So...both Donald Trump and Donald Trump, Jr. have admitted to being lying liars. Has anyone asked them:
> Is this the only lie you have told investigative authorities?
> Have you lied to investigative authorities previously?
> Are you currently lying to investigative authorities?
> Do you intend to continue lying to investigative authorities?
How many opportunities will Trump and his family be given to lie to investigative authorities then change their story when caught?
55
Just because the Trumps weren't successful doesn't make it legal. They still conspired with a foreign government to influence the election. And were they unsuccessful? What about his pal Roger Stone and Wikileaks, the info from which was gathered by the Russians? That was pretty successful. And what about his other good pal Mercer? The whole Facebook, Cambridge Analytica deal and the Russian professor and the Russian bots -- that was all pretty successful, too. And how about the Russian money funneled through the NRA that went to Trump's campaign? Successful enough for Russian muckety mucks to be at the inauguration. Let's face it. Without the Russians there is no president Trump. That gives us an illegitimate president and is illegal to boot.
61
Initially, the story was that Trump’s campaign had no contact with Russians. But that was a lie.
Then the story became "no meetings" with Russians connected to the Russian government. But that was a lie.
Soon the claim that the June 2016 meeting with several Russians was all about adoptions. Within days, that claim was shown to be a lie.
Then the story was that Trump did not know anything about the June meeting until the following year. That always seemed implausible and now Trump’s former fixer and sometimes attorney says it is a lie.
For quite a while, Trump has claimed "no collusion" with Russians. But having made a plea to Russia for Hillary's emails days before the June meeting, among other circumstantial evidence, that, too, seems to be another Trump lie.
Accordingly, Trump's new lawyer, Guiliani, has resorted to claiming that collusion with Russians is not a crime. True enough, but soliciting aid from a foreign government for a federal election, witness tampering, and other means of obstructing justice are crimes, and the pattern of disproven lies will likely reveal the truth of those crimes before this year is over.
39
There's absolutely no question Trump increased his legal jeopardy. I can't see any judge ruling contrary to United States v. Nixon now. Trump just demonstrated specific knowledge of evidence defendants are entitled to receive. Trump took a sledge hammer to the legal defense against subpoena.
Even if the President were completely innocent of all wrong doing... Even if executive authority granted special legal privileges regrading investigative interviews... Trump can still be compelled to testify. To refuse an interview is to deny evidence to a private citizen standing trial. United States v. Nixon decided this is an action no president can take.
Trump's tweets are writing checks his mouth can't cash.
34
Someone should read the president his Miranda warnings.
41
More Trump lies. Nothing new.
He is a pathological liar. At this point, nothing that comes out of his mouth can be trusted.
29
So we have a confession. He said he ordered the Code Red. Are we done here? I think we're done.
26
Get over it. He won the election. This is no big deal. The Russia collusion witch hunt, the Steele Dossier and the intermidable childish rush to find dirt on Donnie not only is an embarrassment, it undermines our democracy, turns complex issues into childish games and manipulates the public in a much more damaging and sinister way than Russia's relatively pitiful and small scale efforts to influence American attitudes.
6
@Daniel Yakoubian
Trump's pathological lying, that does not damage thw nation?
35
@Daniel Yakoubian Trump is a lying, cheating, mocking, sexual predator that was elected with help from a foreign dictator. Trump is going down. Get over it.
66
Now for that sit down chat with Mueller to clear things up.
17
I would like to hear our Governors speak out on this issue and push their Federal counterparts for official comment. Albeit the States play no role re the official Office of the President, they do represent the status of its citizens. To what extent have any States' laws other than those of NY been affected by the circumstances of the acts of the President and others, including non-citizens involved in this entire matter.
4
Trump's story has been pretty consistent for the last year. Trump Jr. agreed to the meeting on the basis that dirt would be provided. But, when the meeting occurred they discussed adoption policies and the Magnitzky act. This was reported back in July of 2017. In other words they were unsuccessful in getting dirt from a foreign power. Hillary, on the other hand, sought dirt from a foreign power (through Fusion GPS vis a vis Christopher Steele a former British Intel officer with lots of connections to Russian Intel) and was successfull. I guess we don't want to talk about that.
4
@johnny...…."But, when the meeting occurred they discussed adoption policies and the Magnitzky act."...….And do you also believe in the tooth fairy?
36
He has finally told the truth. Trump states he wasn’t worried about the legal exposure his son faced. I totally believe it. Why would anyone not anticipate that Trump would NOT throw his own son under the bus? Natural progression for the malignant narcissist in chief.
19
Is this the time in the drama when John Kelly takes Fredo out on a rowboat to fish in the lake?
27
Let's hope that Trump's assertion of his campaign's -- and pinched-faced son's -- activities were "totally legal" are proven "totally wrong" by someone who knows the law better than him...which, based on his incriminating, foot-in-the-mouth tweets, appears to be just about anybody.
13
The oaf in office, Trump, cannot keep all his lies straight. Over and over again he lies to the American people and then says the press is lying about HIM. Trump, understand something, when you lie and it's on tape, you can't take it back. The meeting was planned probably by you and basically it was a success. Russia told your cohorts that they wanted the sanctions off. You got your orders and followed them. You still keep trying to get the sanctions off. You should step down before Mueller's report comes out.
20
If the Trump tower meeting itself was against the law, then certainly the Clinton / DNC paid for Steele dossier would also be against the law. On the one hand, you have a meeting to get dirt, and on the other hand you have actual dirt which was paid for and distributed.
1
@DavisJohn - If that's the case then you want the Republicans who commissioned the Steele dossier prosecuted right?
Here's a big fat hint for you Steele isn't a member of a hostile foreign government and he wasn't trying to harm the U.S. See the difference?
40
The Steele dossier was delivered under contract from an American company, employing a former British agent and ally. See the difference? There was no exploration of working with an enemy foreign power by the Clinton campaign. Got it? Would a diagram help you?
32
It is clear that Trump is an illegitimate President and that the 2016 elections were deeply corrupted by his conspiring with Russia to swing the elections. But our much-vaunted system of democracy has no mechanism to redress this grave injustice inflicted on the American citizen, especially when both branches of the legislature and the executive are co-opted by this treasonous criminal. There is no better reason to throw the GOP bums out than the dereliction of upholding our Constitution and aiding and abetting high treason. Neither Trump or the party of treason have any right to appoint a supreme court justice, and both Gorsuch and Kavanaugh must be impeached and removed from the bench as soon as the nation votes out the treason party and restores the Office of the Presidency to an American patriot.
31
Over a year ago he tweeted: “Most politicians would have gone to a meeting like the one Don jr attended in order to get info on an opponent. That’s politics!”
So this is nothing at all. Of course...
6
Now we see Mueller's strategy. If he just stays silent and drags out this investigation, at some point, inevitably, our liar-in-chief will just hang himself with one of his own asinine tweets. He just can't help himself.
37
Beautifully put Julia, my own thoughts exactly! More than once I've Tweeted that if CNN and the press in general stop covering his rallies, and stop referring to him as president in press releases, he'll either come crawling to the press for the attention he craves, or better, throw a tantrum of such proportions he'll self-impeach right there on Twitter!
24
Trump's arrogance covering up his insecurity, manifested by his bullying ,combined with his ignorance resulting from his laziness have finally resulted in the inevitable end of he and his family soiling the White House with their presence. America is making America great again.
18
Just what are we waiting for? Arrest Trump and everyone else connected with this meeting and start the trials, followed by impeachment of this illegitimate "president" who LOST by Three Million Votes!
17
So the Trump Campaign agreed to meet with Russian representatives who offered opposition political research on the Clinton Campaign. They didn't seek or pay for the information. Then the Clinton Campaign seeks out and pays Fusion, Orbis, and Christopher Steele (all foreign entities) to compile opposition research on the Trump Campaign in the infamous "dossier". I fail to see the difference between these acts. Both sides sought opposition research from foreign entities. The biggest difference is the Clinton Campaign actively sought it out, paid for it, and leaked the information. The Trump Campaign didn't seek it out, didn't pay for it, and didn't get anything from the Trump Tower meeting. There is no splitting hairs here. They are one and the same activity. Hardly a monumental development.
2
The difference is that the Clinton campaign paid for opposition research. This is common and done in virtually every campaign. The Trump campaign, in the other hand, met with Russia agents (i.e. tied to the Kremlin) for “damaging information” against Clinton. It is illegal to coordinate with a foreign government against an opponent in a presidential campaign. It’s not illegal to pay for opposition research (which was actually started by the RNC).
23
@ Peter Hennesy Nice try but wrong! The dossier had its origins initiated by a conservative group investigating Trump. The DNC and Clinton picked it up (presumably because of the initial funders disapproval of its findings) only to stop their funding when Trump won the election. Others paid to continue the research. (Those doing the actual research did not have a horse in the race.) Of note, to this day the dossier’s finding remain verifiable if uncomplementary toward its target.
18
Peter. Let us help you. The company contracted by the Clinton campaign was American. A former British agent and ally was involved in the research. At no time did the Clinton campaign, or their contract help, seek to employ resources from an enemy power to affect the election. Are you able to understand these facts? Please let us know if you need any further assistance.
24
Hail Caeser but et tu Brute may follow.
6
"...the starkest acknowledgment yet that a statement he dictated last year about the encounter was misleading."
The statement was "misleading?" Well, if that's all it was, no big deal.
2
What's really infuriating is that Trump behaves as if lying to the American people about this pivotal event was no big deal anyway. Talk about gas-lighting.
16
You know there's no story here, right?
Donald Trump, Jr. revealed a long time ago that he took the meeting hoping to get dirt on Clinton. This information is nothing new. The July 2017 statement on the subject, is "misleading" not even in the "depends on what your definition of 'is' is" sense. The meeting, as it took place, was primarily about adoption—as specified in the statement. What was not made clear in that statement was what primarily was the purpose for Donald Junior's taking of that meeting in the first place.
The president's most recent tweet on the subject (the subject of this article) changes nothing. The Times, here, is conflating its wishful thinking with the facts. That's sad.
4
I think I finally get it.
I thought many people who supported Trump excuse this behavior and truly don't believe he did anything wrong. I am now questioning this as I just went to Fox News to see how this was being covered and it is NOT being covered at all. Scrolling through the home page I can't find any mention of this tweet it at the top, on the sides, or even the bottom.
If half the country is not even getting the facts due to where they get their news, there seems to be a bigger problem.
Also NYT where are your editorial priorities? Fox News let me know about a rouge planet and The Rock visiting an aquarium. These pieces of news are clearly more important than Iran sanctions or Trump admitting to accepting foreign help in an elections. :-)
16
@Meredith DeZutter the rouge planet especially
1
And we’re supposed to believe that’s not a lie, too?
If it was about dirt on Hillary, what was it?
How about, “The meeting was about colluding.”
That, I’ll believe.
4
You have to wonder if Trump gave his son some advance notice before setting him up for (at the very least) felony perjury and conspiracy charges. My guess is he didn't. In fact, it probably never occurred to him. Plus, I'm sure he had a morning tee time.
10
@Billv He was a criminal long before he ever decided to run for president. It was probably just another day in the life.
8
No news here, fake or otherwise. It has long been abundantly clear that the only real liar here is Trump, and the only fabricator of fake news is Trump and his White House and legal cohorts. As a nation, we have been subject to the “big lie” for so long that a generation of young people who attend Trump’s political rallies actually have come to believe that he is a man besieged by a corrupt press and politically motivated prosecutors. Sadly, I am not confident that anything done or said contrary to the Trump “big lie” machine will change the hearts or minds of those sad fools taken in by the whole MAGA schtick. As a nation we remain in deep trouble, awaiting some event that will reveal Trump for the pathological liar he has truly always been.
21
There are some basic facts being overlooked or under-emphasized here. This meeting was not simply about getting "dirt" on Clinton, but getting illegally obtained (hacked) information from a foreign government, and an adversary at that. This is not simply doing opposition research, and involves several illegal activities including evasion of federal election laws and conspiring with a foreign government to defraud the electoral process of the United States. Your headline should highlight that, front and center. Those who are arguing that this is nothing new in politics need to understand the difference between paying Fusion GPS to do research using a respected intelligence officer who did not pay his foreign sources for information , by the way, and accepting a foreign government's illegally obtained information, encouraging its release, and not reporting any of this to the FEC or the FBI, then repeatedly lying about it. The profusion of troll like commentary on this topic today suggests it must have really hit a nerve. Keep going, Mr. Mueller!
20
Wait, you mean to tell me the fake news media was telling the truth the whole time? My whole worldview just imploded!
15
Trump must read the Bipartisan Election Reform Act of 2002 which states that seeking and or receiving help of any form from a foreign entity (individual, corp., or govt) to contest in a US election is unlawful.
9
52 U.S. Code § 30121 - Contributions and donations by foreign nationals
That would be the law which Trump et. al broke Mr. Sekulow.
16
This is really interesting that President Trump had to have a meeting to get information on another candidate. To me, that seems that Trump has no idea what he has gotten himself into. I also think Trump needs to stop tweeting everything that is on his mind.
5
Just proves what an idiot he is! I hope he keeps tweeting! It's all evidence!
12
Yeah his lawyers just said that but he missed it as usual.
2
I have started to contribute to every Democrat who has a shot at winning a House or Senate seat. Doesn't matter if the person is in my district or even my state. If this is the way we get this criminal out of office, I suggest that all like-minded voters do the same.
28
Plain and simple: It is illegal for campaigns to receive monetary or in-kind donations from foreigners.
So Mr. "I have the best words" Trump helps nail the coffin shut with his latest tweet about Don Jr's "intent" with Russian agents at this now infamous meeting.
Trump Jr.'s eagerness, ("I love it"), to meet with the Russian lawyer also proves intent to receive political support from a foreign government.
Keep tweeting....Let's hear more you on this subject Mr. President who had absolutely no knowledge of the meeting.
15
We the people knew that all along, despite all the spin by Mr Trump lawyers. I am personally convinced Mr Trump was well aware of the meeting before it occurred. All this denial over denial over denial should end. We are also sure the Russians fulfilled their part and Mr Trump reciprocated. Time and History is going to expose the Truth.
15
And for sure, Sir Knight Mueller has the phone records to those blocked phone calls by Jr.
6
I just hope there is enough orange fabric on hand to custom tailor the uniforms for each and every one of them.
15
New meaning to " If his lips are moving he's lying".
15
Trump now admits that his campaign conspired to seek foreign campaign donations in the form of damaging information about an opponent from Russian citizens working for the Russian government.
9
Transitive property applies, Hillary campaign hires Fusion, who hires Steele, who pays for information (supposedly) from Russians who have access to Putin's inner circle. That implies that the Hillary paid Russian officials for dirt on Trump. I guess it's legal since the clever Russians gave Steele the fiction he was looking for and got paid for it.
2
@Jaco: Start at the beginning, why don't you? Republican newspaper (Washington Beacon) hires Fusion GPS to dig up dirt on Trump before primaries; Trump gets primary nomination, losing Republican turns Steele dossier over to Clinton campaign, Clinton campaign ultimately turns Steele dossier over to multiple news organizations and FBI. FBI begins secret investigation into Trump campaign, while conducting a highly publicized investigation into Clinton's emails. All news organizations sit on the Steele dossier, except for Mother Jones, which reports its existence before the election. The Times and other outlets refuse to report on it, claiming that not all of it can be substantiated enough to meet publication standards. It is not until nearly two years after the election that we find out that the Trump campaign has been lying consistently about the whole "Rusher thing" from the get-go. People are getting sick of watching Trump lie every time he opens his mouth or moves his Twittering thumbs. Why should we believe one dang thing that he or his campaign say? They are proven liars and have forfeited our trust.
24
@Allison
That is fiction, Fusion did not use Steele for the Republican dirt digging contract.
Is Müeller gathering evidence by just sitting back in silence and allowing Trump to give it to him in tweet form
15
@Mark Petersen
Weaving his web by tweet.
5
So what? I remember Adam Schiff on the phone trying to buy dirt on Trump during the election and that was perfectly acceptable to the NYT and its radical liberal readers. Hillary and the DNC paid for, not just ask for data, but actually paid for a false dossier generated by Russians and the NYT was just fine with that. Since this data about Don Jr.'s meeting was explained about a year ago, this news story falls into the fake news category.
2
@James: You are not entitled to make up your own facts. The dossier was originally commissioned by a Republican entity during the primary season. It was generated by an American-owned company, not the Russians, and finally, it is not illegal to pay other Americans for campaign assistance.
It is, however, illegal to pay for or accept in-kind campaign assistance from a foreign power, and so far, the only evidence we have of direct interactions with representatives of the Russians involve nobody but Republicans. Your "whataboutisms" are shoddy.
17
@James Are you saying that Trump lied yesterday when he tweeted that the Trump Tower meeting WAS taken to get the dirt on Hillary? The NYT is simply reporting what Trump tweeted. How is that fake news?
