# 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:** 73
**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 20, 2017, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/1443 "2017-07-20T16:16:40Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > How much can Trump influence what Mueller can and can’t look at? I never fully understood how Clinton’s special prosecution started at a Whitewater investigation and lead to impeachment over lying about a BJ. It seems like a special prosecutor is essentially given authority to look into anything and everything about the President as long as they can link all the steps back to whatever the original investigation was about. I think it’s pretty clear that Trump’s possible financial ties to Russia are directly related to a collusion investigation, which means Mueller should be able to go over everything about Trump’s finances with a fine-toothed comb. If he finds something else, he refers it to the Justice Dept., just as police investigating one crime and finding another don’t just forget about the new crime because it may have nothing whatsoever to do with the first. ---
**Author:** ![PatriotX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c4cdca/32.png) [@PatriotX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatriotX)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2017, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/1444 "2017-07-20T16:16:47Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > You guys are frankly insulting Mueller acting like he needed Trump to remind him to look at Trump’s finances. I mean come on. I expect the time line will show that Mueller began his investigation of finances before Trump made the tweet. The tweet wasn’t actually aimed at Mueller. It’s a victim card Trump played for his base. It’s bad enough Trump’s own party is being mean, Trump is now being bullied by his own employees. Won’t anybody be fair to the PotUS? ---
**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 20, 2017, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/1445 "2017-07-20T16:29:51Z")
> [@PatriotX](#): > > I expect the time line will show that Mueller began his investigation of finances before Trump made the tweet. > > The tweet wasn’t actually aimed at Mueller. > > It’s a victim card Trump played for his base. > > It’s bad enough Trump’s own party is being mean, Trump is now being bullied by his own employees. > > Won’t anybody be fair to the PotUS? Both the articles FiveYearLurker linked say the financial probe part of Mueller’s investigation were initially folded in from on an earlier money laundering probe launched last year. From the Bloomberg article: > [@](#): > > The roots of Mueller’s follow-the-money investigation lie in a wide-ranging money laundering probe launched by then-Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara last year, according to the person. And Trump said “don’t look at my business” during a NYT interview, not a tweet. ---
**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 20, 2017, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/1446 "2017-07-20T16:31:15Z")
I doubt that anyone here truly believes that Mueller read that article and slapped his forehead, saying “Yes, the finances! Of course! Thank you, Mr. President for reminding me! Now that you’ve pissed me off, now you’re gonna get it!” ---
**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 20, 2017, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/1447 "2017-07-20T16:40:39Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > “He’d better not look at my finances” is literally the stupidest damn thing Trump could possibly say. It’s like the cops were searching my home for a gun, and I said “By all means look around… but don’t look in THIS drawer. Nuh uh.” Of course it’s the first one they’ll open. I believe that we have [footage](https://youtu.be/qY646Acavzk) of that exact scenario. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2017, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/1448 "2017-07-20T16:45:38Z")
They are setting up a plea bargain. Sorta kinda. They will stack all the financial hanky-panky they find, one on top of the other. "We go to court on this one, you could end up fined $10 million. This one, go to court, maybe $50 million. This one is a real doozy, that one could cost you $300 million! These are just the ones we know about so far. _Some_ of the ones we know about so far. Wanna bet we can’t take every dime you got and every dime your kids got? Or, you can bail out. Sign the papers. Make up whatever excuse you want, time with your family, religious conversion, we’ll all pretend to buy it. Or you can go from limos to a bus pass. Gold plate apartment with a chef to studio walk-up with a hot plate. Your call. Here’s the papers…" Adios, motherfucker. ---
**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 20, 2017, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/1449 "2017-07-20T16:58:15Z")
One of Trump’s attorneys responds to Mueller looking into Trump family finances. According to [this article:](http://www.cnbc.com/2017/07/20/trump-warns-mueller-against-looking-into-his-family-finances-apart-from-russia-investigation.html) > [@](#): > > “Those transactions are in my view well beyond the mandate of the special counsel, are unrelated to the election of 2016 or any alleged collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia and most importantly, are well beyond any statute of limitation imposed by the United States Code,” Dowd said. That last bit – does it mean what I think it means: “So what if he committed a crime, the statute of limitations is over. Neener, neener.”? ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2017, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/1450 "2017-07-20T17:01:16Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > Following up on my prior post, which may have been a bit too cryptic, if you actually read the article, it’s obviously impossible for Bloomberg to be reporting on an investigation expansion that took place after Trump’s interview. > > The Bloomberg came out today, but from the reporting it’s obvious that it’s about Mueller investigations that have been going on long before the latest Trump interview in which he said not to look past Russia. Yeah, obviously this was an ongoing investigation and it’s not like Mueller changed that because Trump double dared him. But, I think the timing of this leak was because of Trump’s comments. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2017, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/1451 "2017-07-20T17:11:36Z")
