:22:46Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > … it’s been suggested that Trump’s mentality doesn’t really lend itself to being backmailed. He tends to be in denial of any possible shortcomings or wrongdoing on his own part and more apt to react by lashing out than by caving in. … > [@drad\_dog](#): > > Could you be more naive? This kind of mentality is ripe for the picking. Blackmail isn’t at the pleasure of the blackmailed. Ignorance and narcissism aren’t great protections. > The russians will say to donald, (Through the “private server” in the russian embassy I suppose. See, if only hillary had known about that option…What would fox news talk about while the country burns?): > “If you don’t do this then your son in law is going to go to jail” or “Your national security advisor is going to be tried for treason”…and on and on. > How about “You will go to jail”? Does that work for you? Another hold the Russians have over Trump is Trump’s very, very, _very_ deep aversion to being shown up as a bad businessman. “We will reveal to the American people and the world exactly how many times and to what an extent Russians have had to bail out your business failures with ‘loans’, and you will get to see Merkle and Macron and all the rest laughing their heads off at your ineptitude” will get Trump’s attention. Heck, it would motivate him to do _anything at all_ asked of him. At Putin’s request Trump would hand over Alaska, to keep the depth of his incompetence from hitting the headlines. ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2017, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/343 "2017-05-30T20:30:14Z")
> [@Bayard](#): > > Trump’s personal attorney and all around creepy asshole Michael Cohen is now a subject of the investigation. Cohen confirmed to ABC news that > Investigators were apparently unamused. > [Congress expands Russia investigation to include Trump's personal attorney - ABC News](http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/russia-investigation-expands-include-donald-trumps-personal-attorney/story?id=47646601) > > My birthday is tomorrow. I asked my wife not to get me anything. All I want is for yet another Trump toady to show up in the news as a “subject of the investigation”. Michael Cohen’s Tinder Profile highlights include: - [He uses the alias “Michael D. Hacking”.](https://twitter.com/A_l_a_n__G/status/869613715007709185) - Is listed as owning various NYC taxi medallions through such companies as [the “Sir Michael Hacking Corp.” and “Mad Dog Cab Corp.”.](http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/michael-cohen-ukraine-bigly) - Responded to a claim that he had visited Prague to meet Russian agent last August by saying [“I’ve never actually walked the land in Prague,” Cohen told ABC News. “And last August I was not in Prague.”](http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/russia-investigation-expands-include-donald-trumps-personal-attorney/story?id=47646601) - [Was the CEO of MLA Cruises, a line of casino boats that took passengers out to international waters for gambling outside of the US laws.](http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/says-who-piecing-together-the-michael-cohen-story) That last link spells out a lot of dodgy business dealings with Cohen and his family and their various shady Russian & Ukrainian connections. Only the classiest people, for our Donald. ---
**Author:** ![Chisquirrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6bbea6/32.png) [@Chisquirrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chisquirrel)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2017, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/344 "2017-05-30T20:31:20Z")
> [@Fiveyearlurker](#): > > "The Post was first alerted in mid-December to the meeting by an anonymous letter, which said, _ **among other things,** _ that Kushner had talked to Kislyak about setting up the communications channel.” > > I think this sentence in the [WaPo](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/russian-ambassador-told-moscow-that-kushner-wanted-secret-communications-channel-with-kremlin/2017/05/26/520a14b4-422d-11e7-9869-bac8b446820a_story.html?utm_term=.32d43ce5acfc) is interesting. For starters, they received this information in December and took months to authenticate it. Sort of flies in the face of the MSM is out to get Trump with shoddy intelligence. Secondly, the bolded part (my bold) lays out that there is more to come. There was a story a couple weeks ago about the New York Times reporting they had received a number of false “leaks” from the White House. They claimed they didn’t publish those, because they authenticated everything they report with multiple sources, every time. Apparently, the current administration doesn’t understand how reputable media works. Granted, they don’t understand how [del]health care[/del] [del]the FBI[/del] [del]surveillance[/del] [del]government[/del] [del]facts[/del] work, so there’s that. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2017, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/345 "2017-05-30T21:29:20Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > I tend to be a big skeptic of charges of Trump-Russia collusion. … Wow, that’s wild, because I am totally not skeptical of charges of Trump-Russia collusion. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2017, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/346 "2017-05-31T00:49:10Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > The alternative is that you believe the GOP is not “the party of Trump”, that there are ideals that the GOP stands for (more or less) which you believe in. It also happens to be saddled at the moment with Trump, but that’s the choice of voters in the primaries and general election. Trump may or may not support a given GOP ideal, but you can support the GOP ideals without supporting Trump as to his other issues and actions. If he happens to support a given ideal, then you’ll be nominally in support of Trump, but that won’t be the basis of your support. With any other politician this would be a rational argument. Trump is not a normal politician. Like Rorschach, the GOP thought that Trump was locked in with them. They are now realizing with horror that they’re locked in with him. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2017, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/347 "2017-05-31T23:50:18Z")