13
Time to take to the streets. Yell and scream so maybe the Republicans will think twice about supporting the Traitor Trump.
The #HugeBlueWave2018 cannot come soon enough. Please VOTE!
11
I'm not so sure Donald is getting great legal advice here. Conspiring to commit a crime tends to get the FBI a little excited. Don Jr could be ripe for picking by Mueller. Now that will get the Donald all hot and tweety
11
I bet the serpentine President will wriggle and squirm his way out of these allegations. On the face of it getting someone to dish the dirt on a rival seems not unreasonable, even if it is illegal and it won't be difficult to persuade his base accordingly.
Surely the thing to concentrate on and hammer home remorselessly is the request to see his tax returns. Cannot Ms Huckabee Sanders be asked in every press briefing when he will be producing them and why he hasn't so far done so? There's got to be enough in them to sink him. The request cannot be regarded as unreasonable even by his most fervent supporters - who indeed might be as interested as the rest of us.
8
Enough. When does the Trump autocracy get abolished by our ever-cited "land of laws"? It's seeming as if Mueller is, in fact, a devout Republican, intentionally dragging the investigation into oblivion for the benefit of Trump. Meanwhile, the nightmare grows more horrific - and damaging - by the day, mimicking the new American strategy of "just wear 'em down until they go away".
3
FYI: took two years for the Watergate Investigation to bring forth indictments. Wait for it, it's coming!
9
This is NOT a mulligan.
12
Hillary actually paid tony podesta who paid Christopher Steele who paid Russians for dirt on trump that they successfully fooled the fisa courts to spy on trumps campaign.
Versus
Trump wanted dirt on hillary and nothing happened.
3
The issue is not the dirt getting. The issue is a foreign government approaching the Trump campaign and they accepted. The lawyer at the meeting had a demonstrated connection to the Kremlin. If they had said “no” to the meeting and reported it to the FBI, then they would have done the patriotic thing.
6
@William Rodham
Then why did the Innocent Trump lie about it ?
6
@William Rodham
How do you "nothing happened" from Turmp Tower meeting ? You are taking the words of the Trumps who lied about it from the outset.
7
President Trump, please keep tweeting.
11
It just goes to prove that old adage: It's never too late to throw your sun under the bus.
9
Not smart enough to pull off collusion and dumb enough to not keep his mouth shut and off Twitter.
21
If Other's would have done this and tried to pull it off the GOP would be screaming bloody murder and wanting them impeached ad jailed for treason. But that the GOP rules the congress they are mute, deaf, and blind about it all. Ironic that now the election is swaying in the wind that might put just enough of another party in the halls, they might want to give Trump a nice send off prize, Something In prison Orange.
They have done their oaths of office a disservice.
17
When Mueller presents his report detailing Trump’s treasonous acceptance of Russian help and money, the GOP will still pretend he has done nothing wrong. Too many of the GOP are complicit in accepting Russian help.
21
And the money trail goes all the way back to the NRA...who have been quiet as church mice, not a peep.....
7
This is nothing new and it is not against the law and not one iota of evidence that Trump or anyone at that meeting colluded. On the other hand, Clinton and the DNC hired a firm to contact Russian spys known by Steele to dig up dirt on Trump. They paid $100 000. No one at that tower meeting paid one cent. But they shouldn't feel bad. The NSA paid their Russians $100,000 but realized the information was bogus and stop the next promised payment of $900,000. At least they realized it was bogus instead of trying to pass it off as major news.
2
Then why tell a different story last year?
18
@I have had it--Trump didn't want to admit he, like all politicians, wanted dirt on Hillary. Irony is the "dirt" that may have been provided came from the unethical use of a secret server at Hillary's home that any good hacker could get it!...so truth is Hillary provided the means and methods for "ANYONE with hacking knowhow to get dirt on her. YUou could say that it was Hillary that colluded with the Russians....LOL
@Ron
1. It IS NEW that Trump has admitted he and others around him lied about the purpose of the Trump Tower meeting.
2. It IS against the law. See: https://www.fec.gov/updates/foreign-nationals/
3. On collusion: See comments by Dado2 under NYT picks
11
The lies, collusion and criminal activity never end. Yet none of it bothers most of his supporters and voters.
What happened to demanding basic honesty and integrity and competence from elected officials. Why do so many red state voters obviously not care.
The fact that roughly half the country seems to be fine with this pathological liar & charlatan, and have no problem that Russia sought to undermine our election process (and continues cyberattacks & sabotage anyway they can), and that tump and his son worked with them to do so...and on and on....is what defies comprehension.
Is this nation going to survive. Are there any repubs who respect principled leadership and the rule of law. It seems apparent none do. Unbelievably sad.
22
Less than a plurality of the American people voted Trump into office and now blindly support anything he does, including treason. That we have a voting system that rewards such minority preferences during arguably our most important elections--presidential elections--forever makes this country vulnerable to the Trump caliber of voter. We've seen them on display at his "rallies," and they self-describe themselves as gullible, ill-informed, overly infatuated with anti-democratic leaders such as Trump and Putin, and willing to ignore or accept obvious treasonous activities by the chief-executive. A free United States will not be able to survive if we allow such an electoral system to continue. Allowing the Electoral College to dominate our future choices for president seems tantamount to a democratic death wish. I for one have been sufficiently alarmed by the Trump rally participants to believe we can no longer place this country's future in the hands of the most brazenly undemocratic amongst us. We must get rid of the Electoral College if we are to keep the country which created it in such a different place and time.
12
I think we have established that a US President can act with near impunity, as long as he has the political backing for it in Congress. This is too much power in the hands of one person.
The French are in their Fifth Republic, perhaps it is time for America's Second.
16
Trump lies multiple times each and every day. Trump has betrayed everyone close to him from his wives to his business associates and now his children.
What makes Trumpists think he won't do the same to them? In fact he already has.
14
This ain't that difficult, okay?
1. It is illegal to solicit, or accept, money or any support that has monetary value from a foreign individual or government.
2. If you do this without meaning to, you've broken Federal election law and can be heavily fined. If you do it on purpose, it is a criminal offense.
3. It is also illegal to fail to file a disclosure with the FEC, and illegal to lie to Congress and/or law enforcement. It is illegal to so much as attempt to interfere with law enforcement as they try to find out what happened.
4. It is NOT illegal to buy services from a private investigator, provided you do this with legal funds, disclose your spending, and cooperate with Congress and law enforcement. And both the GOP and the Clinton campaign did so.
By the way, still waiting to see Trumpists prove that even ONE of the claims or facts in the Steele dossier is wrong, or even inaccurate. So far, all I see is people yelling louder and louder that Steele is a liar.
23
@Robert don't be ridiculous. They weren't solicit info. The Russians brought it to them. Or said they had something .
And -- it isn't up to anyone to prove the dossier is wrong. Those who believe in it and claim it is true have the burden. It's like a court of law. if you bring charges -- you have to prove them. The accused does not have to prove they are innocent.
2
Since time immemorial, American politicians have invited the Russian government into their campaign operations. The "treasonous meeting" at Trump Tower, as Trump chief strategist Steve Bannon called it, is a time-honored tradition! What's the big deal? There is no crime called "collusion!" Trump's campaign had 80 documented contacts with Russian financiers and spies? That's low compared to the number Crooked Hillary had! Lock her up, Pvt. Server!
1
OK, so the Russians reach out and offer "dirt" on your father's political opponent. Your first response is what? How about calling your lawyers to ask if this could be a problem? How about calling the FBI to report the contact?
Oh, no. You go right ahead and schedule the meeting and bring your key people with you. Then you lie repeatedly about what was actually discussed. Nothing suspicious about that, right?
23
@Randomonium--Get real! Why call the FBI before you know what is offered? Dirt on Hillary could have been from ANYONE..her secret home server was open for any hacker from anywhere. All politicians get dirt on their opponents. You see it daily in political ads. No proof that any dirt came from the Russians...could have just been a ploy to get Trump people to a meeting....in the US you need proof, but to listen to people like you and the media, you sure would not know it!!
1
@Lynn - Because legally it doesn't matter what is offered, and Junior's first response was, "I love it!". If representatives of a foreign power offer something of value for the purpose of interfering in a domestic election, that is a crime and should be reported to the FBI immediately. Your example of 'whataboutism' is irrelevant.
2
@Lynn - There is well documented proof that the dirt was coming from the Russians. Nearly all of the emails in the exchange with Jr. to set up the meeting talked about it. And even if ultimately that was not the case, Jr. took the meeting because he THOUGHT the info WAS coming from the Russians.
Where are McConnell and Ryan, those unprincipled cowards, hiding? Ryan's even fleeing the scene, in all probability to get rich prostituting himself as a lobbyist, come the next Congress.
14
They got Trump elected and we got Putin elected. I applaud the President for recognizing that Russian intel is far superior to US intel. Perhaps he can get the GRU to provide intelligence briefings going forward and we can dismantle our deep state.
1
Putin was elected while Obama was president. How did he help Putin?
3
If we're not at war with Russia, why are they attacking our energy grid and election systems?
Nobody said it was a crime to talk to Russians. Nice try, though.
The crime is called, "conspiracy to commit," not collusion. No marks on the try, though, as you guys have been blatting this for a year.
You can legally hire services. With legal campiaign money. If you declare them, and then don't lie to law enforcement or Congress.
What you cannot do is ask for or take money, or anything equivalent to money, from a foreign government. And then not declare it. And then lie to Congress.
Love to see your proof for those last three claims. Is this one of those psychic powers thingies?
12
Sorry. Was referring to the yelling about how it's been proved that none of this is true, Trump never intended any such thing, and Steele's a liar.
Haven't seen a jot of proof yet.
1
first, you lie repeatedly and deny what the meeting was really about then deny writing a false letter stating what the meeting was about. Months later you admit to what the meeting was really about then say it doesn't matter. Donald Trump is wondering why everyone is screaming impeachment. Go figure.
14
I want Jr. to be in the perp walk breakfast tomorrow. Lied to Congress among the charges. Why is he still among the honest citizenry? Money talks. Watch for him to take an overseas vacation, maybe kill a few leopards in his spare time.
16
Dad, you won't throw me under the bus, will you . . . . . . . Dad?
15
Trump: Keep Gitmo open. You, your son, and son in law may be able to "see Mar A Lago" from your prison cages…!!!
22
This is great. Trump has blatantly lied to us on camera and twitter over many months. He, his son, his administration, and most anyone closely involved with him lie obsessively—and wretchedly. The problem with lying, or coming clean, via public media, is that you can’t deny it later. He'll try. He has before; he may even try to deny this admission—his problem is that extreme.
So there's no need for Mueller to interview the prez because we ALL know that he isn’t going to tell the truth—no matter what is at stake. The only solution to this enormous and dangerous national snafu is to fire him and everyone involved with him. If he worked for me (and he does), I would. As a clinical director, I agonized over having to fire someone who was not able to perform their job competently—few can fire another person without some degree of discomfort. Because I worked in healthcare, honesty was an important component of the work. If I was certain of a problem, it was my duty to fire any employee who put patients and other staff at risk—doing so is necessary.
Trump and his hench-people are putting the entire population of the planet at risk. American citizens put him into the position of a national leader. I’m as culpable as any citizen of the country, but I take some pleasure in saying he didn’t get my vote.
The onus is on us. No mentally competent citizen can deny that Trump lacks the moral authority and competency to lead our nation. It's time to say: Mr Trump, YOU'RE FIRED!
23
I would like to know where the impartial jury is going to be found. Not sure that anyone unfamiliar with all this is sentient enough to be empaneled.
3
The Russian government is a kleptocracy wanting to broaden the field so oligarchs can further enrich themselves. Trump is one of them. The Kremlin approached his campaign and they accepted. They are a foreign government with an agenda and it’s not to learn more about the American way!
6
For a guy that claims to be smarter than everyone else, basically admitting that you committed a crime seems pretty dumb to me. I'm sure his lawyers are thrilled.
13
And where is our illiterate -- obviously they don't read the Constitution -- do nothing but facilitate the oligarchy Congress and the SCOTUS. ( According to Kavanaugh, apparently, the president is above all laws including emoluments which are written into the Constitution.)
It's true: Trump did ask the Russians to interfere in the elections (IMO better that than the electric grid) -- altho HRC ran a really bad campaign.. and in fact won except for the meddling of the electoral college, which IMO should be abolished.
I am just waiting for the market to fall. BTW because it's legal doesn't mean you have to do it. In other words, billionaires could pay their entire tax burden and fund their charities post payment of taxes. (Render unto Caesar, the things that are Caesar's and unto God the things that are God's.) If I give 30$ per annum to the beggars in my nabe --at a 1$ a day it's easy-- I can't deduct that from my taxes!!
Trump, our president, says whatever he wants to say, whenever he wants to say it. I wonder if we can trust him under oath.
1
@ Kim Findlay
No, remember he is a pathological liar - It's a disease...He never ever can or should be trusted. A leopard can't change it spots and God help us, POTUS cannot tell the truth.
4
I know. Trump could invite Mr. Mueller to the White House, get him alone, and privately ask him if he could see his way clear to let Don Junior go. After all, he's a good boy and meant no harm. Trump could emphasize how much he would, personally, appreciate the loyalty that would demonstrate. Trump can, in return, promise not to fire the special prosecutor. Throw in a lifetime golf membership. Who knows? It might work this time.
10
Trump. Keep Tweeting, please. Each confession is pure gravy for Mueller's train. Here the whistle? Feel the heat?
11
What's to debate? Don Jr., Kushner and Manafort met with Russian operatives in Trump Tower with a group of Russian operatives to get hacked info on Hillary in order to help get Trump Sr. elected.
This is collusion and against the law.
DT lied about it incessantly, concocted a false narrative of what happened, and has sought to obstruct justice ever since.
Lock them all up and save our republic.
16
Trump's removal would spare the country the portrait of this person hanging in the peoples' house for a very long time. And then there is the business of the Trump Library. What would that be like?
7
In one short tweet, Trump admits to felony conspiracy, AND throws Jr under the bus. Double whammy.
18
Trump knew about the meeting, probably was listening in, and he knew the Russians wanted to make a deal to lift the Magnitsky Act in exchange for dirt on Clinton.
13
My dream Presidential Tweet…
‘Me and my big mouth!’
3
And apparently from their silence, McConnell and Ryan's loyalty is to the 1% and Putin more than it is to the Constitution and the loser American people. Well, good to know that's settled.
6
Months and months of talk of "dirt" on Hillary; years of title tattle on the scandal of Hillary's and the DNC's hacked emails.
So...?
What exactly WAS in those hacked emails, what specifically was the "dirt" on Hillary? Will we ever know? Was there any there there? Pointless fodder for the scandal of the non-scandal. Tainting by insinuation and ONLY insinuation....
3
Trump was elected. We got what we deserved. Corruption reigns supreme. Quit complaining and kowtow.
4
HI,
This weekend, one of Donald Trump's attorney, Jay Sekulow, wanted someone to cite something criminal.
52 U.S. Code § 30121 - Contributions and donations by foreign nationals.
(a)ProhibitionIt shall be unlawful for—
(1)a foreign national, directly or indirectly, to make—
(A)a contribution or donation of money or other thing of value, or to make an express or implied promise to make a contribution or donation, in connection with a Federal, State, or local election; etc.
11
Our political system seems to have lost accountability.
Nixon was forced to resign for authorizing and lying about a third-rate burglary.
Clinton faced impeachment for lying about a consensual affair with an adult intern.
But grifter Trump has blatantly lied about colluding with Russia and many other things, and Congress does nothing.
Do his allies in the GOP think he is a king, an emperor?
They sure act like it.
8
Is this collusion? Or improper? Will this finally be his end?
He certainly is a liar.
Remember when Hillary gave 20% of our uranium to Russia for $145 million in donations to her "foundation?"
Why was nothing done about that?
1
@Kimbo
get your facts right; HRC alone didn't give Uranium to Russia; many other sign offs were necessary; those people signed off because it was a valid transaction & none of the other approvers has had motivation questioned.
13
Because that is a conspiracy theory and it didn’t happen? Maybe that is why.
20
@Kimbo
Good question to our Republican congress and Senate. You may want to ask yourself why the Republicans, who control all branches of the Government haven’t started the Uranium investigation yet. Don't you think Nunez & co. and the congress cabals haven't thought about that ? The fact that they haven’t felt necessary to do such an investigation even after 18+ months in power, should speak for itself the merits of such an accusation.
14
WHY ? hasn't anyone at any press conference with TRUMP ever asked such a simple question ?
MR president have you ever lie as president of the united states ?
simple .
5
Trump Tax Returns Now! Repeat until we see them.
14
Is it not clear by now that Trump's banking on a President's invincibility to being indicted--that Mueller's signaled his outcome will be a report to Congress--and that if it wraps up before elections (e.g., before Democrats take over) he'll have cover from a Republican Congress?
