# 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:** 264
**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:** [December 10, 2018, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/5265 "2018-12-10T02:58:13Z")
> [@Dacien](#): > > As has been pointed out, Comey has acted unprofessionally in many areas, not just in testimony. His behavior preceding the election was just terrible. He failed to “lock her up”? ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2018, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/5266 "2018-12-10T03:17:30Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > David Frum has advanced the theory that Trump will be reduced to asking Omarosa to come back. > > We’ve been used to hearing staffers say, off the record, that it’s chaos over there. But now it’s going to be chaos on a much larger scale. Staffers will be carting out White House silverware, portraits, and even furniture at will, and packs of wild dogs will run through the halls. > > And there will be no one to bring Donnie a Diet Coke. I’m pretty sure that the official painting of Trump will remain. No one besides him wants it, and unless it’s wallet-sized, his tiny little hands can’t lift it. ---
**Author:** ![Dacien](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dacien/32/5663_2.png) [@Dacien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dacien)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2018, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/5267 "2018-12-10T04:17:50Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > He failed to “lock her up”? I’m thinking more about his 11th hour re-ignition of the email investigation. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2018, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/5268 "2018-12-10T04:46:10Z")
> [@Dacien](#): > > I’m thinking more about his 11th hour re-ignition of the email investigation. A whole lot of folks were upset with that action by Comey, as it’s been widely speculated that this move may have cost Clinton the election. But if you read his testimony from last Friday, he felt he was in a damned-if-you-do-and-damned-if-you-don’t situation. Probably not his best move, but he did have a reason for doing so, and he definitely thought it was a valid reason. What else you got on Comey where he’s ‘acted unprofessionally in many areas’ or where he pulled ‘these kinds of shenanigans in other ways’? ---
**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:** [December 10, 2018, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/5269 "2018-12-10T06:36:05Z")
This was posted in the Pit’s Trump Clusterfuck thread: > **[Documents point to illegal campaign coordination between Trump and the NRA](https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2018/12/nra-trump-2016-campaign-coordination-political-advertising/)** > > Trump and the gun group used the same consultants to spearhead TV ad blitzes at the height of the 2016 election, likely in violation of federal law. The Trump campaign and the NRA were closely cooperating on their ad spending. That seems relevant to Russian collusion, given the possible Russian funding and the (possible) links between Butina and Trump. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2018, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/5270 "2018-12-10T10:55:37Z")
here is a theory : Trump loses re-election but quits a few days before Jan 20th so that Pence can take over and pardon Trump. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2018, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/5271 "2018-12-10T15:14:23Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > here is a theory : Trump loses re-election but quits a few days before Jan 20th so that Pence can take over and pardon Trump. Oddly enough, conservative columnist Jennifer Rubin agrees with you. > **[Pence Will Pardon Trump, Columnist Predicts](https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-impeachment-resignation-robert-mueller-mueller-probe-russia-1251580)** > > If evidence mounts against the president, Democrats will have a "moral obligation" to try to impeach him, said writer Jennifer Rubin. ---
**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:** [December 10, 2018, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/5272 "2018-12-10T17:19:58Z")
[Maria Butina has a likely deal with Federal prosecutors.](http://time.com/5475455/russia-maria-butina-federal-prosecutors/?xid=tcoshare) A filing was made today showing that she wishes to change her “Not Guilty” plea. ---
**Author:** ![YamatoTwinkie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/cc9497/32.png) [@YamatoTwinkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YamatoTwinkie)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2018, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/5273 "2018-12-10T17:29:32Z")
> [@Railer13](#): > > A whole lot of folks were upset with that action by Comey, as it’s been widely speculated that this move may have cost Clinton the election. But if you read his testimony from last Friday, he felt he was in a damned-if-you-do-and-damned-if-you-don’t situation. Probably not his best move, but he did have a reason for doing so, and he definitely thought it was a valid reason The NY Field Office was leaking to Giuliani, Comey was obligated to inform Congress if there were any developments in the email case, and there’s no way once he did so that Chaffetz was going to keep any of it a secret. I think he rightly concluded that he had to go public. Any attempt at sitting on it would have resulted in internal leaks. His hand was forced. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2018, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/5274 "2018-12-10T17:56:19Z")
> [@YamatoTwinkie](#): > > The NY Field Office was leaking to Giuliani, Comey was obligated to inform Congress if there were any developments in the email case, and there’s no way once he did so that Chaffetz was going to keep any of it a secret. I think he rightly concluded that he had to go public. > > Any attempt at sitting on it would have resulted in internal leaks. His hand was forced. Even with the benefit of hindsight, I probably would have done the same thing Comey did with respect to notifying Congress the investigation was re-opened. Once the Director of the FBI goes public with the determination that a case is closed on a major public figure, I generally agree that it would be a disaster to say nothing when the case is reopened when there’s a possibility that new facts could substantially change the findings of the case. I view this as sort of a “chips falling where they may” when a major party nominates someone who is under criminal investigation by the FBI (are you listening, Republicans?). Where I strongly disagree with Comey, even without hindsight, is the way he called a press conference to say all sorts of things about how and why the case was being closed. This was a mistake. But once that Rubicon was crossed, it was impossible not to say anything about the case suddenly becoming not closed. ---