They’re not even trying [to hide it at this point.](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/trump-administration-moves-to-return-russian-compounds-in-maryland-and-new-york/2017/05/31/3c4778d2-4616-11e7-98cd-af64b4fe2dfc_story.html?hpid=hp_hp-top-table-main_russiancompounds-730pm%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.1c4c5f6ac45c) \* "The Trump administration is moving toward handing back to Russia two diplomatic compounds, near New York City and on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, from which its officials were ejected in late December as punishment for Moscow’s interference in the 2016 presidential election. Then-President Barack Obama said Dec. 29 that the compounds were being “used by Russian personnel for intelligence-related purposes,” and gave Russia 24 hours to vacate them. Separately, Obama expelled from the United States what he said were 35 Russian “intelligence operatives.”"\* ---
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2017, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/348 "2017-06-01T02:56:43Z")
> [@Fiveyearlurker](#): > > They’re not even trying [to hide it at this point.](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/trump-administration-moves-to-return-russian-compounds-in-maryland-and-new-york/2017/05/31/3c4778d2-4616-11e7-98cd-af64b4fe2dfc_story.html?hpid=hp_hp-top-table-main_russiancompounds-730pm%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.1c4c5f6ac45c) > \* > "The Trump administration is moving toward handing back to Russia two diplomatic compounds, near New York City and on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, from which its officials were ejected in late December as punishment for Moscow’s interference in the 2016 presidential election. > > Then-President Barack Obama said Dec. 29 that the compounds were being “used by Russian personnel for intelligence-related purposes,” and gave Russia 24 hours to vacate them. Separately, Obama expelled from the United States what he said were 35 Russian “intelligence operatives.”"\* Unreal. He’s basically helping the Russians reopen two spy centers in the United States. Russia has been [pushing](https://sputniknews.com/politics/201705231053875227-moscow-us-diplomatic-property/) for this recently and it looks like Trump is going to roll over like a good lap dog. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2017, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/349 "2017-06-01T05:07:21Z")
Its a test, dipping the toe in the water of public opinion. If there is no overwhelming outrage, they can proceed to the next step. Perhaps some horseshit about reviving Exxon’s Arctic oil deal will make us energy independent and create oodles of good-paying jobs. Maybe something like Vlad the Impaler was deeply worried about Hillary destroying America, what with her ruthless and blood thirsty war-mongering about…stuff. How her victory would have encouraged mad Islamic terror in Iraq, Syria, Israel…and Chechnya. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2017, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/350 "2017-06-01T13:59:07Z")
> [@Fubaya](#): > > Unreal. He’s basically helping the Russians reopen two spy centers in the United States. > > Russia has been [pushing](https://sputniknews.com/politics/201705231053875227-moscow-us-diplomatic-property/) for this recently and it looks like Trump is going to roll over like a good lap dog. Hey, we now know that [Russia has never engaged in state-sponsored hacking: > [@Vladimir Putin](#): > > I’m deeply convinced that no hackers can radically influence another country’s election campaign. No hackers can influence election campaigns in any country of Europe, Asia or America. > [@Vladimir Putin](#): > > We never engaged in that on a state level, and have no intention of doing so. ]([http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU\_RUSSIA\_PUTIN?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2017-06-01-08-34-18](http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_RUSSIA_PUTIN?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2017-06-01-08-34-18))And even if it looks like they did it, they didn’t do it: > [@Vladimir Putin](#): > > I can imagine that some do it deliberately, staging a chain of attacks in such a way as to cast Russia as the origin of such an attack. Modern technologies allow that to be done quite easily. And really, Russia is the _victim_: > [@Vladimir Putin](#): > > It’s having an impact, and I’m afraid this is one of the goals of those who organize it are pursuing and they can fine-tune the public sentiments to their liking trying to establish an atmosphere that is going to prevent us from addressing common issues, say with regard to terrorism. I mean, if you can’t trust Vladimir Putin, who can you trust? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/351 "2017-06-03T02:04:51Z")