1
And now DT needs to admit that he knew in advance about the meeting. Trump Jr. certainly didn't go to that meeting without his daddy's blessing.
10
Impeach Trump for his clear criminal behavior and get....Mike Pence? Really?
Or can we impeach the entire GOP due to their continuing obstruction of justice, excepting only those like John McCain and Jeff Flake et al., who have spoken up against both crimes and general malfeasance done by our current president?
4
Add to his resume Gaslighter in Chief. When we get to the revelations of a Quid pro quo with Russia for bailing out Trump Inc for bad business decisions and financing his campaign in exchange for favored nation status, the game will be over but not before every sleezy con artist trick in the book and that he makes up as he goes along is used. I'm certain his "base" will follow him to the end believing every lie he tells them. Meanwhile the slugs and sycophants in his administration better start shopping for a country that will grant the asylum. Probably only Russia and only if they have syphoned off enought money from our government to pay Mr. Vlad.
7
This is an interesting strategy: when there are no new Russiagate stories, recycle the old ones. There is no evidence that even a single vote was changed by any of this. Move on.
3
@Mike Livingston. Whether a single vote was changed or not (although the large scale of Russian cyber warfare aimed at supporting Trump and defeating Hillary Clinton makes it seem likely that some votes were influenced), the activities described in this news story were illegal. Many of us think that conspiring with Russia to try to influence a U.S. election — whether or not the attempt was successful — amounts to treason. Do you really think it’s OK for Americans to conspire with another country—especially a country like Russia that has attacked the U.S. in cyber wars aimed at undermining our democracy — to try to change the outcome of our election?
4
@Mike Livingston So an attempt to influence the election by a hostile foreign power is okay with you?
MAKE AMERICAN GREAT AGAIN even if it tool treason to accomplish it
8
@Mike Livingston You totally missed the point(s). And read US Codes 371 and 30121
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/371
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/52/30121
7
Trump: Guilty of obstruction!
2
Relying on a foreign government for dirt on your political opponent opens one up to blackmail. Of course, in Trump's case, all the money laundering done with the Russians over the years already puts him in that position, a lapdog to Putin. Glad to see that Trump finally admits what he and Jr. did, a good first step but bad news for all those involved with Russian "adoption." God speed, Mr. Mueller.
5
Am I misreading this or did the inimitably spineless Donald just throw his own "wonderful" son under the bus, fingering him for lying about the purpose of this meeting, and further for colluding with Russian operatives (a bigtme criminal no-no) to get dirt on a political opponent? Gee, with Dads like that, who needs enemies?
4
Most frightening revelation from all of this : the power of the FBI to target , and isolate an individual they have in their gunsights for political reasons. Remember Obama's IRS under Lois Lerner ? Who needs to worry about the KGB and the Russians . We have the FBI and the Sore Losers in the Democrat Party . ( wife )
When does the impeachment begin?
8
Robert Mueller's investigation is like a doctor running a bunch of tests on a healthy person. When a person is healthy, there are no symptoms for a doctor to focus on. What does the doctor do?
Sure, the doctor can carry out a thorough examination and run a bunch of tests. She will be sure to find a bunch of abnormalities, and can further examine them, but it's basically a pointless exercise. One that will cost a lot of time and money and will do more harm (both emotionally and physically) than good.
With Donald Trump, there was no crime for a special counsel to look into. Sure, Robert Mueller can carry out a thorough investigation and call a lot of witnesses and plow through documents. He has found a lot of suspicious activity and even indicted people, but it's basically a pointless exercise. One that has cost, and will continue to cost, a lot of time and money and done, and will continue to do, more harm than good.
Many doctors now think preventive medicine makes no sense. If a patient shows no symptoms, consider them well. Don't go looking for an illness when there are no signs of one. That does harm, and the first rule in medicine is to do no harm.
Would that Rod Rosenstein were that smart. There was no evidence that a crime had been committed by any American, let alone by Donald Trump. Appointing a special counsel has caused great damage to people's lives and to Donald Trump's presidency. Yet there are still no signs of a crime.
2
@John Smithson - You wrote "He has found a lot of suspicious activity and even indicted people." And you followed that by saying, "but it's basically a pointless exercise." In other words, your mind is so "made up" that suspicious activity and indictments don't register as worthy of exposure and scrutiny. This is what's wrong with partisanship so extreme that it throws truth under the bus.
4
You obviously don’t know what preventative medicine is. The person seeing the doctor and/or nurse is educated on good health practices such as eating nutritious food in healthy amounts, exercising adequately and getting enough sleep. Additionally, doing meditation and also social activities are encouraged. One doesn’t take a healthy patient a look for abnormalities if the physical and blood work is normal and the patient feels fine.
Your analogy is wrong in that we already have a very sick executive branch headed by Mr. Trump. The proper thing to do with a cancerous growth is to excise it.
3
Oh OK then is was "totally legal" I guess that is the LIC's (Liar in Chief) way of saying "He strongly denied it" so now we have nothing to worry about!
If it was so like totally ok why cover it up, then lie about it, and then lie about the lie then ghost write a pathetic note for Donnie Jr?
16
so if you meet with russians to get "dirt on Hillary Clinton", that would be collusion with russians. that would be conspiracy with russians. right?
4
@VM
What, or who were the sources that Steele used to compile his dossier?
The Michaels need to pull out a dictionary and see that "designed to" and "about" do not mean the same thing. A meeting designed to be about x does not equate to a meeting about x. But when you only own a hammer (Trump bad), everything looks like a nail.
In any case, Trump is correct. Oppo research is done all the time. So far, Steele is the only foreign agent known to have supplied info to a campaign. But I enjoy the cartwheels, nonetheless!
1
@Tsk. Whether or not behavior is criminal often hinges on intent. If I attend a meeting designed to do something, then I have an intent to participate in doing something, whether that thing actually occurred at the meeting or not.
5
@Tsk So a Russian lawyer isn't a foreign person? Opposition research is research paid for and conducted by a company/individual that provides that service not a citizen of Russia
3
Maria Butina, another Russian agent. Plus the twelve others I did ted by Special Counsel Mueller! You can pretend not to see the evidence, but e evidence is still FACT.
2
Leave it to the GOP to sponsor such a traitor. Any group that feels the need to tell you patriotic they are is covering up their real motives, enrich themselves at any cost.
4
Shows you what an amateur Trump is. Hillary washed a few million through a law firm, then to fusion GPS then to a retired British spy and then on to Russian operatives. All of Hillary's actions we pure as the driven snow. The stupid Trumps held a meeting in Trump tower.
3
H.W. Bush was offered dirt on Bill Clinton back when they were running against each other. What did H.W. do?! He asked his campaign to inform the FBI about the "players" offering dirt on Bill Clinton! That IS what an honest man does! Of course, Trumpsters do not care, Donald is beyond morals!
Russia IS NOT OUR FRIEND, Republicans! Putin and his regime are AGAINST everything our Nation stands for and holds dear!
It's utterly deplorable that Donald, congressional Republicans and Donald's supporters cannot SEE the danger Russia is to our democracy!
22
I DOUBLE-DOG dare POTUS to fire Rosenstein or Mueller...go ahead, put your tongue on the icy pole smart guy!
17
Trump my very well be the first POTUS convicted of treason.
4
He lied. Say it NYT, "He Lied!" He lied about his crowd size. He lied about is affairs. He lied about the tax cut. He lied about the wall. He lies about everything. He's a big fat liar. He's not a politician. He's not very smart. He's not a good negotiator. He's not a good person.
And he's about to lie to the American people for starting a war with Iran. Between his penchant to go to war and his innumerable affairs, this liar has both an itchy trigger finger and an itchy gold digger.
10
Just wait. Trump will deny he said it or that the fake news misinterpreted what he said in plain English. His dumber than dumb fan base will believe it. (Yes, I am using one of his expressions.)
5
John F. Kennedy's Inaugural Address, January 20, 1961: “Ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country”
Trump version: “What’s in it for me?”
SAD!
16
Why are you not running a banner headline such as this one, August 6, 1974? https://goo.gl/images/uVevvJ?
How is this a "below the fold" story?!
1
This is starting to sound like Oleg Deripaska and RUSAL of Russia's playbook.
1
We have a fake president backed by craven, feckless cowards who don't care a whit about democracy as long as they can achieve their goal of making this country into a capitalistic kleptocracy.
8
"Less than forthcoming"? If the NY Times can's bring itself to use the word "lie," how about "untruthful?" Is that genteel enough?
4
if you think political campaigns do not look for dirt on their opponent, then you are not living in the real world! "in April 2016, attorney Marc Elias hired Fusion GPS to investigate Trump on behalf of Hillary Clinton's campaign and the Democratic National Committee (DNC). In June 2016, Fusion GPS subcontracted former spy Steele to research and compile the dossier". (Wiki) So the entire Russian Witch Hunt is based on the dossier the Clinton Compaign paid for--reminds you of a Banana Republic!! Add to that, any "dirt" on Clinton provided from whom ever was probably the result of her unethical use of a private server in her home, that was easily hacked by any expert....and you have the Karma of Hillary Clinton paying for a report to bring down Trump and now the Media and NY Times spin it to look like Trump did something wrong!! LOL True Karma-Hillary tries to bring down Trump and only succeeds in bringing herself down!! Now find me the Russian that gave Trump that info and you will have collision. Until then. There is no proof Trump did anything wrong!
Donny Jr is gone. He will be indicted for perjury, obstruction, conspiracy and wire fraud. Ain't life grand!
7
Two things:
1. That Trump says he sees nothing wrong with it - that should concern everybody.
2. How was seeking the assistance of an adversarial state - and subsequently denying it - putting Americans first? America First! - Really?!
14
Somewhere, somehow there must be a law or precedent which could be used to remove Trump from office. Maybe our calling Russia "the enemy" sounds shrill and over-reactive. But noting that Russia and the United States are competitors for dominance throughout the world is an accurate statement. Trump et al are like first graders who sneaked onto the high school football field to play tackle with the team. Their cringe-worthy international behavior and naivete shown as they beg for help from a country which is not only an outsider but arch-rival has and will cost us respect, trustworthiness and confidence. It will take a long time to regain these, assuming we vote, and vote intelligently.
If nothing else, we need to demonstrate, write comments, debate, use any means to keep Trump's behavior in our collective faces until November, and after that until the next election. Sometimes it's just carping to talk about a person indefinitely, but not now. Our survival as a democracy depends on our perceiving Trump's behavior and decisions as one thing: examples of his leadership to be stopped.
7
@barbL This was the approach of fascists and the Soviets -- show me the man and I'll find you the crime. It is beyond outrageous that Americans have been brainwashed to think this way. How about let's remove him in the next election, the way disappointed voters ought to behave?
1
The problems with equating the Steele dossier with the Trump Jr-Russia meeting, as certain Republicans would like to do, are 1) the Steele dossier was not used by Clinton in her election campaign; we heard of it only later, while the Russia-source Democratic campaign emails were leaked out over months preceding the election, as the Russians intended; and 2)the Steele dossier was turned over to the British and American authorities in late 2016, while no Russian contacts have ever been voluntarily disclosed by the Trump people. To me, these facts negate any parallelism.
12
@JMcF "the Steele dossier was not used by Clinton in her election campaign"
Evidently, there was no collusion between Trump and the RNC to fix the Republican primary for Trump.
The best that Steele and his Russian contacts could come up with is the infamous yet-to-be-discovered "pee tape".
But go ahead, continue to believe this tale of international espionage weaved by the illuminated media. Be scared. The Red Dawn is coming.
Obviously, just as Hillary got unverified and unverifiable dirt on Trump, so did the Trump campaign on Hillary. (The Steele dossier which was also sourced to Russia and cost millions and was paid to Fusion GPS by the Hillary campaign and the DNC)
If it were legal for Hillary, it is legal also for Trump. The MSM is emphasizing when Trump does it but not Hillary. The MSM also emphasizes the alleged dirt on Trump but not the alleged dirt on Hillary. And considering the source for both, Russia, any report should be highly suspicious.
Also, according to Allen Derschowitz, it is not illegal anyway. It is called opposition research. So both Hillary and Trump broke no laws in this regard. Therefore, enough already.
2
It is illegal if the assistance was provided by a foreign nation.
5
@Philly Let's help you out here.
The group that commissioned the Steele dossier was initially paid by Republicans. Christopher Steele is an expert on Russian affairs. He produced a document that lays out a case SPECIFICALLY on Trump's corruption with Russia. It was kept confidential through the campaign and it is completely legal.
The Trump campaign was offered dirt on Clinton from a foreign power. That's illegal. The dirt on Clinton is false while the dirt on Trump is true.
So you couldn't be more wrong.
5
@PG You need to keep up, PG. Steele has testified that the dossier work was neither initiated nor funded by Republicans. So, there's that. Second, funds from Hillary and the DNC were channeled to Russian sources close to the Kremlin to obtain this "dirt." Finally, not a single media outlet has been able, despite vast resources dedicated to the task, to substantiate any of the dossier, and our own Justice Department said they have been unable to verify its content. Hope that helps.
1
A pundit or columnist said very early on that what will ultimately undo Trump is his admission to criminal actions that he doesn't recognize as illegal. We have reached that moment. He has engaged so routinely in financial and civil criminality his whole career that he truly doesn't recognize the boundaries of the law; he has always found ways to buy, bluster or intimidate his way through violations. Let us pray, with our democracy at stake, that he can't escape legal and moral responsibility for these crimes.
7
Just wondering what the next evolution in the Trump team's argument will be. Maybe
"It is not treason if the President does it?"
or how about:
"Congress should not be allowed to bring up treason charges against the President because that will impede his power to govern?" (see Brett Kavanaugh for that beuty of an argument)
9
@Christine
"beauty"
It has been known for a very long time that Donald Trump Jr. met with a Russian lawyer who promised 'dirt' on Hillary Clinton, but did not deliver, instead talking about Russian adoptions and the Magnitsky Act. Now, this is being packaged again as 'news.'
Why are we focusing on a meeting between Trump Jr. and a Russian lawyer, when the campaign investigation began with a dossier built by discussions with Russians about Donald Trump?
I am tired of the hypocrisy.
@rcrigazio The way that you can not refute the actual truth, and how the actual facts prove that you're wrong, is as amusing as it is pathetic.
There was nothing illegal about the Steele dossier. Which was not made public before the election.
Trying to acquire dirt on a political rival from a foreign power is a crime. Not revealing it to the FBI when it is offered is pretty close to a crime.
The emails that were stolen from the DNC by the KGB were made public before the election, with the purpose of helping Trump and hurting Clinton. So there is no "hypocrisy" there.
1
"Getting information on an opponent" is one thing. Having, a Kremlin-connected Lawyer at this "meeting" (which is 100% about who will be the next President of the United States) is quite another.
Why is that Russian Lawyer there?
"Our" President in Tweets happily gropes women, hawks his Real estate and all-things-Trump from the Oval Office, cheats on his wife repeatedly and buys silence (or tries to) from his past bed mates. He then insults our allies by saying the Paris Accord is pointless, because Global Warming doesn't really exist.
Every day (or hour), Trump makes EVERYONE'S global situation worse, from Trade, to War, and on to Environmental Health.
Perjury is rampant in everything Trump does, but "our" Attorney General, Sessions, won't lift a finger against it. Nor will "our" Supreme Court.
Daily, America's credibility circles the drain, and all in the name of greed and private financial gain for the Trumps.
16
Agree with the comments that demand for an investigation into Trump's taxes. I'll add it might also be time for the FBI to build a case against Mr. Putin so we all get a better idea as to how the money actually flows in these shady Russian circles.
5
Trump, his clan and his administration form a conniving bunch. Some believe that while Trump's actions and statements may sound random and unorganized on surface; in reality they are series of carefully orchestrated steps to skirt around the real issues and avert major damage.
From above point of view, imagine that if such clear admission is a risk worth taking, what major revelation Trump is trying to avoid?
I am stunned by how numb we have all gotten by the constant barrage of outrageous actions and statements coming from Trump. Think about this for a moment: A president of the US is telling us he thinks it's OK that his campaign would use dirt generated by an enemy of the US to influence a presidential election! Before Trump, this would have been cataclysmic - with the press going nuts and congress starting impeachment proceedings. But now? Just another day in Trump land. We are in serious trouble if we can't stop this.
5
Russian meddling, utterly disgusting fake news by social media etc.by the GOP and Trump & Co. Even with all that almost 3 million votes more: it is clear who should be President of the USA now: Mrs. Clinton.
She would at least have been a normal President with quite a lot of political experience at home and abroad.
Very intriguing that Putin and his mob were so against Mrs. Clinton and in favour of Trump. She was not so impressed by Putin ( just as Mrs. Merkel knows how to handle the guy and his circle)
If you read, hear, see the complete chaos and divide in the USA since his election, it is very clear why the Russians chose to invest in this undermining of the Clinton campaign and support this completely narcist and conman, who should really never have become President. It is a dangerous and devastating spectacle.
