Trump associates may have coordinated with Russians, according to US officials

[Robot_Arm]

@Okrahoma

I just did. Except - the information was to be about an illegality (Russians contributing to the DNC). Receiving such information would not be illegal. If you think it would be, please cite the law.

From here:

Contributions and donations by foreign nationals in connection with elections. A foreign national shall not, directly or indirectly, make a contribution or a donation of money or other thing of value, or expressly or impliedly promise to make a contribution or a donation, in connection with any Federal, State, or local election.

There you go. Or do you think information is not a “thing of value”?

[Johnny_Ace]

And if it was President Hillary or any of her aides implicated in this way, guess who would be the first one all over it?

I’ll give you a hint: it starts with a vegetable and ends with half a state name.

[Bone]

@Aspenglow

You already know better than to waste your time wrestling with pigs.

As far as insults go, if this were meant to be an insult, it’s rather weak. So weak, I think it may be unintentional but none the less the implication is there. I suggest you avoid this implication in the future.

[/moderating]

[Bone]

@Johnny_Ace

And if it was President Hillary or any of her aides implicated in this way, guess who would be the first one all over it?

I’ll give you a hint: it starts with a vegetable and ends with half a state name.

I’m picking this one post as an example, but there’s quite a bit of it in this thread. Everyone: enough with the personal digs or subtle hints at the personal digs. I tend to interpret generously but that has run its course in this thread. Please act accordingly.

[/moderating]

[DWMarch]

I find it strange that Trump supporters are wasting their breath over what is legal and what is not. Trump doesn’t care about that. If he does it, it is legal, end of story. There is a law against grabbing women by the genitals. Trump has bragged about doing it. There is a law against murder. Trump has bragged that he could commit a murder in broad daylight (on Fifth Ave in NYC IIRC) and get away with it. He has no concern at all over what is legal and as a result of this attitude he’s left a giant skidmark all over various laws because as far as he is concerned they never applied to him in the first place (doubly so now that he holds the office of POTUS). There is no value in defending someone who acts like that.

[snoe]

@Okrahoma

I was not asking about the “hack of DNC and RNC” was I?

We were talking about information that “individuals connected to Russia were funding the Democratic National Committee and supporting Ms. Clinton”. What exactly would be illegal about receiving and disseminating that information?

Emphasis added.

Do you actually believe DJTJ is telling the truth about that - that the Russians were selling him a story about Clinton’s Russian funding? Or is it more likely the best* lie he could come up with on the spur of the moment?

*best for the base - it mentions Clinton, after all. I’m surprised DJTJ didn’t claim he was meeting someone who claimed to have a copy of Obama’s long-form birth certificate.

[asahi]

@Okrahoma

In spite of the feeding frenzy, no one seems to have answered my question, so I will repeat:

Can you elaborate, what exactly is wrong with Trump campaign officials meeting with someone who claims that she "has information that individuals connected to Russia were funding the Democratic National Committee and supporting Ms. Clinton"?

It would be a dereliction of duty NOT to meet with such a person. And if that information actually checked out, it would be a dereliction of duty NOT to publish it.

Wouldn’t you say?

The problem is that nobody buys Don Jr’s account of the meeting – probably because he’s already changed it once and who knows how many times he will change it again in the future.

What people do believe is this:

1. Don Jr met with a person who is clearly acting on behalf of a foreign adversary, and:

2. this meeting involved a discussion of specific information in Russia’s possession that could potentially influence the outcome of an election.

Point 2 is especially significant because it is almost certain that this information was obtained through espionage. So what we’re left with then is an American agreeing to cooperate with foreign intelligence services to undermine the United States government.

[RickJay]

@Okrahoma

As I said, the concept of having some basis before accusing someone of a crime seems to be utterly foreign to Democrats.

1. Someone confessing to a crime isn’t evidence?

2. Why would you believe Donald Trump Jr.'s statement on this matter when he is absolutely, unquestionably already a proven liar on this subject?

[Okrahoma]

@Robot_Arm

From here:There you go. Or do you think information is not a “thing of value”?

No, that law does not cover information.

[Okrahoma]

@RickJay

1. Someone confessing to a crime isn’t evidence?

2. Why would you believe Donald Trump Jr.'s statement on this matter when he is absolutely, unquestionably already a proven liar on this subject?

So - he is “confessing” but you don’t believe him?

[Okrahoma]

@asahi

The problem is that nobody buys Don Jr’s account of the meeting – probably because he’s already changed it once and who knows how many times he will change it again in the future.

What people do believe is this:

1. Don Jr met with a person who is clearly acting on behalf of a foreign adversary, and:

2. this meeting involved a discussion of specific information in Russia’s possession that could potentially influence the outcome of an election.

