# 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:** 66
**Author:** ![Thing\_Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@Thing\_Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing_Fish)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2017, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/1303 "2017-07-18T17:46:25Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > 8th person at the meeting revealed: > > [http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/18/politics/eighth-man-trump-tower-meeting-russia/index.html](http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/18/politics/eighth-man-trump-tower-meeting-russia/index.html) Hm. His lawyer describes him as a senior VP at a real estate development firm owned by a Russian oligarch who “has never had any engagement with the Russian government in any capacity.”. Well, that sounds plausible. ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2017, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/1304 "2017-07-18T17:56:24Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > 8th person at the meeting revealed: > > [http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/18/politics/eighth-man-trump-tower-meeting-russia/index.html](http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/18/politics/eighth-man-trump-tower-meeting-russia/index.html) I’m starting to feel left out. ---
**Author:** ![dasmoocher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2017, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/1305 "2017-07-18T18:05:29Z")
Pretty soon, the Trump Jr meeting will be the biggest ever. Period. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2017, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/1306 "2017-07-18T18:10:01Z")
> [@dasmoocher](#): > > Pretty soon, the Trump Jr meeting will be the biggest ever. Period. Maybe if we start taunting Trump about his tiny meetings he’ll finally release the attendance sheet? ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2017, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/1307 "2017-07-18T18:25:16Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > They are political neophytes, and would not fully appreciate the significance of that meeting and who was or wasn’t there. The son of a man with a billion-dollar business, and a grown man with a career of his own - and he doesn’t make sure he knows who he is talking to, who’s listening to what he says, and that there’s an accurate note kept of what’s said and decided at a meeting? Pull the other one. ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2017, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/1308 "2017-07-18T18:36:28Z")
> [@PatrickLondon](#): > > The son of a man with a billion-dollar business, and a grown man with a career of his own - and he doesn’t make sure he knows who he is talking to, who’s listening to what he says, and that there’s an accurate note kept of what’s said and decided at a meeting? You’re going back to square one here. The bigger of a businessman he is, the _less_ likely he is to keep track of who is in various meetings, not more. Someone countered that he would have been aware that this particular meeting was of unusual significance, such that he would have made a particular effort to document the attendees. I’m suggesting that this may not have been the case. ---
**Author:** ![Thing\_Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@Thing\_Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing_Fish)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2017, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/1309 "2017-07-18T18:43:01Z")
Well, you’re on pretty safe ground there. I don’t think anyone could deny that this _may_ not have been the case. And I may be the Queen of Romania. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2017, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/1310 "2017-07-18T18:44:37Z")
Very[worth a read](https://www.vox.com/2017/7/18/15983910/donald-trump-russia-putin-natalia-veselnitskaya-collusion), and suggests that we are overblowing political collusion because the real story is just wanton greed. The political collusion was just late game opportunism. Also, the [eighth man](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/eighth-person-in-trump-tower-meeting-is-identified/2017/07/18/e971234a-6bce-11e7-9c15-177740635e83_story.html?utm_term=.863f0225c6ea) at the meeting was identified, and is an expert money launderer. Mueller apparently already digging in. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2017, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/1311 "2017-07-18T18:48:20Z")
> [@](#): > > …And I may be the Queen of Romania. No, you may not, as I have not abdicated. Would you consider elevation to becoming Duchess of Hamster? ---
**Author:** ![Thing\_Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@Thing\_Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing_Fish)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2017, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/1312 "2017-07-18T18:57:04Z")
> [@Thing\_Fish](#): > > Hm. His lawyer describes him as a senior VP at a real estate development firm owned by a Russian oligarch > [@Fiveyearlurker](#): > > Also, the [eighth man](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/eighth-person-in-trump-tower-meeting-is-identified/2017/07/18/e971234a-6bce-11e7-9c15-177740635e83_story.html?utm_term=.863f0225c6ea) at the meeting was identified, and is an expert money launderer. Mueller apparently already digging in. That’s what I said.😉 ---