So fast forward with the investigations into Trump's (incl. his family, the Vice Pres, and the rest of these guys) finances and the Russian connections.
5
Those who can, do. People who are too lazy to solve problems lie, cheat, and steal to make up for their silly incompetence.
Trump lives in a bubble of wealth that has protected him from life his whole life. He has behaved poorly and ignored the social values that hold society together using his money and lack of accountability to others to develop a lawless way of life. Until he was elected President, it mattered not to anyone not dealing with him what he did. As a young man he lived as a playboy. He undertook business deals which he had no concern as to whether they were likely to succeed or not. If they did not, he’d let his business partners take the losses. He had the enthusiastic support of the biggest firms in finance only to nearly drag them into insolvency. Now, they will lend him nothing. His businesses have gone bankrupt multiple times and he’s been sued thousands of times. But Trump is still rich and he’s been elected President and he lies every day.
While the laws clearly forbid accepting anything of value from foreign entities, including governments, including valuable information, Trump sought out the Russians when they offered such information. His view of the law is and was that it does not apply to him because it never mattered much in the past. Except nobody lets people with the authority of the President do whatever they wish. Trump is getting pretty close to a big fall.
4
We knew Bill had sex (in some form) with Lewinsky. We knew he lied about it.
Fast forward:
We know the Trump and his campaign worked with Russian agents to help win the election. We know they are lying about it.
Tell me again which one rises to the level of impeachment?
Perhaps I've missed something along the way. What country is this again?
25
Trump hopes someone can find Clinton's missing emails: that night her campaign's emails are hacked by the Russians.
Trump's Access Holly wood tapes comes out: a few hours later Russia releases hacked emails from Clinton campaign.
Trump is instructed not to congratulate Putin on his rigged election win: minutes later Trump congratulates Putin.
Trump wants to meet his buddy Putin and nearly all of his advisers caution against it: Trump meets with Putin anyway.
Trump needs to unload a grotesque and grotesquely overpriced Palm Beach mansion but can't find a buyer: a few months later another Putin crony suddenly buys it and never sets foot in it.
Trump's son-in-law is having trouble paying the interest on his billion dollar office building: after Trump's meeting with the Chinese premier, suddenly funding appears.
Trump's son hear's that a meeting with a Putin crony might result in dirt on Clinton: Trump Junior heartily agrees to attend meeting.
I hope that Mueller holds onto any indictments with the name Trump or Kushner until about mid-October so that they are fresh on everyone's mind come election day. They are all guilty as sin.
6
Ok, for those thinking this will seal the deal on collusion:
1) Russia isn't our enemy. We are not at war with Russia.
2) Meeting with a Russian is not a crime.
3) Meeting with a Russian isn't collusion.
3) Digging up dirt on you political opponents is not a crime.
4) HRC paid a foreign citizen to meet with Russia to dig up dirt on Trump and no one says a peep about that. So her actions clearly show that it must be ok to dig up dirt on your opponent even if it means using reps of foreign entities.
5) Nothing came of the meeting. No further actions occurred.
6) There was no offering of services from Russia in exchange for future services if Trump won.
7) There was no quid pro quo discussed or accepted.
GET A LIFE. This is becoming silly. The left has just gone bonkers.
4
@Ralphie
I'll got out on a limb and wager that Mueller will see a big difference between Donald, Jr. willingly meeting with Russian government agents, and Steele being hired by a law firm and then notifying the FBI of his findings that Donald Trump has been compromised by the Russian Intelligence services.
Sorry that that critical difference seems to escape your thought process.
1
You're right. Especially since Mr. Putin said there was no collusion.
3
@Ralphie - I'm sorry but claiming that criminal activity isn't a crime will never make it true.
5
Curious as to why the Russians were not so keen to offer the Clinton campaign "dirt" on Trump and/or why the Clinton campaign were not so ambitious as to seek Trump-dirt from the Russians?
5
@biijii - The Clinton campaign knew that doing so would be illegal.
2
It's widely known that Putin loathes Mrs. Clinton and didn't want her elected.
6
@biijii Are you completely unfamiliar with the fact that Russian sources close to the Kremlin gave dirt to Clinton that became the infamous "dossier"? Reading the NYT only?
Is there the possibility of a new lie by Trump. Natalia Veselnitskaya and Rinat Akhmetshin are not unfamiliar with the US sanction operatives like Mike MacFaul, or the British Bill Browder.
To sum up, the scope of the June 9, 2016 meeting is still open for further investigation. A sort of qui pro quo for the Russian assistance.
Cross exam Trump & Huckabee as to any other top Republican or Demo campaign officials, & children of the candidate, met with RUSSIANs to get 'dirt' on an opponent ... in violation of federal statutes?
Oh the tangled web they weave when the practice to deceive!
3
So next tweet will be about the speech asking Russia to PLEASE release the 35,000 emails from Hillary... nothing to see here ... we got nothing from the meeting in trump tower because we turned it all over to WikiLeaks.
2
Here we are, breeding a generation of people who willingly spin lies any way they want. Lies for more lies. And facts don't matter either.
If we can't agree on what is truth, our justice system is toast.
Thanks, GOP. Now adopt a Russian child.
4
Misleading is when someone with BO asks if the seat next to you is taken, and you say, "Yes, it is" - when you actually mean, "Yes, it is reserved for someone who doesn't stink!".
This is a simple plain lie.
Which is hardly a surprise, when Trump spews hundreds of them. But it's an admitted lie, on a criminally relevant fact, which changes everything.
2
Re "a statement he dictated last year about the encounter was a lie." There, fixed that sentence.
6
The Trump campaign would have been criminally negligent if they didn't try to get dirt on H. Clinton.
@jacoWhat the heck? You're ok with breaking the law, as long as the criminal act favors your side?
4
@jaco - I don't think you know what "criminally negligent" means but that's OK, Trump loves the poorly educated.
3
@jaco –
Pay attention! It is not illegal to gather opposition on your opponent. It IS illegal to conspire with a foreign government to do so, particularly an adversary. Also, to continually lie about it.
5
Isn't avoiding testifying under oath because it is a "perjury trap" tantamount to admitting that you are lying and intend to continue to lie?
9
@PETER EBENSTEIN MD Of course not. Perhaps you ought to stick to medicine? I practiced white collar criminal defense in DC, and my boss (a rather well-known practitioner) used to show every client the large trout mounted on his wall. "Do you know why I caught this fish?", he'd ask. "It opened its mouth." The next time you're accused of something you didn't do, try to find a lawyer who would think it was a good idea for you to meet with a team of federal prosecutors who would like nothing more than to put you in jail. If you manage to find one, run away from that lawyer as fast as you can.
@Titian Thanks for your reply. I do plan to stick to medicine. I see that practicing "white collar criminal defense" gives you a different perspective that that of a lay citizen simply hoping for a President with integrity.
I dunno how to get it across to Trumpists that it is in fact illegal to accept campaign contributions, either in cash or in kind, from foreign governments. Especially when you then go on to not disclose them to the FEC (also illegal), and lie to Congress about them (also illegal).
You can hire sombody private like Steele all ya want--he's basically a PI who'd worked for the FBI and MI-6 for years--you just have to a avoid using an obvious spy, use honest campaign money, and report it. And when you get asked by Congress, you need to say yep, I did.
.
I want to thank folks, though, for rechanting exactly the claims that were on Tucker Carlson and Hannity last night. It's nice to catch up on the last drivel, without having to risk brain-melt by tuning in and getting shouted at by dopes for an hour or so.
13
aka "COLLUSION"
5
How would Republicans have responded if Clinton or Obama had received help from Russia? What if Obama's campaign manager was on trial only 18 months after his victory, and others from his cabinet has pled guilty to serious crimes? Republicans would have been rightly outraged! Donald J Trump is a liar and a bona-fide traitor, and ALL citizen of this country need to unite to save our democracy!
6
I continue to be amazed how the main stream media gets duped by Trump again and again. This article incorporates a totally untrue contention advanced by Trump when it states, "The president believes that by answering the investigators' questions, he can explain to Mr. Mueller that he and his campaign did nothing wrong, and bring an end to the investigation." Trump no more "believes" this than Charles Manson believed he could have convinced investigators that he did not commit any crimes. Trump knows that he cannot convince investigators that "his campaign did nothing wrong", because he knows that his campaign did do something wrong. The NYT and other main stream media should stop doing Trump's bidding by spouting this nonsense. An accurate statement would be, "The president contends that he believes that by answering the investigators' questions, he can explain . . . " To report what Trump "believes" (or, for that matter, what anyone "believes") is poor journalism.
8
I have been saying for some time that a large section of his voters do not care if Russia helped him get elected. To them, Hillary and the Democrats are more of an enemy to America than Russia. They see it as the enemy of my enemy is my friend. They welcome anyone who helps keep the Dems from office.
8
True.
3
The Republican Parties hypocrisy is beyond human understanding. Imagine if Obama had admitted this, or Hilary Clinton. Trump, and the Republicans would be wetting themselves with joy, at the prospect of putting Clinton in prison, or impeaching Obama.
Trump is clearly trying to preemptively deflect the media storm that is sure to ensue as the Manafort trial continues, and the damaging information he has against Trump, will come out.
Trump knows that the noose is tightening, his only mistake as history will show, is his ego, and his belief that a president can't be charged, and can pardon himself, and that he (Trump) is above the law, since it's worked for him, most if not all of his adult life. He had Cohen as his fixer, so when Trump violated the law, Cohen was rushed in to fix the problem.
Meeting with a foreign government that has a vested interest in seeing Trump elected, is against the law. They met with Trump staff, in Trump tower to discuss what we now know to be "dirt" on Hilary Clinton. Subsequently, Don Jr lies, Trump and Hope Hicks on Air Force One, sit down and formulates a blatant lie. They didn't even take the time to tell Don Jr not to make a statement (a lie), before Trump and Hicks could utter the lie they wanted the public to drink in the Trumpaid (the slightly sweetened Trump Kool Aid).
It's all going to come crashing down around Trump, and those close to him. Because that's the funny thing about dirt, it get's on anyone that's around it.
6
It's legal to obtain dirt about a political opponent, but not from operatives of an adversarial foreign power whose personnel stole the information by illegally hacking the political opponent. Furthermore, President Trump has also admitted that he joined the conspiracy by composing and issuing a false account of the Trump Tower meeting. This act makes him responsible for the conspirators earlier acts, even in the unlikely event that he did not know about the meeting in advance (a disclaimer of responsibility to no legal avail, but which does demonstrate the President's parental deficiencies). Mueller now has enough information to show Trump Sr's involvement in a conspiracy with a foreign power to influence the election through criminal acts; and the evidence of presidential obstruction of the investigation is plentiful. The participants in the Trump Tower meeting should be prosecuted, and a report detailing the President's involvement issued. Mueller should not wait to develop what he believes is the perfect case while the President sows further chaos on this and other critical issues, nor should the President be given further time to try to fire Mueller prior to filing of criminal charges against those currently subject to prosecution and to issuance of the report about the President's wrongful acts.
8
I have read three different stories about this with three different narratives so I checked and guess what? Donald Trump has not been indicted and is still president.
@AirMarshalofBloviana - Guess what, he's still a liar who has committed treason.
4
Trump and his family are just plain CROOKS!
Not only is the Presidency a cash cow to Trump but he also gets his kicks by fomenting hate and bigotry at his so called rallies.
This man is mentally sick and very very dangerous.
If Trump's back is against the wall he will start a war make no mistake about that.
8
@Don Siracus
War is constant and has never been sustainably interrupted.
NYT, you've buried the lede:
It is illegal for a campaign to accept help from a foreign individual or government....But some legal experts contend that by simply sitting for the meeting, Donald Trump Jr. broke the law.
From the beginning, the cover up story that the meeting was about adoption was, frankly, absurd. A true patriot, much less a more ethical candidate, would've reported the Russian's approach to the Trump campaign to the FBI.
9
Hillary was doing the same thing. Politics is a dirty game
4
@Bar tennant Nonsense. Receiving election assistance from a foreign government is a crime. Nobody was doing this particular thing besides the Trump campaign.
8
It’s not the same. The Trump campaign was approached by a foreign government saying they could help him win, and they accepted. The Clinton campaign hired a international private investigator.
7
@Bar tennant No she was not.
2
"and it went nowhere"
meaning that no information was transferred that day.
BUT IF
it was agreed to delay release of the information until later in the campaign and to use wiki leaks to avoid passing information directly to campaign,
THEN,
we have two instances of conspiracy (planned, acted on, and completed).
9
"the Trump team has not been forthright..." Does this mean they were LYING, as in "not telling the truth"? You say team, does this mean that Trump, as a member of the team, was also lying? Has this ever happened before? And here with a foreign government--a criminal conspiracy to fix an election? Was Putin also a member of the "team"?
They are now saying, "Collusion is not a Crime." Do they mean by this that collusion which is a criminal conspiracy to plan and a Treasonous Crime to execute with a foreign government (there is a clear statute here) is not a crime until someone has been charged with the crime? Who would believe that, especially with so much evidence of criminal collusion that is already known?
The strategy now appears to be by the Republicans to put the fix in in the Supreme Court to rebuff all attempts to collect evidence from Trump himself on these crimes, previous and contemplated. Contemplated in that there is a new election coming up, and our lame Congress has not even put in mandatory paper trails to protect against fraud in the vote counting.
To prevent Mr. Trump from being charged with an obvious crime here, that looks more and more like the deciding factor in the last election, it appears that Mitch McConnell and his cronies are very much a part of this criminal conspiracy. The fix would be in in all subsequent Supreme Court decisions if this is allowed.
7
I love Jay's line "let's be honest with the American people". Wouldn't that be a nice change!
12
It’s a shame that we are saddled with a president who doesn’t even know the laws that govern presidential election.
That Mr. Trump is a pathological liar is by now known to all. When his son repeatedly said, that the 2016 Trump Tower meeting he had with a Russian lawyer was about adopting Russian children, we all had suspected that lying is one of the qualities he inherited from his father’s DNA. The father’s admission now, that the purpose of the 2016 meeting was to “get information on an opponent,” has confirmed our suspicion.
That, too, doesn't surprise anyone. What is surprising, even appalling. is that the president still maintains that it was “totally legal.” What is more surprising is that even his lawyer, Jay Sekulow, thinks so. As quoted in this report, this is what he said in 2017, when The Times broke the story about the Trump Tower meeting: “Well, the question is: How would it be illegal? What law, statute or rule or regulation’s been violated? Nobody’s pointed to one.”
Let him wait until the Mueller team completes its investigation. He is going to learn to his shame that it “is illegal for a campaign to accept help from a foreign individual or government,” as the Times story puts it.
Another thing he and his client seem to be ignorant of, or have utter contempt for, is that the misleading tweets Trump has been issuing are being scrutinized by the special counsel to determine whether they constitute obstruction of justice, a firm ground for impeachment.
12
"It is illegal for a campaign to accept help from a foreign individual or government."
5
Trump not exactly forthright? Unprecedented for any president in modern times, no doubt. Mission accomplished. But it is something to talk about and that’s what matters most.
2
We have drifted away from the basic constitutional and legal principles that made the American justice system one of the best in the world. Our criminal justice system has become political, and we all suffer for it.
Once you could live your life and order your affairs in such a way that you could drastically reduce your exposure to arrest and indictment. Those days are gone. This should concern people from all points along the political spectrum.
The director of the FBI, James Comey, said that he could not determine whether the president committed a crime when the president talked with him. That would need to be determined by a special counsel investigation.
This article suggests that Donald Trump and his son may have done something criminal in a campaign meeting that went nowhere and political posturing about the meeting. Was a crime committed? If so, what was it? Nobody seems to know.
When justice becomes a farce like this, something needs to change. Our justice system is not supposed to be affected by politics. It's a shame that our courts, and especially our prosecutors and investigators, have lost sight of that fact.
5
There is and has been an ongoing investigation into the Trump/Russia situation since before the 2016 election. This IS our justices system working as it should! Just because there has been no indictments of Donald, does not mean that no crime was committed.
By the way, for someone who keeps saying "no collusion" the Trump campaign sure had a lot of meetings with Russian operatives!
Mr Smithson, you’re not getting it. It’s pretty obvious and clearcut that a crime was committed; just how serious depends on facts not yet publicly disclosed. The reason that the justice system has to pussyfoot around this and take forever to decide is because of the personage involved—an elected US president. The many people who voted for this guy have to be convinced as clearly as possible that there was a crime; this is an affaire d’etat. This kind of situation is not normal in ordinary criminal matters.
For a year and a half Trump has declared over and over “No collusion with Russia”. Now he admits that Junior, not he but Junior, did collude with Russia but now claims that colluding with the enemy for political purposes is okay, fine and legal, nothing wrong with doing it and besides, Junior is a good boy and didn't know it was illegal and other people do it too.
