# 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:** 275
**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:** [January 16, 2019, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/5485 "2019-01-16T02:49:49Z")
And the final big revelation is on page 30, where it says that Manafort was actively promoting people for appointment to the White House up until at least early 2017, via “intermediaries”. So whether Trump is an agent of Russia or not, it’s reasonably possible that some of the people in the administration work for Russia. ---
**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:** [January 16, 2019, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/5486 "2019-01-16T03:57:58Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > And the final big revelation is on page 30, where it says that Manafort was actively promoting people for appointment to the White House up until at least early 2017, via “intermediaries”. > > So whether Trump is an agent of Russia or not, it’s reasonably possible that some of the people in the administration work for Russia. I’m not sure corruption is limited to Russia. Linda McMahon, for instance, paid a lot of money to Manafort’s PAC, he told Trump to hire her, and now she’s the administer of the Small Business Administration. I don’t know of any speculated connection between her and the Kremlin. ---
**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 16, 2019, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/5487 "2019-01-16T04:05:06Z")
> [@Snarky\_Kong](#): > > I’m not sure corruption is limited to Russia. Linda McMahon, for instance, paid a lot of money to Manafort’s PAC, he told Trump to hire her, and now she’s the administer of the Small Business Administration. I don’t know of any speculated connection between her and the Kremlin. You never hear of Nikolai Volkoff? The dude did die unexpectedly this past July…:dubious: ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2019, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/5488 "2019-01-16T04:26:45Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > You never hear of Nikolai Volkoff? > > The dude did die unexpectedly this past July…:dubious: He was Croatian. ---
**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 16, 2019, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/5489 "2019-01-16T04:30:03Z")
He was a made-up character. It was a joke. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2019, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/5490 "2019-01-16T15:20:59Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > Although I regard Trump as a criminal and a traitor, I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt regarding his insistence on keeping his Putin chats secret. > > It’s possible that these chats were so banal, so utterly devoid of any intelligence, that exposing them would be too humiliating. Not me. I’m sure it was something like a mockumentary I saw with Danny DeVito playing a New Jersey congressional candidate who was arrested for accepting a bribe after an FBI sting. **FBI Agent:** [Showing a briefcase open and filled strapped cash] Now, we are giving you this money because we want you to do something for us. **DeVito:** Yeah, yeah. **F A:** We give you the money now, you do the thing after you’re elected. **DeV:** Gimme the damn money! [Quick cut] **DeV:** It was taken out of context! ---
**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 17, 2019, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/5491 "2019-01-17T02:34:48Z")
Well, we can officially edit the title now, remove the “may have”: RudyG: “I never said there was no collusion between the campaign! Or between people in the campaign. I said the President never colluded!” [https://t.co/K8ATLlwKC2](https://t.co/K8ATLlwKC2) ---
**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:** [January 17, 2019, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/5492 "2019-01-17T13:15:02Z")
That’s one hell of a lawyer! ---
**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 17, 2019, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/5493 "2019-01-17T13:16:57Z")
RudyG, Divorce attorney ad: “Want to win? Hire me to represent your spouse!” ---
**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:** [January 17, 2019, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/5494 "2019-01-17T15:23:59Z")
Cohen paid IT guy to rig online polls for Trump but it did not work. [Michael Cohen says Trump directed him to pay for poll rigging | CNN Politics](https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/17/politics/michael-cohen-poll-rigging/index.html) ---
**Author:** ![BigAppleBucky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigapplebucky/32/178_2.png) [@BigAppleBucky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigAppleBucky)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2019, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/5495 "2019-01-17T16:11:38Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Refresh my memory: Does attempted rape count as “pretty serious shit”? Lying under oath in front of a Senate committee should. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2019, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/5496 "2019-01-17T18:19:14Z")
> [@BigAppleBucky](#): > > Lying under oath in front of a Senate committee should. Lying under oath only counts if he’s in the wrong party. ---
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2019, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/5497 "2019-01-17T18:29:08Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > Cohen paid IT guy to rig online polls for Trump but it did not work. > > [https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/17/politics/michael-cohen-poll-rigging/index.html](https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/17/politics/michael-cohen-poll-rigging/index.html) At Trump’s behest. That’s the key bit. ---
**Author:** ![BeepKillBeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@BeepKillBeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeepKillBeep)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2019, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/5498 "2019-01-17T19:15:00Z")
Assuming Trump is ultimately arrested, and one can only hope, I wonder what the Republican propagandist lines will be. Something like: 1 - Yeah Trump was a criminal, but the Democrats made us vote for him because Hillary was so awful! 2 - Yeah Trump was a criminal, but the Dems are too! 3 - Trump is not a criminal, this is all part of the deep state conspiracy! 4 - Trump is not a criminal, he’s simply going undercover in prison to expose the deep state conspiracy! 5 - Trump was a criminal, but he was still the greatest president ever. We should have forgiven his crimes because MAGA! ---
**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:** [January 17, 2019, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/5499 "2019-01-17T19:37:17Z")
I believe that the position is that politicians are all criminal, Trump just fell prey to the Deep State. ---
**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:** [January 17, 2019, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/5500 "2019-01-17T19:45:50Z")
those rigged survey attempts were before Trump ran for office so not sure what crime that would be. ---
**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 17, 2019, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/5501 "2019-01-17T19:47:35Z")
With these poll revelations, looks like Trump was paying for Fake News. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2019, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/5502 "2019-01-17T20:29:36Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > those rigged survey attempts were before Trump ran for office so not sure what crime that would be. Possibly some flavor of fraud? Even if there wasn’t a law broken, trying to game a poll to make yourself look more popular than you are is (a) not a great look, and (b) so very, very Trump. ---
**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 17, 2019, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/5503 "2019-01-17T20:34:56Z")
Kurt Eichenwald goes into why this is important even if it’s not directly illegal: > **[Thread by @kurteichenwald: "1. Some time ago, I wrote one of the most...](https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1085927650252722176.html)** > > Thread by @kurteichenwald: "1. Some time ago, I wrote one of the most important pieces of information in the Michael Cohen filings was the $5 by the Trump Org as reimbursement for IT campaign expenses. Soon after, I heard, but could not confirm, this... ---
**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:** [January 17, 2019, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/5504 "2019-01-17T21:47:45Z")
the screw up was they rigged the poll for his friend John Miller , not Trump. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799.md?page=274) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799.md?page=276)