Point 2 is especially significant because it is almost certain that this information was obtained through espionage. So what we’re left with then is an American agreeing to cooperate with foreign intelligence services to undermine the United States government.

And yet you have absolutely no proof of that very serious accusation. No evidence whatsoever. See above what I said about the concept of having some basis before accusing someone of a crime being utterly foreign to Democrats.

[BlankSlate]

There will be charges for members of the Trump crime family. There will be pardons from the capo di tutt’i capi. The republic will survive.

@Johnny_Ace

…How many high-ranking Trump campaign officials have to ‘magically’ remember a variety of unreported meetings with Russians, while to a man intimating, “Nothing to see here?”

How many obvious things the campaign and administration have done that favor Russia?..

There’s the smoke. Mueller will find the fire.

[BobLibDem]

@Okrahoma

And yet you have absolutely no proof of that very serious accusation. No evidence whatsoever. See above what I said about the concept of having some basis before accusing someone of a crime being utterly foreign to Democrats.

Other than Don Jr’s admission?

[Okrahoma]

@BobLibDem

Other than Don Jr’s admission?

There is nothing criminal whatsoever in Don Jr’s admission. There is nothing illegal in meeting a Russian because the said Russian says they have information that Russians are funding DNC.

[Ravenman]

@Okrahoma

There is nothing criminal whatsoever in Don Jr’s admission. There is nothing illegal in meeting a Russian because the said Russian says they have information that Russians are funding DNC.

I am doubtful that there’s any criminal matter at stake in this particular meeting, but why does everyone associated with Trump have to lie through their teeth every time Russia comes up?

Trump said that his campaign didn’t meet with Russians. Now we know they did. Why did Trump try to cover up the meeting his son and campaign chairman had?

[Okrahoma]

@Ravenman

I am doubtful that there’s any criminal matter at stake in this particular meeting

… and yet there are accusations of Don Jr. “agreeing to cooperate with foreign intelligence services to undermine the United States government” right in this thread. Which is a criminal offense.

You want to talk about politicians or government officials lying - go ahead. Lying is such a natural thing to a politician or a government official that it discussing it is kinda pointless. But go ahead if you like.

But accusing them of crimes, without any evidence whatsoever, is a different matter.

[VinylTurnip]

That’s great. Hey, how about that other part of his post?

@Ravenman

Trump said that his campaign didn’t meet with Russians. Now we know they did. Why did Trump try to cover up the meeting his son and campaign chairman had?

[Happy_Lendervedder]

When a foreign government official informs you that their government is illegally influencing our federal elections, the proper course of action is to inform the U.S. intelligence community. Not send your idiot son and idiot son-and-law and campaign manager to investigate for “evidence.” “Gee whiz, let’s see what you got there” is NOT the proper course of action. The fact that you and they don’t understand this, is why we’re in the shitstorm we’re in with the Russians-- a government that is borderline hostile to our interests. They’re owning us. And it’s Donald Trump’s fault. This guy you are so vociferously defending is actively weakening our position in the world, making America irrelevant on the world stage and opening us up to Russian meddling in our government and elections. He is carrying out exactly what Vladimir Putin hoped would happen. You’re working for Putin now.

Trump’s actions, and his stooge’s, whether or not they are actively illegal (that will be up to the actual authorities to decide, it’s not my or your job or Donald Trump Jr’s to determine “evidence” of crimes), are putting Germany, China and Russia on top of the world order, and we will soon be a geopolitical road apple. Trump is ushering in the Great American Decline. It’s mind boggling that you’d want to defend this bullshit. But I suppose the anonymity of the Internet allows you to take positions that are un-American with complete abandon and fearlessness.

[raventhief]

So Jr. Says the meeting was about adoption, not the campaign. Then a day or two later, he says that it was in fact about the campaign, and the Russians potentially providing information that would be damaging to HRC.

Which is true? Or is there a third story that will come out? Why the lie and flip flop ?

[Fotheringay-Phipps]

@Ravenman

I am doubtful that there’s any criminal matter at stake in this particular meeting, but why does everyone associated with Trump have to lie through their teeth every time Russia comes up?

Trump said that his campaign didn’t meet with Russians. Now we know they did. Why did Trump try to cover up the meeting his son and campaign chairman had?

Possibilities include 1) he was unaware of it, and 2) that he didn’t consider a Russian lawyer whose clients included a state-owned business to be a Russian government official. Or 3) that he lied about it. But the first 2 are in play as well.

Assuming that they’re lying about it, it’s not hard to understand either. They are being hounded about every contact with any sort of Russian person, and think they’re being persecuted unfairly. Denying things that are likely to come out anyway is not the smartest approach, but it’s one that comes naturally to many people.