25
I am confused - is this an official admission or just Trump's meaningless "opinion"? Will SHS soon stand at the podium and tell us this isn't an admission of anything?
I think it also is worth considering - if he is willing to admit all this stuff (admittedly after lying) then what exactly is it that he is hiding? If this is all he expected Mueller to find then it seems clear he would be happy for the investigation to go ahead. Just how compromised is he?
11
I believe it was The NY Times that first used the word "dirt" in regard to the supposed evidence the Russians allegedly had on Mrs. Clinton. It should stop using it because it convinces many people that in fact there is something else there when there is not. It never uses the term in regard to the mounting evidence of Trump's criminality.
6
Why doesn't Trump just move to Russia. Surely they would give him a fabulous job and great return on real estate - and he would be among people who love him, living the rest of his life being worshiped.
22
Plus, they can hook him up with his next wife!
2
@I Vote
Democrat Presidential Candidate Bernie Sanders, who fully supported Clinton after she sabotaged his fair chance, might proudly respond... Been there done that!
1
The only thing that would shock me at this point would be if Trump pointed to Don Jr and said, ‘He did it! He lied!’
On second thought, it wouldn’t shock me at all.
20
If President Trumps keeps tweeting as he is, Mr. Mueller will not even need to ask him any questions. But imagine the ratings of a primetime interview of Trump by Mueller--those would be numbers that the former star of The Apprentice could not pass up.
9
What is collusion if not this?
7
So, if the Russians didn't have any new "dirt" and none has surfaced two years later, maybe all the chanting "lock her up" is just fake anger and fake hate, based on nothing? Or perhaps thousands of people are deeply upset by the improper use of an email server, whatever that is.
So, sure, get out and vote. But folks expecting the president to lift a finger to prevent Russia from helping him maximize his power are delusional. If things go as planned, expect the president to get somewhere between 99% and 110% of the vote in 2020.
7
Business as usual for Trump. Who cares about law against campaigns receiving foreign help? Trump has played fast and loose with the law for so long that he doesn't recognize any power it may have over his actions. That is the threat to the rule of law posed by Trump.
5
Trump has just admitted that his son, son-in-law, and campaign chief conspired with the Russians in hopes of helping Trump get elected. His denial that he was in anyway involved is laugh out loud preposterous. While it is possible that Trump thinks this is normal political opposition research, the stonewalling and lies from the very beginning, make his excuses less credible. And, "ignorance of the law is no excuse". There's that.
14
This moment is a very dark chapter in the history of our country. Trump and Pence are not in office legitimately, and they are both deceivers.
By Trump’s own admission there is the now mounting evidence, of deceit corruption, and manipulation making it clear that there was and still is a conspiracy against the American People. Mike Pence too is implicated in the cover-up and deceptive spin. They are both the creatures under the influence of domestic and foreign agents “American and other Oligarchies” supported buy massive donations from big GOP donors Like the Murdoch family, the Mercer family, the Koch brothers, Sheldon Adelson.
Funds used in part to subordinate and supress the vote, used to pay for the manipulations of Cambridge Analytica under the guidance of Steve Bannon. There is continued foreign support from Russia through hacking, illicit funds, and massive on-going media assaults, and It seems Steve Brannon is still active and at liberty.
I would expect to see the election of 2016 nullified, and the collaborators in Congress impeached.
There needs to be a special election held without special interest or big donor money or influence. For example candidates might speak directly to the people on YouTube or other platforms.
Some day I expect one vote per person, without the antiquated electoral collage. You can see how the worms get in through the influence of big money, media, and Republican Gerrymandering, greed and immorality.
6
"Just win baby"
For Trump, this was his mantra. He did not put his country, or ours, first. He put his own ego, his own need to win, and to humiliate Barack Obama, first, second and third. He sold his sole for a few dollars, and our country was not even in his thoughts.
In order to keep myself focused on life and go on, i have to believe our institutions, and the Fourth Estate (the mighty Free Press) can prevail.
4
Donald: I thought you said 'collusion' isn't a crime.
Rudolf: By itself it's not, but collusion to interfere with an election is.
Donald: Oops. Now I've I've thrown my wonderful son under the bus-- I've sacrificed him to show my innocence. I hope that's enough for Mueller. At least I didn't sacrifice my beautiful, and very sexy, daughter. This is over now, right?
Rudolf: There may still be a few details to clean up.
Donald: I hate details.
Rudolf, aside: Yeah, especially those that land you in prison. I hope junior doesn't roll over on us...
11
My God! Did anyone ever really believe the adoption nonsense? Jay Sekolow and any Trump supporting fool should have known Donald Trump and Don Jr. would never ever give 5 seconds consideration to child adoption. Want further proof old man Trump knew about the meeting ahead of time? Two days before the meeting Trump announces he will be giving a major speech on Hillary Clinton next week, probably on Tuesday. No dirt delivered, no speech, no explanation.
11
It's funny how you can take normal human behavior and spin it into a crime. The power wielded by police and prosecutors is immense. We are seeing how that can be used as a political weapon.
We saw that with Hillary Clinton and her emails. She used a private email account, even on her own private server. Some confidential information leaked into the private account, but she scrupulously used a secure means of communication for everything sensitive. Still, she was investigated for supposed crimes, and may have lost the election because of that investigation.
We see that with Donald Trump and the Russians. He and his campaign had minimal contact with Russians. His son met with a Russian woman who promised information showing wrongdoing by Hillary Clinton's campaign. No information was provided at the meeting, and no evidence of any illegal activity by any American with any Russian has been found. Still, Donald Trump is being investigated for supposed crimes, and his presidency has been forever scarred.
Lavrenty Beria famously said, "show me the man and I will show you the crime". Any political opponent could be found guilty of something. (Beria too was found guilty of "treason" and shot.)
We are fast becoming that kind of country in our politics. Both political candidates in the 2016 campaign were under investigation by the FBI. And now we have articles like this, and inflammatory comments by the dozens, all about politics rather than crimes. Shameful.
4
@John Smithson It's your false equivalency post that's shameful.
3
@John Smithson
All about politics? Inflammatory? DJT calls Mexicans rapists -- not at all inflammatory. Lock her up is not inflammatory at all. Enemy of the people is not inflammatory. Birth certifcate etc. Come one.
A private server and private account, that is a crime. Guess what, no criminal activity was found, no one was indicted, not for this, not for Benghazi. Not for any trumped up thing.
Guess who uses a private email account? DJT? Guess who uses an insecure phone line? DJT? Guess how many people have been indicted in the witch hunt that is not a crime?
Lets see how many more go down because they are with DJT.
And guess what: the police, the FBI, the special prosecutors were normally not for Democrats.
Mueller is a republican. Comey was put in place by a republican first. But when you have drunk the cool aid there can be no conversation.
3
The members of the Trump Cult seem oblivious to one basic fact; this goes beyond who they tried to get info from, and gets into how that info was originally obtained. The info Trump sought was obtained by Russia illegally hacking and illegally stealing emails from the DNC server (and Donny also hoped Clinton's private server). Trump was negotiating to buy stolen goods. This is an illegal act, and there is ZERO equivalence with ANYTHING done by the Clinton campaign.
15
I loathe hearing DJT talk, but right now? Keep talking, man, keep on talking!
17
Total non sense. It is known that the Russian dirt was the Steele Dossier. The NYTs once again unfolds a tale that even if were true in not illegal. Even Mueller claims the Russians alleged activities had a material effect on the election. But of course this whole sorted story of NYTs ginned up treason by Trump is just an example of Freudian wish fulfillment.
2
That's not known at all, it's illegal to accept money or services from a foreign government and then it's illegal to lie to Congress about doing it, and Robert Mueller has said precisely zip about the elections.
He's preferred to let the 39 indictments speak, I guess.
4
Trump must have received advice that with Brett Kavanaugh, he’s got the SC votes for a determination that as long as foreign money flows through entities incorporated in the US with US citizens on their boards, the money is free speech entitled. That plus the opinion that a sitting President can’t be subpoenaed or indicted and can pardon himself, and it’s game over - Hail Caesar!
135
@Moxnix67 all of which is true except for the simple and obvious political remedy . . . win the House back in the midterms and apply the checks that the Republicans have been too cowardly and unpatriotic to apply.
@Moxnix67 And, your point is?
So what! Every campaign now does "opposition research" trying to "get dirt" on political opponents. What difference doe it make where the dirt comes from in the 'flat earth' integrated global "open borders" economy that media like the NY Times are brain washing and intimidating the public into accepting? At least that's the literary allusion and rhetoric of the NY Times, the democrats and assorted neo Marxist academics most of the time. They lauded Manning, Assange et al as courageous heroes in the main stream press as long as the "hacking" and leaking of top secret information played into the democrat and Left's narratives and embarrassed those evil "war monger" republicans. And Manning who committed high treason and should have been executed was actually pardoned by Obama after only serving 7 years and is also paid to write articles for this paper! So please NY Times with your convenient pacifist stable of journalists, editors, and columnists who have never spent a day in the military don't holier than thou pretend fake patriotism and accuse others of treason because they might want to hear dirt that someone who happened to be Russian offered.Again so what, and why aren't the NY Times and the rest of salivating for sensational scandal media equally curious about and outraged over the decades of high treason committed by our 1% and political class as they gave literally the "whole farm" to our self-declared enemy China in lopsided trade deals & intellectual property.
4
@winthrop staples
Your comment does not address Donald Trump's admission that he and many people related to his campaign have continually lied about the Trump Tower meeting. He has admitted lying -- this is a cause of great concern, especially because he has accused everyone who has questioned whether he was telling the truth of being liars themselves . Your accusations claiming that other people may have engaged in questionable behavior is not a defense for Trump's behavior: that is the defense of children in a schoolyard: "Well, he/she did it, so why can't I?" Two wrongs do not make a right.
1
@winthrop staples
Foreign governments don't waste time offering an American politician damaging information ('dirt') on an opposition candidate without wanting something in return.
5
It's just a suggest, but were I a Trumpist I'd stay way far away from the whole thing about chest-thumping "patriots," who've never spent a day in our country's uniform.
4
Does this mean that his years of lies evaporate, or what?
3
Anyone else think it's funny that Donald Trump is offering his opinion on what is or isn't legal?
15
I don’t know any Russians >meetings were innocent>no collisions> if collusion was attempted it was unsuccessful> we colluded but it’s not illegal. Can’t see where it goes next... probably “ collusion was illegal but we changed the law> we write the laws and in any case the elections have been suspended
8
@Mad Town Patriot
That's a funny distraction.
I can collude with my coworkers about where we go to lunch. That isn't illegal. Colluding with a foreign power to win the presidency is illegal because it's illegal to allow foreign powers into our elections. No donations from other countries to campaigns - not financial, nor information are allowed, period. What was done was illegal, no matter the word you use to describe it, nor how you try to act like it's 'merely' collusion. The purpose matters.
2
"President Trump said on Sunday that a Trump Tower meeting between top campaign aides and a Kremlin-connected lawyer was designed to “get information on an opponent”" beats thousands of screams of "NO COLLUSION!" every time.
17
I am not a Trump supporter and voted for HRC and do believe that HRC would have made a better much better President. However, please explain to me how Trump campaign seeking or soliciting opposition research (dirt) on Clinton from Russia is different from Democrats seeking help from Christopher Steele, a foreigner (Brit)???
13
@Yogesh Sharma The Steele dossier was originally funded through opposition research from other U.S. advocacy groups including Republican candidates. This is often overlooked.
138
Steele is a private citizen, not a hostile foreign government.
22
@Yogesh Sharma - How about when the dirt specifically being sought was originally obtained via illegal hacking and theft, and therefore soliciting it means that Trump was attempting to obtain stolen goods?
13
"While his lawyers — who believe that an interview would be a perjury trap — have argued against granting one . . . "
Why does the NYT continue to dignify this Trump talking point that his lawyers "believe" that speaking to investigators amounts to a "perjury trap"?
They certainly understand that intentional lying is required for a perjury charge, so their assertion that Trump might get "tricked" into perjuring himself should be challenged.
Admittedly, challenging every Trump lie/distortion would get distracting, but this one is too important to let slide.
17
@Neil Gundel
A perjury trap means that you've told lies - and you only are 'trapped' (a misnomer) into perjury if you lie under oath. Not really a trap.
This continues to be some murky story Trump and his Republican enablers continue to write to keep their corporate pocketbook lined. It is certain there is a large cadre of corrupt players. Cant this program be cancelled before all those fears become a way of life?
2
Saturday, Hope Hicks accompanied President Trump to the Ohio rally, boarding AF1 with a bulging black business attache. You may remember that Hope Hicks was with the President on Air Force 1 when he dictated the letter to his son about the purpose of the June, 2016 meeting.
Sunday, Mr. Trump and his lawyer Jay Sekulow admitted that the purpose of the meeting was to get information on an opponent.
Coincidence? No. I think Hope Hicks told the President what she did testify or what she was going to testify. On Sunday, the Trump team then scrambled to align its statements with her testimony.
18
Shouldn't the "Dealmaker" have struck a plea deal before admitting to collusion and then obstructing the path to it? Sorry QAnon, he really is just a blowhard and liar, and that step ahead of the law which he's maintained throughout his life just got very small. And no Rudy, he doesn't hold a "Get Out of Jail Free" card.
13
Trump is so convinced of his own brilliance and what he hopes is his invincibility that he will at some point simply bellow out his confession to being a traitor. Probably at one of his constant Aren't-I-Wonderful rallies. And he'll happily throw everyone else under the bus. He's already tossed Jr., his "wonderful son," under the bus. Next will be his mannequin son-in-law, Jared the Wonder Boy. Trump can't control his mouth, what passes for his brain doesn't seem to function on most levels, and he only cares about himself. The Republicans don't seem to care that Russia is running our nation at the moment and they all have to be voted out in November. I don't want a blue wave or even a blue tsunami...I want a full-out, Noah-like Blue Flood!
17
The truth hiding in plain sight. Not by coincidence, the very first question posed to Donald Trump at the beginning of his run for the presidency was by that Russian girl spy/mole. She asked Trump if he became POTUS, would he lower sanctions put on Russia? ( Weren't those sanction imposed by the Obama administration in response to Russia annexing of Crimea)??? Trump enthusiastically told that woman, and crowd of people, made it known, yes he would remove sanctions.
Porportedly the meeting at Trump tower was about American's again being allowed to adopt Russian orphans? Oh the ironies...
Yes it was about orphans, sort of...adoptions were stopped by Putin in response to the sanctions imposed by America for annexing Crimea. I'm betting that Trump Tower get together with Russians, was a meeting about removing sanctions in EXCHANGE for coordinating how to use wikileaks stolen emails and manipulating social media in Donald Trumps favor.
13
@Sa Ha
Of course it was, it was exactly one of his "deals". Duh!
This tweet is final proof that our president is completely amoral; without a single redeeming quality. Trump has lowered the bar so many times - mocking the handicapped, relentless bullying, the endless lies, ginning up racism, vilifying all who oppose him; even ordering the separation of children from their parents at the border. Trump throwing his own son under the bus to deflect blame is surely a new low, but no one can say this is where he finally hits bottom. The man's capacity for evil seems endless.
33
@BassGuyGG: Really ? And the Russian Dossier smear was proof that the Democrats aren't also ? The Sore Loser Democrats' continual attempts to play " Look, there's another squirrel " to deflect from their dirty tricks and sleazy actions is getting might old....even though the MSM is still pushing this junk. ( wife )
Relative to this article:
Isn't it ironic that there are paragraphs describing a lie and efforts by the Republican's to get dirt on Hillary but not one word about the Democrats generating a false report with dozens of lies on Trump which was then used by a proven biased FBI, who knew the material was false, to launch their investigation?
Isn't it ironic that telling lies and getting dirt was far more prevalent by the Hillary campaign than Trump's but is not mentioned.
Isn't it ironic that not one word is mentioned about Bill funneling money to Yeltsin's campaign through a third country in his election over Putin's candidate which is why Putin hates the Clintons.
The greatest irony of all is that the US has monitored and interfered in more foreign country elections around the world than any other country on earth!
Before this is over, the Democrats will rue the day they ever brought it up. Just wait until November.
5
Isn't it ironic that the so called false report was commissioned by Republicans trying to stop a Trump in the primaries.
6
@Gene
Your comment does not address Donald Trump's admission that he and many people related to his campaign have continually lied about the Trump Tower meeting. He has admitted lying -- this is a cause of great concern, especially because he has accused everyone who has questioned whether he was telling the truth of being liars themselves . Your accusations claiming that other people may have engaged in questionable behavior is not a defense for Trump's behavior: that is the defense of children in a schoolyard: "Well, he/she did it, so why can't I?" Two wrongs do not make a right.
3
No, it’s not about the Republican Party trying to get dirt on Ms. Clinton. It’s about a foreign government setting up a meeting with the Trump campaign to help them win, and they accepted.
