# 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:** 243
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2018, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/4845 "2018-07-22T14:10:06Z")
The point of such a dossier isn’t really whether or not it is strictly factual. Intelligence almost never is. Its a bit like the “People are saying” model for Faux News. Even if what they are saying isn’t true, it may be useful to know what it is. Agent Badanov reports to this handlers that there are rumors that Hillary owns a sex farm for immigrant children, that Bernie was a Maoist in college days, and that Minnie Mouse is fucking Goofy. His handlers read and file. Comrade Badenov’s call for the assassination of moose and squirrel is duly noted. Another agent reports that people are saying that Hillary wants to give African American voters a “bonus” vote as reparations, California is going to make gay marriage mandatory, and Minnie is fucking Goofy. Eyebrows raise, perhaps some more attention should be on the question of Minnie Mouse’s “doggy style” inclinations. They are all just rumors, not facts, not relentlessly documented, not nailed down Mueller style, just air, smoke and mirrors. Which is intelligence of a sort, there is a value to it. Mr Steele collected a metric buttload of rumors and maybes, and delivered them. Its what he was supposed to do, that was his job. And, of course, every once in a while, it turns out that Minnie _was_ fucking Goofy. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2018, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/4846 "2018-07-22T14:16:18Z")
Steele said that he would expect about 80% to prove accurate. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2018, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/4847 "2018-07-22T14:28:30Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > One of Bayrock’s other partners, and investor in Trump SoHo, was the Eurasia Group, run by Alexander Mashkevich. > > Mashy was one of the participating men in the yacht when Arif was arrested with the underage girls. > > [The Curious World of Donald Trump’s Private Russian Connections - The American Interest](https://www.the-american-interest.com/2016/12/19/the-curious-world-of-donald-trumps-private-russian-connections/) > > [Russian billionaire to found 'Jewish Al-Jazeera'](http://jtf.org/forum/index.php?topic=54593.0) > > I feel like if I keep Googling, I’ll find another half dozen pedophiles among Trump’s business partners because, like, this isn’t hard to find new people yet. Oh, why not — I’ll continue the side track Jeffrey Epstein The conspiracy theorist keep trying to link him to Hillary but he was one of Trumps best friends. [https://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/04/jeffrey-epstein-trump-lawsuit-sex-trafficking-237983](https://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/04/jeffrey-epstein-trump-lawsuit-sex-trafficking-237983) ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2018, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/4848 "2018-07-22T15:29:55Z")
> [@Ann\_Hedonia](#): > > Oh, why not — I’ll continue the side track > > Jeffrey Epstein > > The conspiracy theorist keep trying to link him to Hillary but he was one of Trumps best friends. > > [https://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/04/jeffrey-epstein-trump-lawsuit-sex-trafficking-237983](https://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/04/jeffrey-epstein-trump-lawsuit-sex-trafficking-237983) I mentioned him in [https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=21095145&postcount=4797](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=21095145&postcount=4797) The invaders successfully pushed us into the next page. ---
**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 22, 2018, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/4849 "2018-07-22T22:40:06Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > Initial wiretap request against Carter Page: > > [Document: Justice Department Releases Carter Page FISA Application | Lawfare](https://www.lawfareblog.com/document-justice-department-releases-carter-page-fisa-application) > … > This document makes it absolutely clear that Christopher Steele was a paid source working for a partisan boss. It’s not a matter of footnotes, there’s a whole discussion of the topic in the main body of the text… I thought the point you were making here was that this revelation makes it plain that Devin Nunes and his colleagues were lying through their teeth about the Page wiretap being (supposedly) outrageous because (supposedly) it was based on the Steele dossier—and the FBI had (supposedly) concealed from the FISA court the fact that Steele was paid by a partisan entity for his work. Obviously Nunes et all knew that their allegation was total bullpucky, but they figured the FISA application would never been seen by the public, so they’d get away with their Big Lie. ---
**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:** [July 22, 2018, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/4850 "2018-07-22T23:18:42Z")
Trump is vindicated on one front. He repeatedly made the seemingly baseless claim that a spy had been placed in his campaign. Now we see that Carter Page was placed there by Putin. ---
**Author:** ![Celidin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Celidin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celidin)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2018, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/4851 "2018-07-23T14:23:20Z")
> [@Lance\_Turbo](#): > > Trump is vindicated on one front. He repeatedly made the seemingly baseless claim that a spy had been placed in his campaign. > > Now we see that Carter Page was placed there by Putin. Why does it seem like everything Trump says is projection again? Oh yeah. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2018, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/4852 "2018-07-23T14:30:57Z")
> [@Chip\_Dundas](#): > > I aplologize if this has already been brought up but doesn’t Mexico interfere in our elections 1000 more times than Russia could ever dream of? Cite? No, not a cite that this has already been brought up at Twitter or Yahoo, a cite that Mexico actually interferes 1000 more times than Russia could dream of. I aplologize if this question is too difficult. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2018, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/4853 "2018-07-23T14:35:00Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > Steele said that he would expect about 80% to prove accurate. 😕 Why should we believe Steele? He’s just a trained and experienced intelligence agent. We’ve got contrary opinions from people who follow @realDonaldTrump on Twitter. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2018, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/4854 "2018-07-23T17:50:44Z")