> [@PatriotX](#): > > I expect the time line will show that Mueller began his investigation of finances before Trump made the tweet. > > The tweet wasn’t actually aimed at Mueller. > > It’s a victim card Trump played for his base. > > It’s bad enough Trump’s own party is being mean, Trump is now being bullied by his own employees. > > Won’t anybody be fair to the PotUS? Trump and the Trump Corporation have been corrupt for so long they think it’s normal. Truth means nothing to them. I hope they look deep into the Trump Soho clusterfuck. Ive always wished the full name of that project was Trump Soho Hotel and Condominiums- that way I could say that every word other than Trump and “and” was a lie. First, it’s not in Soho. Well, technically it’s south of Houston Street but kind of in the same way that Staten Island is south of Houston Street - it’s in this weird location in the middle of all the Holland Tunnel entrance ramps. And it’s not zoned for condos. So while you could BUY a condo there you couldn’t actually live there for more than a month at a time. But the Trump Soho will rent your condo as a hotel room for you. And they’ll keep most of the money. And you have to use their furnishings. And pay for the upkeep of the furnishings. Because YOU own that hotel room. [http://thevillager.com/villager\_190/agravesituationforthedonald.html](http://thevillager.com/villager_190/agravesituationforthedonald.html) > **[The Zone-Skirting Scheme and Shadowy Businessmen Behind the Trump Soho -- New...](https://nymag.com/news/features/45591/)** > > It’s a 46-story skyscraper being built on a graveyard that’s brought together shadowy Russians and a billionaire brand name to attract internationals in a zoning-skirting scheme that’s enraged the neighborhood, > sent glass shattering to the st \[...\] That clustefuck idea was marketed in such a way that they had to give most everyone most of their money back. And the ads also gave the impression that if you purchased a “condo” there, you could hit on Ivanka in the bar and take her to your room and fuck her. And the project was cursed from the start. The site turned out to be an old burial ground for freed slaves. There was a fatal accident during construction when a floor collapsed. And this is all in addition to the shady Russian-linked mob-linked financing. Trump really is the worst businessman in the world. ---
**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 20, 2017, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/1452 "2017-07-20T17:15:51Z")
> [@Fiveyearlurker](#): > > Yeah, obviously this was an ongoing investigation and it’s not like Mueller changed that because Trump double dared him. But, I think the timing of this leak was because of Trump’s comments. That’s more plausible, but I doubt if they could have gotten even the article reporting together in the time since the NYT interview was released. IMO it’s more likely it’s the other way around. Word was going around that Mueller was broadening his investigation, which is why the NYT asked Trump about it. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2017, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/1453 "2017-07-20T17:44:24Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > Kenneth Starr was operating in a different role and under different legislation.The [United States Office of the Independent Counsel](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Office_of_the_Independent_Counsel) died in 1999. > > … > > You guys are frankly insulting Mueller acting like he needed Trump to remind him to look at Trump’s finances. I mean come on. Of course it is obvious Mueller A) Was already looking into it - I mean, following the money is just part of any criminal investigation and B) Is a most discerning and measured man, and we likely will always find out what he’s looking into and discovering well AFTER he has done so. The timing of the two news stories, however, is too hilarious not to play along with. I suspect it’s not a coincidence, but the cause and effect is the other way around. It’s not actually that Mueller is looking into the money because of Trump’s stupid comment; in all likelihood, Trump made his stupid comment because he has been warned Mueller is looking into the money. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2017, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/1454 "2017-07-20T17:48:50Z")
> [@Ann\_Hedonia](#): > > Trump really is the worst businessman in the world. The worst businesspeople in the world all live under bridges. Trump may have been selling shit all his life, but he’s very rich. He’s more con man than businessman, but one tenth of his wealth and I’d live like a king the rest of my life. The idiot who bought a beloved gelato place near my house, reduced the flavors available to 6, and sweated all over them while serving you during the 10, 12 hours a week he bothered to open, and went belly up in three months? He’s in the running for Worst Businessman in the World. Trump is disgusting, but up until January 20, 2017 he was _very_ good at what he did. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2017, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/1455 "2017-07-20T18:08:59Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > They are setting up a plea bargain. Sorta kinda. They will stack all the financial hanky-panky they find, one on top of the other. > > "We go to court on this one, you could end up fined $10 million. This one, go to court, maybe $50 million. This one is a real doozy, that one could cost you $300 million! These are just the ones we know about so far. _Some_ of the ones we know about so far. Wanna bet we can’t take every dime you got and every dime your kids got? Or, you can bail out. Sign the papers. Make up whatever excuse you want, time with your family, religious conversion, we’ll all pretend to buy it. > > Or you can go from limos to a bus pass. Gold plate apartment with a chef to studio walk-up with a hot plate. Your call. Here’s the papers…" > > Adios, motherfucker. I’m buoyed by this idea, albeit dragged down slightly by the prospect of 11 years of President Pence. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2017, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/1456 "2017-07-20T18:09:28Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > That’s more plausible, but I doubt if they could have gotten even the article reporting together in the time since the NYT interview was released. > > IMO it’s more likely it’s the other way around. Word was going around that Mueller was broadening his investigation, which is why the NYT asked Trump about it. I’ll buy that too. Just not a big fan of coincidences ultimately. ---