3
Legal? Yeah, sorry, but receiving stolen merchandise is anything but legal, and receiving it from a foreign adversary is tantamount to treason. Even if you'd "love it."
13
So, why did the liar lie about the lie which was a lie to begin with. Liar.
6
Neither foreign money nor foreign workers can be involved in U.S. elections, period. It is just as illegal as foreign and domestic sources of emoluments to the president, such as his (or his businesses') roles as both the landlord and the tenant paying to rent federal land--the Old P.O. site on which Trump built his D.C. hotel. Business is booming there as more and more foreign business people, diplomats, bankers, and military and state leaders ignore other venues to stay and spend there and please the U.S. Administration.
7
Trump LIES constantly... how people can look at this man with admiration and think he is making America great again is beyond me. Even a 10 year old boy scout knows that lying is wrong.
11
Let's not forget that the Congressional Republican majority has remained silent throughout each episode of lies, and never once have they condemned the corruption, greed, vast ignorance and stupidity of Donald Trump and his administration.
For them it's party before country, well-being of citizens, and the Constitution.
Vote November 6th.
21
the starkest acknowledgment yet that a statement he dictated last year about the encounter was misleading.
----------
Does it matter and does anyone care that he dictated a 'misleading' statement for the consumption of the Times in particular and Liberals in general?
Waste of expensive Canadian newsprint of precious pixels.
4
@PiSonny - Yes it matters if he lies to the press (and the country) about illegal activity.
3
This is a conspiracy. Hit Trump and his family, and the SCOTUS thief McConnell , with RICO suits.
Appropriate everything they have. I believe in a strong Justice Department.
(to that end, target Russian-meeting Attorney General Sessions with RICO as well).
14
His lying will eventually do him in. trump is so corrupt, honest people can't sleep at night.
20
"It is illegal for a campaign to accept help from a foreign individual or government." Has anyone told the very stable genius's lawyer, Jay Seculow, that? Just saw a tv clip of him on GMA telling George Stephanopoulos that what Trump and his dimwit son did wasn't illegal. Now, I don't need to be a Rhodes Scholar or lawyer to figure out that what Seculow said was a blatant lie But I guess that's the Trump team for you - a bunch of lying liars.
12
Trump is clearly displaying his panic. To admit, finally, to an attempt to collude with a foreign adversary is a crime. He is too dumb to even know the law. For the sake of the world, and our democracy, we must remove this unstable person from office.
20
Mr. Sekulow: Conspiracy becomes Treason when a foreign enemy, (Russia) and the Trump team conspire together.
17
So how is this news?
President Trump declared the same thing in July, of 2017. NYT is ridiculous
2
When will America's Favorite Ruler,
Get his just desserts from Mueller?
I was just praying in the Hymnal,
That he gets some charges criminal,
And spends a few years in the cooler.
9
My gosh!! He just threw his own son under the bus, and of course, implicated himself AGAIN!! Holy Smokes, why can't his lawyers just get him to shut up...If he keeps going, they may just arrest him at the White House one of these days.
11
Getting dirt on Clinton was not that hard!
3
If getting “dirt” on Clinton is not that hard then why did Trump and company go to the extraordinary lengths of meeting with foreign adversaries to get the dirt?
4
@Nreb Actually, apparently it was, because there really wasn't any real 'dirt', was there? Same nonsense they've been torturing her with for 30 years.
5
"President Trump admits he "dictated" a lie for Don Jr's meeting with Russian Ops at Trump Tower"
There. I fixed your headline.
19
When Manafort squeals about Russian money laundering and fingers Trump the tweet would then be:
“So I laundered Putin’s ill gotten wealth. So what, it is totally OK!”
Who needs forensic accounting when there is Twitter?
Trump, who could have been running his criminal enterprise without the FBI’s magnifying glass trained on him just could not stop his racist impulses of erasing Obama’s legacy. And now look at the pickle he’s in.
Who will he throw under the bus next? Ivanka? Melania? Baron?
8
Got the point of the article on another "dirt" on the president, who is utterly unfit for the office. But really, does it matter any more? Even if another damning - or even the most criminal - evidence about him surfaced, would that even make any difference - to otherwise convince our Republican leaders and compatriots to reject Trump? As Trump famously bragged that he can shoot someone and not lose one voter, another "dirt" will not have any effect. He will not go away until we vote him and his enablers out.
I enjoy reading these reader comments about his unfitness for the office, his tax returns, our completely spineless Congressional leadership, or our fellow Trumpian republicans. This collective venting keeps me sane. But above all, we just need to go out and vote in November and 2020.
14
It bring a laugh to me when Sekulow says “Let’s be honest to the American people. . . “. Yes, let’s!!! This call for honesty as his client has just changed his ever mutating alternative truth yet again! Trump and his lawyers and administration self-unaware idiots at best, and willful liars and hypocrites at worst or maybe some of each. Take your pick, the result is still the same.
6
Seems the night crew missed it:
Not sure why Trump's son needed to go to the Russians for Clinton dirt. Plenty here beginning with Bill's rape charges to her Foundation extortion as Obama's Secretary of State and Bill's tarmac meeting with Lynch and Comey linking up with the DNC Politburo on "the matter".
2
Your comment does not address Donald Trump's admission that he and many people related to his campaign have continually lied about the Trump Tower meeting. He has admitted lying -- this is a cause of great concern, especially because he has accused everyone who has questioned whether he was telling the truth of being liars themselves . Your accusations claiming that other people may have engaged in questionable behavior is not a defense for Trump's behavior: that is the defense of children in a schoolyard: "Well, he/she did it, so why can't I?" Two wrongs do not make a right.@Alice's Restaurant
3
maybe because all of those have no merit and are mere right-wing conspiracy theories, you think? But I see you don't.
3
@Alice's Restaurant
Comments like yours make me really fear for this nation due to forty percent of it's inhabitants penchant for conspiracy theories and real 'fake news'. Please, for the good of the country, pull yourself away from the propaganda dished out by Fox and Breitbart....return to the land of the fact-based sane population, it's not too late.
3
Mr. Mueller's inquiry is "riddled" with Trump's lies and corruption, and the lies keep piling up and morphing into new and revealing shapes. Trump is a disgrace and a fool--thank goodness for the latter characteristic. He's the biggest, ugliest, cruelest idiot I've even seen. Enough.
12
Dear Don, Jr,
Your dad just threw you under the bus.
Yours truly,
A concerned citizen of the world.
11
But some legal experts contend that by simply sitting for the meeting, Donald Trump Jr. broke the law.
--------------------------------
SOME, huh? Who are those "some" legal "experts"? Liberal wishful thinkers.
if anyone actively colluded with foreigners and actively paid for dirt on Trump from Russians through Steele, it was HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON. And she is walking a free woman in Chappaqua woods.
If Trump is such a liar, what makes you so cocksure he is speaking the truth this time?
1
As always with Trump supporters, you make 'adjustments' to the facts to suit your perspective. The Clinton campaign paid for the continuation of the work of Steele, a former member of the British spy service (you remember Great Britain, right? They were our allies before Trump was inaugurated) who had been stationed in Russia, finding information on Trump's association with the Russians. That is not the same thing as meeting with representatives of the Russian Government to seek dirt on your opponent. One is attempting to influence an election outcome with the assistance of a hostile foreign government and the other is not.
But, I wouldn't expect a Trump supporter to either see or acknowledge the significant difference between the two, especially since Trump is so cozy with that hostile foreign government.
2
I think Trump just forgot about his earlier statements. More proof that he is in the early stages of dementia.
6
Wanna bet only D Junior is ultimately punished for this? Trump outdoes Reagan as the Teflon president. But all in his orbit ....
3
It is shocking to read and conclude that it is our own well known people who have reached to Russians for election intrusions. Why blame outsiders when our own house needs some fixing.Congress should act in this direction to install heavy penalties for contacting foreign elements to spill dirt on our own political candidates and have meetings on our own land.
5
If your candidate crooked Hillary had won the election, this Russia thing will never ever aired ...
@Amir Girgis
If the Hillary were the president, Trump would have been convicted as a private citizen, and would be sitting in jail by this time. Remember, FBI started the Russia investigation well before the elections in 2015-2016, and it was already aired. Please check the NSA intelligence warnings, and President Obama's sanctions on Russia.
The Russia investigation was well underway long before the election so it would have been pursued and made public regardless of who became president.
2
Back in the day, on my first visit to US, when the airline agent asked me politely if I packed the bags myself or if I’m carrying anything for a 3rd party etc., I was surprised at that question, and used to be proud of the “power of my words” that the agent had trust in me.
I learned a lot about the US government, the politics of the governance and its intricacies during Clinton Whitewater investigation. Irrespective of the merits and politics of such an investigation, I used to look up and say proudly to my dad on how the US democracy functions, the expected probity of the office of the presidency, and how the republicans upheld the rule of law and impeached a sitting president for mere lying regarding a private matter. I also read a lot on Nixon’s impeachment and how the republicans thought about the country first. I’m still proud that Rosenstein/Muller team are the last strand of republican patriots trying their best to uphold the rule of law against the odds. However, lying, conflicts of interests, immoral, unconscionable inanities became the norm and a mundane thing to this presidency - my old dad is asking me if/how we have lost that power, and if I still believe in the trust and “power of words” of an ordinary individual. Sad!
8
To republican congressional members and conservative media who have no or tepid responses to this latest admission, what will be the tipping point for you?
21
Have any investigators found the location of the numbers for those two calls from the meeting to a blocked number? That may help clarify who was involved in the meetings. Does anyone know the content of those calls?
8
Need any more evidence to prove Don's involvement and treachery in Russian collusion and obstruction of justice? If yes, then we deserve this President who is making way for the Russian tyrant, Putin to take over. Wonderful, to be and live like a Russian!!
13
With this blatant admission of guilt, where are the calls from Senate and Houses leaders for the President to resign? Or does this president have a free pass to conspire with hostile foreign countries, and to obstruct justice wholesale into the investigation of it? It is now clear that America is no longer the land of the free or, as far as Congress goes, the home of the brave.
29
@Patrick, the pathetic US Congress cowers in fear of the bizarre domestic unregulated militia it armed with assault weapons.
8
Does the American Department of Justice have power over a corrupt Trump Administration, or does America have a different Justice Department for wealthy Republicans, who fail to pay their taxes?
18
So...are we there yet?
How is this so different from the Venezuela of Nicolas Maduro, the Gabon of the Bongos, or the Turkey of Recep Tayyip Erdogan? Is it merely a matter of time? I do not know - but the speed of the American progress along that road is breathtaking. The corruption of political ethics, the rise of a venal, greedy and incompetent leadership, the increasingly heated threats to the press and the opposition, attacks on legal proceedings, the sycophantic court circle, the manipulation of the country's highest courts in support of partisan gain, the cultish glorification of a palpably erratic political leader, the silenced populace...it is all there, folks.
Trump's value will be that he has flayed away the thin skin of American moral leadership and revealed the mess behind the Potemkin village of 'checks and balances', etc., etc. That is a good thing if it encourages more people to greater reflection and independent thinking (although only in the much longer term, of course).
12
Wait. You mean Donald was caught in yet another lie? But since it was totally legal, it wasn't wrong. But he lied about it anyway, because that is his pattern.
Got it.
so... did everyone else who lied lie independently, or did they unlawfully conspire to misrepresent the facts?
10
Why does the Times use the term 'misleading' and the phrase 'had not been forthright' to describe Donald Trump's lies and deliberate deceptions ?
The number of Trump's lies counted by the Times and elsewhere number in the high three thousands.
Unless the Times is protecting itself from legal action then it ought to use the term that best describe what Trump so often says as 'lies.'
12
@N. Eichler
NYT could also use "false." Perhaps warm up to the with a few weeks of "not true."
Yes, of course it happened but I didn't know about it at the time. I have never denied it actually happened. I just didn't recall that it happened.
My son was there too but only wanted to talk about adopting little cute Russian children, not get dirt on crooked Hillary.
Everyone running for US President talks to Russian operatives in the US about their political opponents. This is well known. I think it's even a fact.
There never was any collusion with foreign nationals, especially Russian nationals, before the election. But if there was, and there could have been, it's not illegal. Everyone does it.
How's that sound Rudy?
Great Donnie, great.
Now let's move on to the next question. I'm really getting into this.
You sure are Mr. President - getting into it that is.
7
I find it incredible that out of 340M Americans,that the party process gave us the two worst candidates. Character counts.
5
@Reasoned44
One of the candidates was the worst ever. The other candidate was a qualified woman. Can you tell the difference?
12
@Robert Trump is a woman?!
It goes without saying that the woman was the worst candidate ever. She lost to a buffoon due to her own arrogance. The Democratic loss was aided and abetted by the DNC that failed to encourage or support other qualified and more popular candidates for the primaries. Nobody gets to be president because it's their turn. That is particularly true of one loaded with the Clinton baggage.
With an admitted criminal in the White House someone must act.
If partisan politicians are unable to fulfill their responsibilities then it is time to form a people’s militia as provided for in the 2nd Amendment to restore legality to the executive branch.
6
@Al\
Oh, stop, please. A "militia" with guns and rifles can only wreak havoc and cause deaths. The problem has to be solved at the ballot box, because Congress won't do the job. Americans must, must take this inaction into account when they vote next when any seat occupied by a current Republican incumbent comes up.
2
Loved this quote from Mr. Sekulow. "Let’s be honest with the American people..." That would be a first.
25
Legally or not, a meeting of a representative of US presidential candidate with a representative of a foreign power to obtain "dirt" about his adversary is shameful, and a a disgrace.
Years ago that act would have been considered treason, but today a large segment of the voters considered it normal.
For them morality and patriotism are things of the past, and the end justifies the means.
It's very sad that many Americans can think that way.
14
If your reporters have evidence that, during the meeting, information inimical to Hillary was actually handed over to Trump campaign and was used, then get back to us.
Until then, it is all digital-subscriber-pleasing non-news, if not fake news.
1
So if I attempt to rob a bank but fail to take any money, it’s not a crime?
11
@PiSonny News is true or it’s false. “Non-news “ would be non - existent. All your spinning seems to have made you dizzy.
11
One could argue the same for Trump's ridiculous claims, obstruction, and slander of those who expose his lies.
4
A few copy edits you guys missed: "While his lawyers — who believe that an interview would be a perjury trap — have argued against granting one, Mr. Trump SAYS HE wants to answer questions ... Mr. Mueller’s investigators have told Mr. Trump’s lawyers that they want to ask him what he knew about the Trump Tower meeting at the time. The president SAYS HE believes that by answering the investigators’ questions, he can explain to Mr. Mueller that he and his campaign did nothing wrong ..."
2
There are considerably more than 17 Angry Democrats.
Remember in November: a vote for any Trump Republican is a vote for Putin.
16
Trump admitted crimes; GOP will do nothing. Trump is completely out of control;Trump could start a war to distract; GOP would do nothing.Trump and GOP are now twins; vote Republican and you vote for Trump's hate ;racism and economic instability.Every Republican votes the Trump agenda; no matter how fiscally irresponsible or against American values. Vote Republican and they will take away your health care. Vote Republican and they will give more money to the rich and businesses.Vote Republican and more low wage jobs will be created. Vote Republican and wages will remain stagnant. Vote Republican and consumer goods prices will continue to increase. Vote. Ray Sipe
12
Clearly, the web of lies around Trump is now becoming a net from which he can't escape. I just saw a news item that Hope Hicks was seen boarding Air Force One. What are the odds that she is wearing a wire? Hicks was likely privy to the information that Trump knew about the meeting in the Tower with the Russians. She may either have flipped already to avoid legal jeopardy or perhaps Don the Con is trying to persuade her not to. Lordy, I hope there are tapes.
15
It would be foolish to conclude that this was the only meeting between the Trump campaign and Russians. This is the only one we heard about.
Look, everyone with half a brain knows this happened and there was complete collusion. But there are still lots of voters who will never believe it no matter how compelling the evidence, or simply don’t care. That’s the sad part.
10
So where are our Congressional "leaders", Ryan and McConnell, as they read Trump's admission, in writing, that he not only lied but that high ranking members of Trump's campaign did in fact conspire with a foreign adversary to affect a national election?
But not even peep from McConnell or Ryan who are constitutionally charged to exercise "Checks and Balances" action against a President who admits his son (and more) committed a criminal act.
McConnell and Ryan's continued refusal to stop this POTUS only emboldens Trump to behave more outrageously each day.
But make no mistake, the vast majority of America is sick of this treasonous POTUS and his constant assaults on our national security, our institutions, healthcare, our environment, our free press and our allies.
McConnell and Ryan and their GOP comrades will witness the results of their cowardly silence in November.
15
I wish the media would explain to me how this is any different than Hillary Clinton and the DNC paying money to Russian sources (filtered through their common law firm and a retired foreign agent) to compile and publish the dossier with anti-Trump information? I simply don't see a material difference, although Clinton and DNC got something and paid for it.
