# 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:** 67
**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 18, 2017, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/1323 "2017-07-18T22:34:21Z")
Trump knew the eyes of the world were on him and he _still_ held a secret meeting with Putin, hiding it from all Americans He is surely Putin’s puppet. We are not at war with Russia… but Russia is definitely at war with us. ---
**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:** [July 18, 2017, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/1324 "2017-07-18T22:37:14Z")
> [@snoe](#): > > 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? According to Paul Ryan, [“he’s new at this.”](http://www.reuters.com/video/2017/06/08/ryans-defense-for-trump-hes-new-at-this?videoId=371842307) ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2017, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/1325 "2017-07-18T22:38:35Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Trump knew the eyes of the world were on him and he _still_ held a secret meeting with Putin, hiding it from all Americans > > He is surely Putin’s puppet. We are not at war with Russia… but Russia is definitely at war with us. For the love of… I would have sworn you guys were kidding about that. ---
**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, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/1326 "2017-07-18T22:41:46Z")
[https://t.co/5GcJtcjMwo](https://t.co/5GcJtcjMwo) So this thread has a link too. ---
**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, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/1327 "2017-07-18T23:09:59Z")
> [@Snarky\_Kong](#): > > 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. > [@](#): > > Washington Post: > After his much-publicized, two-and a quarter-hour meeting early this month with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Group of 20 summit in Germany, President Trump met informally with the Russian leader for an additional hour later the same day. > > The second meeting, unreported at the time, took place at a dinner for G-20 leaders, a senior administration official said. Halfway through the meal, Trump left his own seat to occupy a chair next to Putin. Trump was alone, and Putin was attended only by his official interpreter. Oh great – future historians have to track down that Russian interpreter to have any handle on this conversation. I mean, there’ll probably be a tweet from DJT about it soon enough, but … ---
**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:** [July 18, 2017, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/1328 "2017-07-18T23:15:14Z")
> [@Snarky\_Kong](#): > > [http://wapo.st/2uAlKcL?tid=ss\_tw-bottom&utm\_term=.11e5c8287a3d](https://t.co/5GcJtcjMwo) > > So this thread has a link too. Oh, looky here, we Russians seem to have left an empty, inviting seat right there next to Putin… Trump is such a fuckin tool. ---
**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, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/1329 "2017-07-18T23:24:14Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Trump knew the eyes of the world were on him and he _still_ held a secret meeting with Putin, hiding it from all Americans > > He is surely Putin’s puppet. We are not at war with Russia… but Russia is definitely at war with us. IT’S LEGAL! Had to be said, because this is where the line is now. Of course, it’s probably legal for Trump to invite Putin to the Whitehouse, and give him a sloppy BJ in the Lincoln bedroom too. ---
**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:** [July 19, 2017, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/1330 "2017-07-19T00:11:48Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > Frederick Douglass was just mentioning this on CNN this morning! Wasn’t he killed in the Bowling Green Massacre? ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2017, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/1331 "2017-07-19T01:51:17Z")
> [@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. A money launderer and a lawyer who defends money launderers meeting with Junior, Kushner, and Manafort. :dubious: (At them, not **Fiveyear**.) From the same article (bolding mine): > [@](#): > > Rinat Akhmetshin … has earned a reputation as a savvy political operator, at times boosting the reputation of his clients by **sullying the reputations of their enemies.** Like what happened to the DNC in less than a week? ---
**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:** [July 19, 2017, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/1332 "2017-07-19T02:03:45Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > No. Nor is it a country. History shows again and again how nature points out the folly of man. ---
**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 19, 2017, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/1333 "2017-07-19T02:04:35Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > Oh, looky here, we Russians seem to have left an empty, inviting seat right there next to Putin… > Trump is such a fuckin tool. And not the sharpest one in the shed, shall we say… ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2017, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/1334 "2017-07-19T02:34:36Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > Oh, looky here, we Russians seem to have left an empty, inviting seat right there next to Putin… > Trump is such a fuckin tool. OK. I’m Donald Trump and I have a totally legitimate non-colluding thing to discuss with Putin. I also know that I’m under investigation for colluding with Putin back home. Even assuming that the whole thing is fake news, and I’m not colluding with Putin, wouldn’t I have the sense to know that this is a bad fucking idea? Leaving aside the issue of meeting with Putin without anyone else present and the protocol problems, wouldn’t I have enough sense (which is to say any sense at all) to know that the optics of this are really, really bad? ---
**Author:** ![Okrahoma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90db22/32.png) [@Okrahoma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Okrahoma)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2017, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/1335 "2017-07-19T03:06:52Z")
> [@Fiveyearlurker](#): > > OK. I’m Donald Trump and I have a totally legitimate non-colluding thing to discuss with Putin. I also know that I’m under investigation for colluding with Putin back home. Even assuming that the whole thing is fake news, and I’m not colluding with Putin, wouldn’t I have the sense to know that this is a bad fucking idea? Leaving aside the issue of meeting with Putin without anyone else present and the protocol problems, wouldn’t I have enough sense (which is to say any sense at all) to know that the optics of this are really, really bad? Maybe Trump wanted to tell Putin, in private, that he’d have more flexibility later to negotiate with him? In other news, under the radar, [House Republicans plan to give federal prosecutors what they say is evidence that Obama administration officials illegally shared or leaked names of associates of President Donald Trump that were incidentally collected in U.S. government eavesdropping](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-07-14/republicans-to-give-prosecutors-documents-on-leaking-allegations). ---
**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 19, 2017, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/1336 "2017-07-19T03:09:36Z")
Looks like the shift change occurred. Hi, Okrah! ---
**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 19, 2017, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/1337 "2017-07-19T03:12:20Z")
Still looking for the tu quoque thread I see… ---
**Author:** ![Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/channing_idaho_banks/32/250_2.png) [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Channing_Idaho_Banks)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2017, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/1338 "2017-07-19T03:14:55Z")
Melania Trump was seated next to Vladimir Putin. Who is in charge of the seat arrangements? ---
**Author:** ![galen\_ubal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/galen_ubal/32/4440_2.png) [@galen\_ubal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/galen_ubal)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2017, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/1339 "2017-07-19T03:16:43Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Looks like the shift change occurred. Hi, Okrah! New instructions from the FSB… ---
**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 19, 2017, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/1340 "2017-07-19T03:17:19Z")
> [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](#): > > Melania Trump was seated next to Vladimir Putin. Who is in charge of the seat arrangements? Merkel, I believe. ---
**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 19, 2017, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/1341 "2017-07-19T03:27:03Z")
That’s quite a bombshell link Okra has there. House Republicans claim that, at some point, maybe next month or so, probably right after they get done repealing and replacing Obamacare, they are going to come forth with information “obtained from documents and other sources” suggesting that some unnamed people may have committed some sort of crime. Even if, for the sake of argument, we assume that House Republicans have some nonzero amount of credibility, this still seems to be stretching the definition of “news” to the breaking point. ---
**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 19, 2017, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/1342 "2017-07-19T04:42:36Z")
> [@Okrahoma](#): > > Maybe Trump wanted to tell Putin, in private, that he’d have more flexibility later to negotiate with him? > > In other news, under the radar, [House Republicans plan to give federal prosecutors what they say is evidence that Obama administration officials illegally shared or leaked names of associates of President Donald Trump that were incidentally collected in U.S. government eavesdropping](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-07-14/republicans-to-give-prosecutors-documents-on-leaking-allegations). Anyone who leaks hopefully does so in full awareness that they could be prosecuted. They should be prosecuted. And hopefully their time in prison will prove to have been worth the sacrifice for our nation. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799.md?page=66) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799.md?page=68)