**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 20, 2017, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/1457 "2017-07-20T18:21:19Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > They are setting up a plea bargain. Sorta kinda. They will stack all the financial hanky-panky they find, one on top of the other. > > "We go to court on this one, you could end up fined $10 million. This one, go to court, maybe $50 million. This one is a real doozy, that one could cost you $300 million! These are just the ones we know about so far. _Some_ of the ones we know about so far. Wanna bet we can’t take every dime you got and every dime your kids got? Or, you can bail out. Sign the papers. Make up whatever excuse you want, time with your family, religious conversion, we’ll all pretend to buy it. Assuming that an investigation does find enough evidence to prosecute (in some form), I don’t want Trump let off the hook so easily. The Justice Department sued Trump for unfair housing practices in 1973. They settled. Trump claims it as a victory because there was “no admission of wrongdoing” on his part. I don’t want him to slither away like that again. If they’ve got the goods, throw the book at him. ---
**Author:** ![SingleMalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/singlemalt/32/3961_2.png) [@SingleMalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SingleMalt)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2017, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/1458 "2017-07-20T18:48:46Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > I’m buoyed by this idea, albeit dragged down slightly by the prospect of 11 years of President Pence. Not quite. According to [the 22nd Amendment](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twenty-second_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution), if Pence assumes office before Trump finishes his second year, he can run for re-election only once, so 10 years max. I am not overly comforted by this. ---
**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 20, 2017, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/1459 "2017-07-20T18:52:32Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > The worst businesspeople in the world all live under bridges. Are you kidding? Trump lives in Alpha Centauri. > [@](#): > > Trump may have been selling shit all his life, but he’s very rich. He’s more con man than businessman, but one tenth of his wealth and I’d live like a king the rest of my life. One hundredth would do me just fine. That’s $40-80M depending on who you believe. (And I believe Forbes far more than I do Trump, so I’d go with the lower end of the spectrum.) > [@](#): > > Trump is disgusting, but up until January 20, 2017 he was _very_ good at what he did. He was very good at being a bully and leveraging his money against people who had the ill luck or lack of wisdom to work with/for him, _and_ he had some very high-powered lawyers. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2017, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/1460 "2017-07-20T19:22:07Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > \I don’t want him to slither away like that again. If they’ve got the goods, throw the book at him. Well put. I don’t want him to slither away again either. Throw the whole library at him. ---
**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 20, 2017, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/1461 "2017-07-20T19:41:24Z")
> [@PatriotX](#): > > …It’s a victim card Trump played for his base. Yes; the reporting is that Trump has been vocal inside the White House with his desire to fire Mueller from the beginning. But even though that hardcore 25-30% is with him no matter what, Bannon et al realize that if Trump fires Mueller with only 25-30% of the country behind him, it means big trouble. So this whining to the _New York Times_ was yet another attempt to get more Americans on board with the idea that _Trump is Being Unfairly Persecuted by Over-reaching Mueller_. They’re trying to beef up the numbers so that Trump can fire Mueller without there being hell to pay. As for Sessions’ portrait in cowardice: yeah, he’s protecting himself (not strategizing over various ‘fire Mueller’ scenarios). He figures he has a better chance of staying out of Club Fed if he hangs on as AG as long as possible. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2017, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799/1462 "2017-07-20T20:45:03Z")
Maybe, but remember, he gave up a Senate seat to be AG. What’s he got to look forward to? A lobbying job, a visiting professor at the University of Bumfuck? Trump is his brand, he’s stuck. If Trump goes down in flames, even those are less than ideal options. As far as “throwing the book”, that’s the threat. The beauty part of the **'luc Plan** is that he bails out before the endless process begins. Efficiency over vengeance, even justice. I want him gone, sooner rather than later, sooner rather than more painful. He’s a ticking time bomb, and the timer is reset randomly, at random intervals. Could be ten seconds, could be ten years. Don’t like the odds. Pence? Yes, true, but that’s going from Stage 6 aggressive multiple cancer to mere cholera. Also, Pence does not engender the same absurd loyalty. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799.md?page=72) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians-according-to-us-officials/782799.md?page=74)