Nice little “fuck you” to Devin Nunes: [https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/nunes-led-house-intelligence-committee-requested-unmaskings-of-americans/2017/06/02/5c098dc0-47bc-11e7-98cd-af64b4fe2dfc\_story.html?utm\_term=.839526bae4fc&tid=sm\_tw](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/nunes-led-house-intelligence-committee-requested-unmaskings-of-americans/2017/06/02/5c098dc0-47bc-11e7-98cd-af64b4fe2dfc_story.html?utm_term=.839526bae4fc&tid=sm_tw) \*The Republican-controlled House Intelligence Committee asked U.S. spy agencies late last year to reveal the names of U.S. individuals or organizations contained in classified intelligence on Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election, engaging in the same practice that President Trump has accused the Obama administration of abusing, current and former officials said. The chairman of the committee, Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), has since cast the practice of “unmasking” of U.S. individuals and organizations mentioned in classified reports as an abuse of surveillance powers by the outgoing Obama administration. \* ---
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2017, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/352 "2017-06-05T22:27:37Z")
This probably isn’t the best thread but it’s the most recent Russia/election related thread so I’m putting this here: A newly leaked NSA document details [more Russian election hacks](https://theintercept.com/2017/06/05/top-secret-nsa-report-details-russian-hacking-effort-days-before-2016-election/). This contains new information but I’m not sure if we’ve heard about these hacks or not. We heard rumors of them monkeying with voting equipment vendors and voter registration, and that’s what this talks about, but I don’t know if this is more information on that or separate incidents entirely. ---
**Author:** ![Okrahoma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90db22/32.png) [@Okrahoma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Okrahoma)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2017, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/353 "2017-06-05T22:29:06Z")
> [@Fubaya](#): > > This probably isn’t the best thread but it’s the most recent Russia/election related thread so I’m putting this here: > > A newly leaked NSA document details [more Russian election hacks](https://theintercept.com/2017/06/05/top-secret-nsa-report-details-russian-hacking-effort-days-before-2016-election/). This contains new information but I’m not sure if we’ve heard about these hacks or not. We heard rumors of them monkeying with voting equipment vendors and voter registration, and that’s what this talks about, but I don’t know if this is more information on that or separate incidents entirely. The leaker was arrested an hour after the leak was published. ---
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2017, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/354 "2017-06-05T22:31:54Z")
> [@Okrahoma](#): > > The leaker was arrested an hour after the leak was published. Yeah, her name is Reality Winner. She was actually arrested Saturday. ---
**Author:** ![Okrahoma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90db22/32.png) [@Okrahoma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Okrahoma)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2017, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/355 "2017-06-05T22:37:33Z")
> [@Fubaya](#): > > Yeah, her name is Reality Winner. She was actually arrested Saturday. What an ironic name. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2017, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/356 "2017-06-06T00:27:38Z")
> [@Okrahoma](#): > > What an ironic name. How so? ---
**Author:** ![Okrahoma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90db22/32.png) [@Okrahoma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Okrahoma)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2017, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/357 "2017-06-06T00:36:49Z")
> [@Fiveyearlurker](#): > > How so? Is she a “winner”? Looking at a long term in federal prison. For no gain whatsoever. ---
**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:** [June 6, 2017, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/358 "2017-06-06T00:38:54Z")
Reality Winner trumps Reality loser. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2017, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/359 "2017-06-06T00:39:23Z")
> [@Okrahoma](#): > > Is she a “winner”? Looking at a long term in federal prison. For no gain whatsoever. And, she might be a hero. We have no idea right now. ---
**Author:** ![Okrahoma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90db22/32.png) [@Okrahoma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Okrahoma)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2017, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/360 "2017-06-06T01:02:33Z")
> [@Fiveyearlurker](#): > > And, she might be a hero. We have no idea right now. How do you have “no idea”? You know exactly what she leaked, it is published. Ho hum doc. Do you think it was worth a long prison sentence? ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2017, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/361 "2017-06-06T02:15:44Z")
> [@Okrahoma](#): > > How do you have “no idea”? You know exactly what she leaked, it is published. Ho hum doc. Do you think it was worth a long prison sentence? Being that the story broke about 90 minutes ago, and we have zero information, I have no idea and therefore, no opinion. It’s better to do it that way than to have no idea, and form strong opinions, I find. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799.md?page=17) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799.md?page=19)