# 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:** 26
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2017, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/503 "2017-07-07T15:17:19Z")
The only astonishing thing that could come out of his mouth is silence. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2017, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/504 "2017-07-07T16:02:12Z")
> [@marshmallow](#): > > I think he’s saying if Russia was this villain subverting the American elections then Obama would have done something about it. Trump thinks he didn’t, so either Russia didn’t do it and it’s fake news, or Obama is a feckless liberal pussy and it’s his fault. He’s very clearly saying both. He didn’t kill that guy, but if he did, it was self defense. ---
**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 7, 2017, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/505 "2017-07-07T17:24:31Z")
What went on in the Putin-Trump meeting: “President Putin is the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful human being I’ve ever known in my life.” ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2017, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/506 "2017-07-07T18:14:35Z")
Amazing! [Everybody at G20 wants to talk about Podesta’s emails!](http://www.politicususa.com/2017/07/07/white-house-officials-confirmed-trump-insane-g20.html) He’s giving batshit a bad name. ---
**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 7, 2017, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/507 "2017-07-07T18:23:15Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Amazing! [Everybody at G20 wants to talk about Podesta’s emails!](http://www.politicususa.com/2017/07/07/white-house-officials-confirmed-trump-insane-g20.html) He’s giving batshit a bad name. I always hate when I accidentally click a politususa link and spend even 10 seconds reading before I realize where I am. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2017, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/508 "2017-07-07T18:38:16Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > I always hate when I accidentally click a politususa link and spend even 10 seconds reading before I realize where I am. If you prefer, [you can watch Joe and Mika talk about it.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmA60YJdVi0) ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2017, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/509 "2017-07-07T20:09:15Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Well, _maybe_ Russia, nobody _really_ knows. _Maybe_ Russia among a bunch of others! China. Albania. Upper Volta. Don’t forget the Duchy of Grand Fenwick, those guys are very, very sneaky. ---
**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 8, 2017, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/510 "2017-07-08T01:39:33Z")
How do you decide the truth from two conflicting accounts by people none of whose word you trust in the slightest? It’s no surprise to me that Putin would have stonewalled, and I doubt he came away from the meeting discouraged at all from continuing with election-tampering. Trump better get the defenses rolling, if he can get past his distrust of the intelligence agencies (and his own ignorance) long enough to order them to do so. ---
**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 8, 2017, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/511 "2017-07-08T02:19:37Z")
If Trump complained about the media talking about it, then both accounts can be true. Yeah, he brought it up, and yeah wants it all in the past. Bringing up the subject doesn’t mean he tried to dissuade Putin from doing it again. ---
**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 8, 2017, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/512 "2017-07-08T21:00:40Z")
> [@Snarky\_Kong](#): > > Bringing up the subject doesn’t mean he tried to dissuade Putin from doing it again. True. Trump is deeply committed to believing both that he earned the Presidency with no help whatsoever, and that Putin sincerely likes and admires him and would never do anything to harm him. Trump will do nothing and will authorize nothing that would deter Putin from influencing elections in 2018, 2020, and beyond. If Trump did bring up the topic at all–and we have only the word of notorious liars that he did–then it would have been as a bonding moment with Putin: ‘_ha, all these idiots and haters are saying that you interfered in our election process, what a bunch of losers, haha_’—something along those lines. ---
**Author:** ![Fair\_Rarity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fair_rarity/32/153_2.png) [@Fair\_Rarity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fair_Rarity)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2017, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/513 "2017-07-09T01:07:24Z")
> [@Johnny\_Ace](#): > > How do you decide the truth from two conflicting accounts by people none of whose word you trust in the slightest? If I’m Putin, my side of any story is going to be at least slightly different than the US’s right now and sow more discord. ---
**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:** [July 9, 2017, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/514 "2017-07-09T05:35:13Z")
I’m pretty much convinced that Donald Trump guaranteed himself a 2nd term today. The Russians can hack to their hearts content so that even if the vote suppression commission doesn’t work, the hacking will. 100 million could vote against Trump in 2020 and it won’t matter. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2017, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/515 "2017-07-09T17:16:50Z")