**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:** [December 10, 2018, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/5275 "2018-12-10T18:06:31Z")
> [@YamatoTwinkie](#): > > The NY Field Office was leaking to Giuliani, Comey was obligated to inform Congress if there were any developments in the email case, and there’s no way once he did so that Chaffetz was going to keep any of it a secret. I think he rightly concluded that he had to go public. > > Any attempt at sitting on it would have resulted in internal leaks. His hand was forced. Comey’s fundamental mistake was to make the initial public statement in July 2016 castigating Hillary Clinton but not bringing charges. Once he took that fatal step, all else became baked into the cake. He publicly stated he would inform Congress if there were any developments – probably never imagining that there would be. If we go further back, Comey was placed in a horrible position due to Bill Clinton’s misstep in thinking he could have an informal meeting on a plane in Arizona with Loretta Lynch. Lynch, who did the right thing by stepping aside in accordance with with norms to avoid even an appearance of impropriety, dumped the whole mess in Comey’s lap. All of which [seems terribly quaint](https://twitter.com/JoyceWhiteVance/status/1072142289559003137), under the circumstances. > [@](#): > > This morning on @Morning\_Joe we discussed Kushner taking Acting AG Whitaker (now in charge of the investigation Kushner is a subject of) along on a flight, which makes Loretta Lynch’s happenstance tarmac conversation with Bill Clinton pale in comparison (Joyce Vance, former US Prosecutor, Twitter feed) ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Economist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c89c15/32.png) [@Evil\_Economist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Economist)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2018, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/5276 "2018-12-10T19:32:36Z")
> [@YamatoTwinkie](#): > > The NY Field Office was leaking to Giuliani Unlike the made up shit the Republucans wasted tens of millions of dollars “investigating,” that seems like a real crime that should be legitimately investigated, with felony charges for every criminal scumbag involved. ---
**Author:** ![Dacien](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dacien/32/5663_2.png) [@Dacien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dacien)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2018, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/5277 "2018-12-10T22:52:28Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > Oddly enough, conservative columnist Jennifer Rubin agrees with you. > > [Donald Trump Will Resign Presidency With 10 Minutes Left in Term So Mike Pence Can Pardon Him, Conservative Columnist Predicts](https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-impeachment-resignation-robert-mueller-mueller-probe-russia-1251580) “conservative” She’s the token faux conservative that just so happens to argue against conservative ideas, so they can point to her and say, “See! A _real_ conservative agrees with us! Not like those far-right conservatives.” There was a big movement a while ago to get her to account for her anti-conservative stances while claiming to be conservative, but I don’t think it went anywhere. ---
**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:** [December 10, 2018, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/5278 "2018-12-10T23:10:08Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > I’m pretty sure that the official painting of Trump will remain. No one besides him wants it, and unless it’s wallet-sized, his tiny little hands can’t lift it. Your observations do seem to be, in light of present evidence, well-supported and likely to be predictive. ---
**Author:** ![CaptMurdock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/captmurdock/32/11736_2.png) [@CaptMurdock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptMurdock)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2018, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/5279 "2018-12-10T23:39:47Z")
> [@Dacien](#): > > “conservative” > > She’s the token faux conservative that just so happens to argue against conservative ideas, so they can point to her and say, “See! A _real_ conservative agrees with us! Not like those far-right conservatives.” There was a big movement a while ago to get her to account for her anti-conservative stances while claiming to be conservative, but I don’t think it went anywhere. Didnae like the tilt of her kilt, laddie? 😉 ---
**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:** [December 11, 2018, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/5280 "2018-12-11T00:08:28Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > [Maria Butina has a likely deal with Federal prosecutors.](http://time.com/5475455/russia-maria-butina-federal-prosecutors/?xid=tcoshare) A filing was made today showing that she wishes to change her “Not Guilty” plea. Yup, it’s happened. Now it’s on the FBI to keep her alive. I suspect she’s going to disappear from the face of the Earth until her time in court. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2018, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/5281 "2018-12-11T00:11:11Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > here is a theory : Trump loses re-election but quits a few days before Jan 20th so that Pence can take over and pardon Trump. That assumes, of course, that they have somebody willing to swear in Pence to the office. Oh, what am I thinking? Brett Kavanaugh would be thrilled to perform that task. ---
**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:** [December 11, 2018, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/5282 "2018-12-11T03:54:11Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > Yup, it’s happened. > > Now it’s on the FBI to keep her alive. I suspect she’s going to disappear from the face of the Earth until her time in court. I’m not holding my breath. Manafort had a plea deal too and lied to prosecutors. She might hold out for a spy swap at some point or some other diplomatic solution. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2018, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/5283 "2018-12-11T06:59:06Z")
Svelte and slinky Slavic Soviet seductress. ---
**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:** [December 11, 2018, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/5284 "2018-12-11T07:16:42Z")
> [@Snarky\_Kong](#): > > I’m not holding my breath. Manafort had a plea deal too and lied to prosecutors. She might hold out for a spy swap at some point or some other diplomatic solution. If she’s talking, she’s never going back. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799.md?page=263) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799.md?page=265)