Can someone/anyone explain the difference?
1
@Titian Can YOU specify exactly what you're talking about? YOU don't see a difference. Ok, well please try harder.
1
@Titian - I wish people would actually read the news before commenting on it or asking foolish questions.
1
They are just trying to keep the lie out there that the Clinton campaign did the same thing that the Trump campaign did. Repeat it every chance they get.
As Mueller's quiet by deadly investigation moves forward, Trump realizes that his blithering and tweeting can't prevent the truth from coming out. Mueller simply followed the standard procedure: Designate the suspected perp, then find all his confederates and cohorts, nail them and get the real dirt out.
Trump knows it's all there and now, figures he can just say that even though it's true it's not really illegal and no big deal,
No collusion, no collusion, never was any collusion, but even if there was, ok there was collusion but it's not illegal,
Please Trump supporters, please realize why this is important to the very foundation and legitimacy of the presidency and why you need to tell Trump that.
The ghosts of Richard Nixon always were floating around Donald from day one after all.
10
Wait, the Trump Tower meeting was "not" about adoption!
Well Gollleeee !
Of course, Trump also knew nothing of the porn star 130k pay-off either - well - at least we heard him on the Cohen tape.
It's just a matter of time until we have iron-clad evidence that Trump was well aware of the meeting and what it pertained to IN ADVANCE of the meeting.
And so what, whatever the truthful media presents will be swiftly declared "fake news" by the president and 100% of his followers will believe him.
Among any conscience person who follows any of the legitimate news sources, it's no secret that we all know what the Tower Meeting was really about and who really knew about it ahead of time.
Is there any doubt, if the Democrats are successful on taking over the House and Senate, that the Trumpians will NOT go quietly into the night.
We must act now and prevent a Trump-Loyalist-Supreme Court confirmation.
11
I heard last night that some Republicans now attend Trump rallies wearing t-shirts that read, "I'd rather be a Russian than a Democrat." So much for Trump's brand of patriotism, so much for the new party of Lincoln and Reagan.
32
@Thorn, People of no character have no character judgment.
3
@Thorn
Too funny I want one of those t-shirts!
So, after all that lying, now we get a statement that proposes that they engaged a foreign government to help in the election campaign against Clinton. In other words, interfering in an American election, or CHEATING. Sounds like just one instance of treason, to me. Of course, there are others.
9
From paragraph #7: “It is illegal for a campaign to accept help from a foreign individual or government.”
From the NYTimes Oct. 24, 2017: “Clinton Campaign and Democratic Party Helped Pay for Russia Trump Dossier”
“Fusion GPS hired Christopher Steele, a respected former British spy with extensive experience in Russia”
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/24/us/politics/clinton-dnc-russia-dossie...
It would appear both campaigns engaged with “foreign” individuals in the quest for “dirt” on their opponent.
The big difference is the Clinton campaign PAID the “foreign” individual for the "dirt" obtained on Trump.
2
They didn't pay a foreign individual. They paid a company who had hired that individual, which is not a crime.
@Bashh1
So you would be okay if Trump had hired and PAID a "company" to meet with Natalia Veselnitskaya?
I highly doubt that you would be okay with that......in fact you would be screaming treason.
Giuliani and his practice of automatically denying that anything has done is illegal, seem to have resonated with Trump - Trump is now denying that anything he's done is illegal. I don't know which one is shooting Trump & family in the foot the most, but they both seem to be emptying their clips rapid-fire. (The Second-Amendment crowd should like that analogy.)
Virtually every aspect of that meeting has now been denied by team Trump and Trump himself, then admitted by them, all in writing. They sure are making things easy for Mueller. I wonder what's taking him so long?
12
Republicans in Congress must now acknowledge that the person who claims to be the president of the United States appears to have been actively engaged in criminal activity and in a coverup of that activity. It’s over: he must be impeached, tried, and, if convicte, removed from office. His remaining in office is a stain on our democracy.
28
@JHC Wynnewood PA, one wonders how many of these fools have taken up offers of poisoned Trump freebies that compromised themselves.
5
@JHC Wynnewood PA
What criminal activity, attempting to get dirt on a political opponent? Isn't that what the Steele dossier was all about? I guess it is illegal for Trump but legal for Hillary?
@jaco
Hillary didn't hire Steele: Fusion GPS did, and they were hired by Jeb. Fusion contacted Hillary when Jeb no longer wanted the info.
If what Trump says is true, his son broke the law. And if Trump was involved, he broke the law too. Where is congress? Are they all corrupt and involved?
15
"It is illegal for a campaign to accept help from a foreign individual or government": I'm not trying to defend Donald Trump here ( I can't stand him), but I'm having a hard time understanding why meeting with a Russian lawyer to get dirt on your opponent would be illegal, but hiring a British ex-spy to speak to Russians who have dirt on your opponent would not be. That's apparently what both the Clinton campaign and the Jeb Bush campaign did. Is the reason why that was not illegal because the campaigns didn't do it directly? Is it because they hired a US company to dig up dirt on Trump, and then that company hired the British ex-spy? In the age of Citizen's United and corporate rights, maybe that made the difference, but I would like to see this explained. It seems like a kind of glaring inconsistency in the case against Trump that keeps getting ignored in these articles.
8
@E. Vincent This is a good question-I am sure a lawyer will explain the details soon.
But one case would not cancel out the other.
2
@E. Vincent, Steele was hired to poll his own private confidential string of informants. He was not representing any government to either the Bush or Clinton campaigns.
10
@E. Vincent
I think you’ve answered your own question.
Even if it is not illigal, it is certainly highly immoral. To rely on an enemy to provide compromising info on the opponent in order to win - what a horrible admission. Trump compaign knew thew wouldn't be able to win without playing "dirt" games. This says it all about Mr. Trump and his team.
7
@ves It is just pain stupid to deal with people who produce fake information. It is likely to be a set-up.
My understanding is that (at a minimum), when Don Jr (not to mention others -- e.g. Jarrod, Manafort) took a meeting with the Russians he violated Federal Election Laws. Under the theory that the intent to conspire is in an of itself an act of conspiracy, it seems clear that he "colluded" with the Russians. Even if nothing was delivered, the act of meeting with a foreign entity "to see what they've got" is, in effect, a solicitation.
It would seem that Don senior has now provided the evidence to convict Jr in a trial -- perhaps it could be a "Balloon Trial" (as opposed to a "Trial Balloon"). It would either cause the case to succeed or blow up --- or 45 to totally "pop" .... and more likely both!
Trump's tweet also appears to confirm that Jr perjured himself before Congress. So, that's another chance for Jr to be tried -- if the Dems win the House back in the mid terms.
Interesting times a-comin' .... Maybe Cohen, Manafort and Don Jr could share a cell together.... and "keep the light on" for DJT (and then, the four of them could then play "Liars' Poker" to their hearts content!)
4
Meanwhile ...have you noticed Trump's approval rating is nearly 50%? and still climbing ...?
2
@Sigmund1- Classic whataboutery. How about "What about the President of the United States is in breach of the laws of the United States"?
6
Digging up dirt about your political opponent is nothing new. However what makes this despicable is trying to get it from a hostile foreign power, encouraging them at a campaign rally to do more digging, then lying about it all and attacking anyone who was telling the truth about it as 'witch hunters' and people pushing 'fake news'.
4
Trump admitted to Lester Holt he fired Comey to stop the Russian investigation.
Trump, with Putin standing next o him at the "summit", looked into to the camera and said "I...we beat Hillary Clinton".
Putin said in answer to a reporter's question that he didn't like Hillary and ordered his officials to help Trump win the election.
Trump after lying for months, admits the Russian meeting at Trump Tower did place in order for his campaign to get dirt on Hillary Clinton(clearly not about Russian orphans).
Trump has insisted there is no collision and now saying it's all legal.
Why are we still talking about Trump when he should be in jail?
12
@Bruce Savin, James Comey won the election for Trump, whatever his ludicrous claims to a "higher calling" might be.
4
The Russia-Russia-Russia news isn't going to help. The evangelical, NRA-worshipping right doesn't care - they've been cultivated by Russia to believe that Russia is on THEIR side against the liberals who want their AR-15s.
Yes, work on impeaching Trump for colluding with an enemy of state through the courts, behind the scenes. But Democrats need to demonstrate publicly to the more reasonable segment of Trump's base - the voters desperate for middle-class jobs - that we believe in building job training and employment opportunities that raise people up from low income, with a higher living wage beyond Trump's 7 cents an hour/trillion dollar deficit increase! Where is today's Frances Perkins -FDR's Secretary of Labor, first woman to serve as a cabinet secretary, and principal architect of the New Deal?
Let's combat Trump by DOING, not just by protesting. Democratic leadership needs to architect their plan - including the companies, university/trade school partnerships, new energy opportunities, and roads, tunnels and bridges revamping that will rebuild our middle class.
And to every party leader quoted in Joe Biden article yesterday - insulting his chances for a win-shut it. You're doing Trump's work for him.
9
thought the president last year (1st year of the investigation) said that it had been going on long enough and was dragging on and know facts are coming out quickly? it's interesting though as the twisting this administration and all politically connected to it have to do also highlights the corruption, lying and maneuvering most politicians do all the time.
As long as those that make the laws are expected to follow laws we will have major issues and people will suffer for it. "I am da laww"
"It is illegal for a campaign to accept help from a foreign individual or government." The law doesn't say anything about "getting" any help, just accepting. Despite team trump's earlier lies about what the meeting was about (orphans), the fact is that trump and minions accepted help from foreign individuals linked to a foreign government. In a sane society, that would be enough to indict. But this society and its political apparatus are incapable of carrying out justice equally. And so, justice is never really carried out fairly in general. Nor was it created to from the beginning.
5
When are the diehards advising the president going to understand that the game is up. They can’t play semantics with collusion any longer. In less than two years since Trump got elected, they’ve done a complete 180, going from no contacts with Russians to suggesting that collusion is not a crime. Even if we were to grant them that preposterous claim, coverup of collusion with a foreign adversary is one doozy of a crime.
Trump’s enablers might as well throw in the towel right now because it only gets worse as Mueller reveals the answer to that classic Watergate-style question, “What did candidate Trump know and when did he know it?” Russia, if you’re listening, you already know the answer to that question – this is why Trump has been so beholden to you, but not for much longer. To paraphrase his friend, Roger Stone, “it will soon be Trump’s time in the barrel” and we will be a free country once again!
13
Maybe it's no change at all for PT base - they knew the actual facts as soon as every one else and also knew he knew and were/are unconcerned about the knowingly false positions he has taken over time on this matter - but I want to think that this methodology of black turning to white sometimes turning back to black again, is wearying to more than a nominal portion of them, with the result that there'd be some agitation for dropping it. A detail maybe, and the world seems to have made its peace with accommodating this PT version of the Emperor's Clothes, but jettisoning it seems like a step in the right direction, wherever we may wind up.
2
So much for the FORMER issue of the GOP candidate's intent to accept items of political value from a foreign country. Undoubtedly more to come on agreement and conspiracy.
5
Commenter Chantal James has it right. If Mueller shows evidence -- as Nixon's prosecutors did -- Trump could and should be removed. But if all we have are speculations, which is all we have now, Trump won't be removed and shouldn't be.
Many people have compared this to Watergate, but it's gone on much longer. It's easy to forget, but Watergate was over by now. The break-in happened in late June 1972 and Nixon resigned in August 1974.
1
And deafening silence from Ryan, McConnell and the GOP leadership. Remarkable.
18
We have known what transpired at the Trump Tower meeting since September 2017 when Donald Trump Jr. testified under oath that he attended the meeting in the expectation that Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya would present documents incriminating Hillary Clinton. All the other participants—including Veselnitskaya—have testified under oath. No one has been indicted in connection with the meeting because accepting incriminating or disparaging information about a political rival from a foreign national is not illegal. As it turned out, Veselnitskaya had no incriminating information on Clinton to offer, but that doesn’t matter.
3
@William Case
The question then is: why did Trump and his lawyers lied about it?
If you are not worried about your president meeting with foreign national for dirt on their opponents are you not worried about having a president that lie for no reason at all?
4
@P
Actually, Trump told the truth when he said the Trump Tower meeting was mostly about the Magnitsky Act, but he did not reveal that Trump Jr. attended in hopes Natalia Veselnitskaya would present documents incriminating Clinton. The reason for the concealment was to avoid adverse publicity, not criminal prosecution.
Trump admitted the Trump Tower meeting was to collect dirt on Clinton with a Russian lawyer/operative. This is confirmation that he KNEW about Russian meddling in the Presidential elections. He knew about it 'Prior' to the elections. Which means he used Russia, our greatest foe to manipulate and win the election. He knew it was illegal, a great threat to our country. Yet he sold our country and institutions to our enemy. If his actions as President denying Russian collusion, his support for a tyrant, his closed door meeting with Putin, his support asking the Justice Department to shut down the Mueller investigation - if this is not Obstruction of Justice and treason, then what is? By this admission, the Don has incriminated himself. The verdict is unequivocally GUILTY! For once Trump is right. The investigation can now be shut down. But there are still extremely sleazy, dangerous characters in this sordid drama who need to be nailed and put behind bars. Based on Mueller's treasure trove of evidence, the F.B.I., Homeland Security and C.I.A should take over and move swiftly before they escape to countries without extradition treaties with us - like Russia!
What to do next since this entire administration is illegimate including the Veep? Paul Ryan is next in line. This is situation is unprecedented. Yet there is hope. We Americans expect that the Senate, House and Supreme Court to do right by us. This is no time for partisanship. Patriotism comes before all else!
2
This ongoing soap opera should remind us why this "president" should not be nominating anyone for the empty SCOTUS seat.
Shine the light!
27
It is not convincing to accuse the press of fake news when their reporting is eventually confirmed by Trump. His loyal fans have to perform mental contortions to continue to believe in Trump. ♦️
14
What seems clear is that Trump considers his illegal activities with Russians as being no different than shooting an innocent person on 5th Avenue.
Now we’re going to watch the spectacle of republicans agreeing with him.
29
Solicitation of anything of value from a foreigner, who turns out to be Putin, by the campaign, is ILLEGAL.
9
@Douglas Lowenthal
Would that include BO going to Europe to accept
pledges of support from European leaders before the election?
Or does it only apply to Trump?
(don't worry I know the answer)
1
@Douglas Lowenthal Okay, so explain why no one seems to be concerned about Hillary Clinton (and the DNC) paying money to Russian intelligence sources (laundered through their common law firm), as well as a retired foreign agent, to obtain dirt on Donald Trump? I think both are reprehensible, but to accuse Trump without pointing out that it was illegal to so what Clinton did (actually pay for and receive dirt). It is critically important that the rules are crystal clear and imposed without partisan bias.
Ok. Let's recap here. Donald Trump Jr. Lies to the press about the purpose of the meeting and since he's the president's son the press is obligated to report it. Then the President lies to the press about the purpose of the meeting in a press release that the press is obligated to report because he is the president. Then both the lying president and his lying son attack the press that has reported their lies as being fake news. Ok I think I get it now.
14
“Say’n it don’t make it so.” The best defense is a good offense. Trump and his lawyers are convinced they can go on the attack against the media, the Democrats, the 400 pound guys on their couches and in so doing, the felonies which they are so obviously guilty of will be overlooked. With the spineless Republicans in charge of everything I’m afraid they are right. Americans who want to right this ship need to ensure the House is taken back by the Democrats this fall. It is the only way we are going to avoid becoming a Russian satellite country.
8
@Alden, They're on constant attack because what they do is indefensible.
2
It's time to; "Fight Fire with Fire" . . .
The media (the real media) is still far too kind to Trump, the corrupt GOP and last but not least - Trump supporters!
Actually, the most dangerous threat to our once great country are the supporters -
One day, Trump will be gone - "somehow" and the cult he unleashed will not go away, and they will want blood.
When the media uses metaphors like: "Trump keeps moving the goal-posts" - - they are basically castrating themselves.
Trump never talks like this - nor does any of the trolls or supporters -
Trumps supporters do things like threatening newscasters with rape and death ! . . and they get away with it.
It's time for the real news world to get tough - as tough - or better yet - tougher than Trump.
Time - and a temporal investigation of phone records - will show what we already know -
Trump had explicit knowledge of the "Meeting 16" -
Trump's reality now suggests that corroborating with Russia is all fair during an election to secure dirt -
IT IS NOT !
24
@Leonard D, The credulity of people who let Trump in on every top secret of the US without seeing his tax returns is suicide-worthy.
5
@Leonard D
I believe we are being groomed for violence. I fear what may come
5
In Trumpville everything is legal if you want it to be. But if the Democrats had done what he did his base would bel running around in white robes and lynching "Liberals."