Gettin’ kinda [smoky](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/08/us/politics/trump-russia-kushner-manafort.html?_r=0) in here. \* "Two weeks after Donald J. Trump clinched the Republican presidential nomination last year, his eldest son arranged a meeting at Trump Tower in Manhattan with a Russian lawyer who has connections to the Kremlin, according to confidential government records described to The New York Times. The previously unreported meeting was also attended by Mr. Trump’s campaign chairman at the time, Paul J. Manafort, as well as the president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, according to interviews and the documents, which were outlined by people familiar with them."\* Interesting to note that [Breitbart](http://www.breitbart.com/2016-presidential-race/2016/06/09/report-donald-trump-meets-donors-trump-tower/) was reporting at the time on that date that there was a fundraising meeting at Trump Tower and included Reince Priebus. If he was in this meeting with the Kremlin lawyer that drags the whole GOP into this thing. Any legitimate reason that everyone seems to “forget” to disclose these meetings until they are uncovered? ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2017, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/516 "2017-07-09T19:05:42Z")
Reince is now claiming, based on “information” from Trump’s legal team, that the meeting was a set up by Democrats. > **[Reince Priebus Accuses Democratic Operatives Of Setting Up Russia Meeting...](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-russia-lawyer_n_59624746e4b0615b9e922779?ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009)** > > The meeting just came to light on Saturday. > [@Reince Priebus](#): > > On Sunday, Priebus said “the individual that set up the meeting may have been” associated with Fusion GPS, the Washington, D.C.-based strategy firm behind a leaked intelligence dossier that suggested Russian officials possess materials that could be used to blackmail President Trump. > > “There’s more questions on the Democrat side than anywhere else,” Priebus said on “Fox News Sunday.” > > He pointed to an article on Circa, the news site owned by the right-wing media giant Sinclair Broadcast Group, which cited a spokesman for Trump’s legal team. The story was splashed on Drudge Report on Sunday morning. > > “We have learned from both our own investigation and public reports that the participants in the meeting misrepresented who they were and who they worked for,” Mark Corallo, a spokesman for Trump’s lawyers, said in a statement published by Circa. “Specifically, we have learned that the person who sought the meeting is associated with Fusion GPS, a firm which according to public reports, was retained by Democratic operatives to develop opposition research on the President and which commissioned the phony Steele dossier.” So - it’s Obama’s fault. That’s a relief! Priebus refused to discuss details of the meeting. ---
**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:** [July 9, 2017, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/517 "2017-07-09T19:10:53Z")
Yup. Let’s look at the evolution of lies: “It’s a hoax. We never met with the Russians. Stop lying.” “Oh, yeah, there was that one time… sorry. Let me amend my forms.” “Well, it may have been more than one meeting, but we were talking about an adoption policy enacted in 2012.” “HOLY SHIT, WE WERE SET UP BY THE DEMOCRATS!” ---
**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 9, 2017, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/518 "2017-07-09T19:42:00Z")
> [@Merneith](#): > > Reince is now claiming, based on “information” from Trump’s legal team, that the meeting was a set up by Democrats. > > [Reince Priebus Accuses Democratic Operatives Of Setting Up Russia Meeting With Trump Jr. | HuffPost Latest News](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-russia-lawyer_us_59624746e4b0615b9e922779?ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009) > … Let’s say this rather shaky theory is true; even if it is, _how does that explain the failures of Manafort, Kushner, and Don. Jr. to report the meeting?_ eta: a failure to which Fiveyearlurker also alluded. ---
**Author:** ![snoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@snoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snoe)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2017, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/519 "2017-07-09T20:09:09Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > Let’s say this rather shaky theory is true; even if it is, _how does that explain the failures of Manafort, Kushner, and Don. Jr. to report the meeting?_ But doesn’t forgetting about the meeting actually demonstrate how innocent it was? I mean, if they’d been up to something, somebody would have remembered it and reported it. Stands to reason. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2017, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/520 "2017-07-09T20:28:27Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > Let’s say this rather shaky theory is true; even if it is, _how does that explain the failures of Manafort, Kushner, and Don. Jr. to report the meeting?_ And if you’re a Democrat who’d gone to all the trouble to make Trump and his campaign look bad, wouldn’t you then announce it, or at least leak it to the press, _before the election?_ ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2017, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/521 "2017-07-09T20:36:35Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > And if you’re a Democrat who’d gone to all the trouble to make Trump and his campaign look bad, wouldn’t you then announce it, or at least leak it to the press, _before the election?_ They’re playing 4D chess. 😃 ---
**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 9, 2017, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/522 "2017-07-09T20:54:04Z")
> **[Trump’s Son Met With Russian Lawyer After Being Promised Damaging Information...](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/09/us/politics/trump-russia-kushner-manafort.html?smprod=nytcore-iphone&smid=nytcore-iphone-share)** > > Donald Trump Jr. is said to have arranged the meeting with the Kremlin-linked lawyer during the campaign after he was told he would be provided with details about Hillary Clinton. Trump Jr., Manafort, and Kushner all met with a Russian lawyer in order to obtain damaging information on HRC. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799.md?page=25) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799.md?page=27)