> [@](#): > > Quoth **elucidator** : > > Eyebrows raise, perhaps some more attention should be on the question of Minnie Mouse’s “doggy style” inclinations. Really, **'luci**? I’d have expected better from you. Everyone knows that that should be [“dawgy style”](https://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/978/if-pluto-is-a-dog-what-is-goofy/). ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2018, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/4855 "2018-07-23T18:06:50Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Really, **'luci**? I’d have expected better from you. > > Everyone knows that that should be [“dawgy style”](https://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/978/if-pluto-is-a-dog-what-is-goofy/). Oh, garsh! ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2018, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/4856 "2018-07-25T19:58:50Z")
One thing that I’ll note, from having recently re-read the Steele dossier is that Trump was purported to be used by Russia mainly as a source of information on Russians living in the US. Knowing that Trump was regularly purchasing stories from the Enquirer, it becomes a point of interest whether he was only buying stories related to himself, or if he had a list of Russian names that he also paid for information on. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2018, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/4857 "2018-07-25T20:13:31Z")
[Soccer ball Putin gave to Trump had transmitter chip in it.](https://www.bloomberg.com/amp/news/articles/2018-07-25/putin-soccer-ball-for-trump-had-transmitter-chip-logo-indicates?__twitter_impression=true) > [@](#): > > But rather than a spy device, the chip is an advertised feature of the Adidas AG ball. Photographs from the news conference in Helsinki, where Putin handed the ball to Trump, show it bore a logo for a near-field communication tag. During manufacturing, the NFC chip is placed inside the ball under that logo, which resembles the icon for a WiFi signal, according to the Adidas website. > > The chip allows fans to access player videos, competitions and other content by bringing their mobile devices close to the ball. The feature is included in the 2018 FIFA World Cup match ball that’s sold on the Adidas website for $165 (reduced to $83 in the past week). ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2018, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/4858 "2018-07-26T02:49:37Z")
So, does Cortana scream “\*\*GGGOOOOOOOAAALLL!!!” \*\* ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2018, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/4859 "2018-07-26T13:24:18Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > So, does Cortana scream “\*\*GGGOOOOOOOAAALLL!!!” > \*\* Only if you get really intimate with [del]her[/del] it. Or so I hear… ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2018, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/4860 "2018-07-30T19:44:59Z")
“Putin’s favorite congressman” Dana Rohrabacher says that anyone in Washington would’ve met with the Russians to get dirt on Hillary Clinton. > **[Dana Rohrabacher says anyone “in this town” would meet with Russians peddling...](https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2018/07/dana-rohrabacher-says-anyone-in-this-town-would-meet-with-russians-peddling-political-dirt/)** > > "Putin's favorite congressman" also called the Maria Butina case "BS." We’ve arrived at “Yeah, we colluded with the Russians: so what?” ---
**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 30, 2018, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/4861 "2018-07-30T21:00:35Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > “Putin’s favorite congressman” Dana Rohrabacher says that anyone in Washington would’ve met with the Russians to get dirt on Hillary Clinton. > > [Dana Rohrabacher Says Anyone “In This Town” Would Meet With Russians Peddling Political Dirt – Mother Jones](https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2018/07/dana-rohrabacher-says-anyone-in-this-town-would-meet-with-russians-peddling-political-dirt/) > > We’ve arrived at “Yeah, we colluded with the Russians: so what?” Next up, of course: “Colluding with the Russians was the patriotic thing to do! Be grateful Trump had the courage to do it! MAGA!” …and as with most of the Trumpist double-think, they are careful to avoid even _thinking_ of the question ‘_how, exactly, does Trump being Putin’s stooge make America great again, anyway?_…’ ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2018, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/4862 "2018-07-30T21:03:57Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > “Putin’s favorite congressman” Dana Rohrabacher says that anyone in Washington would’ve met with the Russians to get dirt on Hillary Clinton. > > [Dana Rohrabacher Says Anyone “In This Town” Would Meet With Russians Peddling Political Dirt – Mother Jones](https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2018/07/dana-rohrabacher-says-anyone-in-this-town-would-meet-with-russians-peddling-political-dirt/) > > We’ve arrived at “Yeah, we colluded with the Russians: so what?” Nixon always believed that everyone else was dirty, too. Is there some sort of term for it, where one assumes that everyone else is as criminal as you are, so it’s just being stupid to not act faster and firmer in criminal ways to keep ahead of them? ---
**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 30, 2018, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/4863 "2018-07-30T21:26:52Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > Nixon always believed that everyone else was dirty, too. Is there some sort of term for it, where one assumes that everyone else is as criminal as you are, so it’s just being stupid to not act faster and firmer in criminal ways to keep ahead of them? I believe the technical term for believing that other people think the same way you do, is “being human.” It’s a failure of our species. We may _say_ we realize that others think differently, but in fact we don’t really believe it. So criminals _do_ assume that everyone has the same exploitative impulses they do. Sociopaths assume that everyone else wants to commit mayhem in the most sadistic way possible. And decent people believe that everyone, deep down, is good. Just ain’t so. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2018, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/4864 "2018-07-30T21:31:54Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > Nixon always believed that everyone else was dirty, too. Is there some sort of term for it, where one assumes that everyone else is as criminal as you are, so it’s just being stupid to not act faster and firmer in criminal ways to keep ahead of them? The Republicans don’t assume that Democrats are just as bad as they are; they know that they aren’t quite that bad, and they see that as their advantage. For years, the Republicans have been willing to do anything to win an election, because they don’t believe in democracy. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799.md?page=242) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799.md?page=244)