**Author:** ![Anny\_Middon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc79bd/32.png) [@Anny\_Middon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anny_Middon)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2017, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/1313 "2017-07-18T19:14:36Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > That might apply to Manafort, but not to the others. They are political neophytes, and would not fully appreciate the significance of that meeting and who was or wasn’t there. Back in the day, I used to have to go to a lot of meetings. I always took meeting notes for my own records. Well, okay, sometimes my notes were sketchy when it turned out that nothing of substance was being said. But I **always** started off taking detailed notes. And each set of meeting notes started out with date, time, and a list of attendees. If I wasn’t sure of the names of all in attendance, I’d still make some note of how many were there and what their connection was (i.e., “2 from HR dept.”) Early on in my career, it was even more important to me that I take notes of all my meetings, simply because I wasn’t always sure of the significance of the meeting and/or the attendees. That’s how I helped assure that something said in the meeting wouldn’t be misrepresented later. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2017, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/1314 "2017-07-18T19:34:29Z")
> [@Anny\_Middon](#): > > Back in the day, I used to have to go to a lot of meetings. I always took meeting notes for my own records. Well, okay, sometimes my notes were sketchy when it turned out that nothing of substance was being said. But I **always** started off taking detailed notes. > > And each set of meeting notes started out with date, time, and a list of attendees. If I wasn’t sure of the names of all in attendance, I’d still make some note of how many were there and what their connection was (i.e., “2 from HR dept.”) > > Early on in my career, it was even more important to me that I take notes of all my meetings, simply because I wasn’t always sure of the significance of the meeting and/or the attendees. That’s how I helped assure that something said in the meeting wouldn’t be misrepresented later. Well yes, that’s true for most who are successful in business, but I’m given to understand that Donald Trump Jr.'s story is that he himself is a complete incompetent fuckup. And also, IT’S NOT ILLEGAL. ---
**Author:** ![snoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@snoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snoe)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2017, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/1315 "2017-07-18T20:05:12Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > Well yes, that’s true for most who are successful in business, but I’m given to understand that Donald Trump Jr.'s story is that he himself is a complete incompetent fuckup. And also, IT’S NOT ILLEGAL. It is early to speculate, but I’m curious if the “no harm meant, we’re just politically naive! ¯\_(ツ)\_/¯” defense would ever be used by Trump himself. Would he just float along on top of his people’s excuse-making, claiming all the while that he’s always been totally on top of things? I doubt that he could admit ignorance publicly – even past ignorance. Note how he talks about facts he seems to have just learned: “a lot of people don’t know” that France is America’s oldest ally, or – paraphrasing similar statements – that reconciliation couldn’t repeal all of Obamacare, or that healthcare reform is difficult, or that China and Korea have a long, complicated history, or … I see more intellectual curiosity every day in a high school classroom full of juvenile delinquents who think they know everything because their homies told them what state prison is like, or they heard about the Illuminati in this one YouTube video, or whatever. At least the delinquents sometimes ask for basic factual information, like, say, “is Tokyo communist?” in front of other people. (That’s a real question I got today, and I respect the kid who was willing to ask it.) ---
**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 18, 2017, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/1316 "2017-07-18T20:20:52Z")
> [@snoe](#): > > “is Tokyo communist?” No. Nor is it a country. ---
**Author:** ![snoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@snoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snoe)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2017, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/1317 "2017-07-18T21:15:43Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > No. Nor is it a country. Yeah, I know. But the kid didn’t, and he was willing to ask. So he gets points from me. ---
**Author:** ![snoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@snoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snoe)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2017, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/1318 "2017-07-18T21:29:44Z")
> [@snoe](#): > > Yeah, I know. But the kid didn’t, and he was willing to ask. So he gets points from me. He gets even more points for not pretending, a la our president, that either A) Tokyo’s non-communist status is a rarely-known fact, or B) He already knew all there was to know about Tokyo. Even in an environment where ignorance is often a point of pride, this kid was willing to ask a dumb-ass question and accept an answer. I honestly cannot imagine such curiosity, courage, and graciousness from our president. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2017, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/1319 "2017-07-18T21:51:06Z")
“I know more about Tokyo than anyone in the foreign service” “Not many people know that Tokyo is a communist country” (not real quotes) ---
**Author:** ![Anny\_Middon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc79bd/32.png) [@Anny\_Middon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anny_Middon)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2017, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/1320 "2017-07-18T22:07:17Z")
I’ve heard from many people – good people – that Tokyo is a Communist country. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2017, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/1321 "2017-07-18T22:11:15Z")
> [@Anny\_Middon](#): > > I’ve heard from many people – good people – that Tokyo is a Communist country. Frederick Douglass was just mentioning this on CNN this morning! ---
**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 18, 2017, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/1322 "2017-07-18T22:20:57Z")
It’s coming out now that Trump and Putin had a second meeting at the G20 where they were alone and Trump hid from everyone until now. Huh. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799.md?page=65) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799.md?page=67)