9
trump is a political amateur without the slightest impulse/ability to educated himself regarding conduct/scope of responsibility of the office. Yet the major media normalizes his ignorance and hypocrisy on a daily basis as if just being president gives you a free pass to legitimacy by repeating his inanities. It doesn't. You have to wonder how intimidated the press is by him. Remember G.W. Bush & cohorts totally intimidated america into the Iraq war by pushing patriotism down our throats, with major media repeating his talking points seemingly afraid to lose their sponsors.
10
If it is illegal to get ' help ' from a foreign individual and government " what about the DNC / Christopher Steele's involvement with the Russian Dossier ? Also define ' help. ' Have a feeling this was more related to MONEY since that is what the government is interested in..and there is a large conflicting matter of an individual's freedom of speech involved . Heck Obama sent 10 Russian spies back to KGB Putin in 2010. ( wife )
4
@richard, Intelligence agencies have informants, because without them, they have no information to work with.
2
@richard - I believe the issue is that it is illegal for a political candidate to coordinate what it is doing with a foreign GOVERNMENT/representative - such as what the Trumps were doing.
Mr Steele did not represent a foreign government and as far as I know was NOT employed by the British government when REPBULICANs hired him to start work on his "dossier" ... HRC picked it up from there when the Republicans lost interest or had no use for(perhaps wanted to avoid) the information gathered. Perhaps now the Rs regret not destroying the information.
2
Now we have Jay Sekulow's "facts develop over time" to go with Kellyanne Conway's "alternative facts." How many times and ways have Trump and his administration lied about this meeting? That alone shows their consciousness of guilt.
This is a deeply dishonest, criminal administration desperate to deny that without the help from Russia that they abetted, this disaster of a President would never have been elected.
19
@David, James Comey fired the fatal shot at Hillary's campaign.
1
Trump and his
lawyer Jay Sekolow
now admit to lying.
Will Trump supporters
accept the "spin"? How
can anyone be comfortable
with liars? A person who lies
cannot be trusted. These
people are sloppy and
pathological liars,
led by a liar in chief,
Donald Trump.
Religious people
support Trump.
In their churches
and synagogues do
their clergy discuss
the Ten Commandments?
Bearing false witness
is a sin. In Proverbs it is
clearly stated that lying
is an abomination. The
entire Bible contains
prohibitions against lying.
Our legal system condemns
lying. If Trump takes an oath
in his testimony and lies,
he will face charges of perjury.
The biggest liar
is the image
staring back at Trump
from his mirror.
Everyone knows.
14
All tribes take a shot at installing a form of gangsterism in america. The stuff movies are made of. Time for FBI to uninstall if it can, russian cheka, chekists, and unwitting agents from our govt. ahem, make american justice great again.
2
Heaven forbid that an illegal immigrant cast a vote, but partner with a hostile foreign power to win an election - that's okay.
17
@Mark Conrad
Why HOSTILE?
We had a reset with them remember?
So no longer hostile ...?
@Mark Conrad, Trump is selling gestation visas for stays in his hotels to Russians who want to have children with US citizenship.
3
Tired of Trump's lies, fabrications, mistruths, exaggerations, and completely false and misleading statements?
Relax, pour a cold one, sit back and peruse this compilation of Trump's Truths:
2
Trump Jr. and the others pretend they didn't understand that the so-called adoption was the quid, or one of the quids, and the Clinton dirt the quo or one of the quos. They can't be that dumb.
6
Oh...but they can...snd ARE!
The best and easiest way to put an end to Trump's accusations regarding "The Witch Hunt" is to simply show your evidence against him and his campaign. This can be dragged out as long as either side wants, but at this late stage maybe Mueller should just make his indictments and show his evidence. A special prosecutor can absolutely take down a sitting president, (see Nixon and Watergate), but only with actual evidence. I don't see how a sitting President can be impeached without making your case and showing your evidence. I don't see that Trump will cooperate at all with this, my expectation is certainly he will fight any and all charges against him. Mueller doesn't have to have Trump's cooperation, Trump will never cooperate. The truth is possibly that Mueller is in this position at this late stage because he has no evidence. If he really has evidence, why not stop wasting time and just legitimately show your evidence and make your case?
As the article mentions, "It is illegal for a campaign to accept help from a foreign individual or government", and this certainly happened last election, because Christopher Steele is a foreigner who helped the Clinton campaign with lots of help from Russia, and the same thing happened at the Trump Tower meeting, so yes, absolutely, prove there was help from foreigners and governments and charge anyone who did this last election. This will also end the "Witch Hunt" allegations.
1
While it seems obviously illegal to meet with and "get dirt" on your political opponent from foreign governments, does Mr. Sekulow have a point when he asks "how would it be illegal?"
The article mentions it is illegal but does anyone know what laws specifically Don Jr. would have broken?
2
@David
See 52 U.S.C 30121
RobertB from NJ
Isn't that what political campaigns DO? Search for dirt on each other?
2
The article does not mention the news last week that Michael Cohen had stated that the president had known about the meeting prior to it taking place. Also, both the president and Don Jr. have described the meeting as a "nothing burger" even though Manafort and Jared attended. Recall also that Jared ran the Arizona website that was described as a key to the Trump victory shortly after the election. The noose is tightening.
5
"It is illegal for a campaign to accept help from a foreign individual or government."
Yet the Clinton campaign paid Christopher Steele - a foreign national - for the dossier. That is without question. The information in the Steele dossier came from Russian nationals, very likely working for the Russian government, and very likely mis-information.
3
@jaco do you understand the difference between hiring somebody to do a job for you and receiving stolen goods? It’s not illegal to hire a foreign contractor. It is illegal to obtain stolen and/or false information from a hostile government that would except political concessions in return. Whether Steele’s dossier is true or not (and most of it IS true) is irrelevant. He was hired to collect information and he did. If some information was wrong - well, I guess the DNC can ask for their money back. But when the hostile government offers you something for nothing and you take it, it is called bribery at best, treason at worst.
1
Perhaps history will deem this tweet to be the political equivalent of shooting someone on Fifth Avenue. Let’s see what happens.
3
The word "Collusion" needs to be banned from every journalist's lexicon. It does not exist in the manner describing the allegations of Trump & Co.
He and his sycophants are correct when saying it is not a crime. Yet- as we persist in using and adopting the term, we undermine what will surely be evidence of corruption and conspiracy between the Candidate Trump and Russia.
7
In 2016, Trump claimed, 'I could shoot a man in NYC and nobody would care'. With his written acknowledgement of meeting with foreign operatives about the elections, Trump has admitted to 'shooting' the law, Will his own party finally show some care for the law?
4
Rule of law is slow and methodical. Truth's light dissolves shadows.
Note to Trump. Yes, it is a Which Hunt -- Who(m) did it, when, and the whys.
4
Those who support Trump are not likely to be convinced against him from reports like this. As far as news: okay ... but certainly not for reporting in shock Trump’s contradiction of himself. And getting “dirt” on one’s political opponent seems to be, as Trump said, the common way of American “politics” presently ... and actually for a very long time. Sad and dangerous, but very true as far as I can see. The American people overall seem to have bought into this unsubstantive program of superficiality for choosing political leaders. Either integrity counts or it doesn’t, but not both ways. And so there should be no wonder about where the country is in the functional sense ... including as a nation among nations. Trump, of course, is unqualified to preside for the country which, in almost every way he can’t help. However, the basic problem has to be with the American people in the collective sense. The American people for the most part let Trump happen. It’s on them ... us.
2
Who knows where all of this will end. If Trump is removed from office, Pence will bring his own brand of corruption and mismanagement to the office that may prove to be as toxic as that of his master. The best we can hope for is containment until 2020, which will require Democrats taking the House and gaining some seats in the Senate and taking a cue from Mitch McConnell and his successful blocking of Obama’s programs. Trump is clearly becoming more irrational as Mueller closes in and minions like Manifort and Cohen flip.
8
Just a minute. Didn’t HIllary receive help from a foreign individual when Christopher Steele, a UK subject, compiled his dossier, which contained info from Russians connected to the Russian government? Did Barack Obama receive help from a foreign entity when he organized his speech in Berlin during his campaign? When Obama told the Russian President that he could be could be more flexible after the 2012 election, wasn’t he soliciting helpful patience from Russia? There are many examples of foreigners helping US political candidates. Was China helping Bush senior when it withheld objection of an military aircraft sales to Taiwan during his presidential campaign? Why is foreign influence suddenly so shocking to Trump opponents?
6
@Sigmund: No, Clinton did not receive help from a "foreign individual." Steele worked for a company owned by Americans, Fusion GPS - the company originally hired by a Republican entity (Washington Beacon) to dig up dirt on Trump, in an effort to help a rival Republican candidate in the primaries. After Trump won the primary, the Republican campaign turned the dossier over to the Clinton campaign, which reported it to the federal government, which launched an investigation into the Trump campaign before the election, but kept the investigation quiet, because the Obama administration was worried that it would look as if they were trying to influence the election. So the FBI was told to keep its investigation under tight wraps, and, as we all know, James Comey, the Republican, did exactly that. So we, the American electorate, knew nothing about the investigation into the Trump campaign, and everything about the investigation into the Clinton campaign. Comey's explanation was that everyone thought that Clinton would win, and he did not want Congressional Republicans to accuse the FBI of covering up a Clinton investigation. Funny how the Republicans don't mind that Comey covered for Trump. Not a peep out of Congress in complaint for that favor.
Get a grip on your "whataboutisms." Trump's campaign lied about meeting with representatives of a foreign power that had committed a crime by breaking into the DNC servers and was asking for a quid pro quo arrangement. Not the same thing.
7
The issue is illegal campaign donations — including goods and services provided (not just cash).
Clinton paid for the oppo research so it does not matter who was paid.
If the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia and Russia did work on behalf on the campaign (donated services), that would violate campaign finance laws.
1
@Allison I have to say that this is a large amount of nonsense, Allison. Pay attention. Hillary Clinton and the DNC paid a retired foreign agent working for an international company to dig up dirt on Trump. Part of what this company did was pay Russian sources with high-level connections to the Kremlin. They hid these payments by including them in campaign reports as "legal fees" paid to their shared law firm.
The stench rising from this thoroughly corrupt administration is matched only by a Republican congress which is simply unwilling to do its duty and take care that the nation's Constitution and laws are followed.
To the Republican leadership power and retention of it is far more important than a chief executive who is obstructing justice; who has personally profited from his office; and who is a willing and treasonous co-operator with a foreign adversary. McConnell and Ryan are the most cynical Congressional leaders in decades and ought to be tarred, feathered and run out of DC on a rail.
Virtually any other person in high political office would be summarily tried, convicted and thrown out of his job. Trump seems an exception. The inherent danger of having one party rule, as we presently have, is manifested in our present circumstances.
8
The behavior of the Trump campaign before his inauguration is not protected by the President’s constitutional authority and is very likely treason as it gave a foreign power control of our political process.
Those who facilitate and enable treason are themselves guilty of treason. They have every motive to hide the full scope of their crimes and protect the president because they too are guilty of the highest crime.
12
Sounds to me like he believes the much-deserved indictment is imminent. He's preparing his base for a political battle.
The question is whether the nation can rise above a crook and preserve the rule of law.
We did it once, with Nixon. I'm not so confident this time. Where are Republicans today of the stature of Barry Goldwater and Howard Baker? Not to mention the deliberate erosion of trust in law enforcement and the press.
This may the greatest test of democracy in this country since the Civil War.
11
Say an armed robber's attempt to hold up a gas station is foiled. The robber escapes without any money, but he is caught and charged with ATTEMPTED ROBBERY. Trying, therefore, is still considered a criminal offense and conviction is usually a felony. So, Don Jr. and his cohorts attempt to get dirt on Clinton, they say they got nothing, but they ATTEMPTED to get dirt from a foreign power to sway a presidential election. So in this case, the information they were seeking is the "money" and the act of "robbery" is the meeting with the Russians. This makes them guilty of perhaps conspiracy against the United States.
9
This isn't about political party affiliation - It is about a foreign adversary attacking the USA. It is about a political candidate helping the foreign adversary disrupt our electoral process, lying about it, trying to cover it up, and then trying to stop investigation into what happened.
It really is absurd that trump still remains in office.
21
Of course just like the numerous meetings Hillary and the democrats had to get dirt on Trump.
If Hillary or any other presidential candidate broke the law do we really care about the source of the information as long as we find out before electing them as president?
2
Wouldn't surprise me in the least that when the truth comes out, there will be so many involved in the conspiracy and cover up that it will require a bus to haul them in for booking and mug shots.
And I hope it includes Pence, Sessions, his republican congressional enablers like Nunes, Jordan and Meadows, Guiliani, Hannity, Seculow, all the way down to his professional lying front woman, Sanders.
14
Of what benefit was any of the so-called intelligence received by the two parties anyway? What value?
This is why it's best (nevermind moral, etc.) to tell the truth. The truth (aka facts) is (are) static, you don't have to remember or twist or qualify or drag down others (or a country) because of what you said earlier. You say it, you say it consistently, you believe it, and it is what is is - the truth.
5
Why isn't fact checking included in this article? My understanding is that accepting gifts from a foreign government is illegal. A quote from a legal expert would be helpful. It's important not to assume readers do their own fact checking in this era of lies and distortions from our president.
3
We the People...
Still have a voice, everyone who cares about America needs to be calling their Representatives and Senators and demand that they bring Articles of Impeachment against Donald J. Trump!
It is our right to do so since Congress is not doing theirs to protect and defend America!
2
“Let’s be honest with the American people," Trump lied when he said he did not dictate the statement saying the Trump Tower meeting was about adoption. Trump lied when he said the meeting was not about getting dirt on Hillary. Trump lied when he said his tax bill would primarily benefit the middle class. Trump lied when he said he would end the carried interest tax loophole. Trump lied when he said he would negotiate cheaper prescription drug prices. Trump lied when he said he would replace Obamacare with something better, cheaper and cover everyone. Helied when he said he'd start building the wall "on day one' and that mexico would pay for it.
Can we believe anything he says?
6
Does Trump have the even the most marginal brainpower that would allow him to consider that "information" gained from an enemy of the United States is unlikely to be true? Or is he so stupid that he thinks that Putin is his friend? The questions about his judgement are constant. What has this country wrought by electing a man so dim, ignorant and self absorbed?
12
@Ceilidth
Sub in Hillary for trump and your statement still works.
The New York Times claims that Putin's ambition is to destabilize America. Callahan drew a cartoon with a fellow walking past a psychiatric ward and on the door was a sign, Do not disturb any further. I doubt Putin has the means to destabilize America any further.
2
Why are Mr. Shear and Mr. Schmidt saying Trump’s comments were “misleading” about the Trump Tower meeting. Those comments were lies. Americans need to know their president is a liar.
16
Many have commented that it is against the law to receive information from a foreign government and have provided the Federal Election Commission as their source of truth. With regard to foreign nationals, the FEC website cites 11 CFR 110.20 which states foreign nationals are prohibited from the following:
Making any contribution or donation of money or other thing of value, or making any expenditure, independent expenditure, or disbursement in connection with any federal, state or local election in the United States;
Making any contribution or donation to any committee or organization of any national, state, district, or local political party (including donations to a party nonfederal account or office building account)
Making any disbursement for an electioneering communication
Making any donation to a presidential inaugural committee
In short, the statute prohibits foreign nationals from contributing money to a US election campaign; it does not prohibit the contribution of information. Money is not information; information is not money. They are two entirely different things. Therefore, the Trump campaign did not do anything illegal. Thank you.
https://www.fec.gov/updates/foreign-nationals/
3
I think you may find that "contribution" or "anything of value" may well include something other than money (for instance information).
In fact when a legal document or law says "OR donation or money, it means that the other is specifically not money.
3
Information has "value", so yes, what these shysters did is illegal.
3
@Sydney Kaye,
That would be if the foreign power demanded payment for the information. Thank you.
Lies. Lies. Lies. It never stops from this trump clan. We cannot believe a word these people spew.
17
Trump plead guilty. Period. GOP will do nothing. Vote out GOP for jobs; health care and a living wage. Ray Sipe
9
Exactly how many times has trump boldly lied about this FACT?
And what about the vast number of times his minions/family have lied about this FACT as well?
Like his birther LIE, he relishes and benefits from the retelling of obvious falsehoods. This is outright propaganda and must be labeled as such from the beginning.
He obviously did not discover "that he knew" about the meeting on Sunday morning. He has known, and has lied about it for a year!!
It's time to point out that a great percentage of his lies are repeated and thus are clearly propaganda and not errors of judgment or fact.
13
They are all a pathetic, lying crime family. If the con in the White House thinks putting his case out in the court of public opinion is going to win him the legal case he is sorely mistaken. Just because you admit guilt and perform the crimes in broad daylight doesn’t mean you get off on the legal charges of crimes committed.
I will be so glad when this dog and pony show is over. It can’t end fast enough in my book.
And BTW, when will the media quit giving this crime boss the air time he lives for? He gives you all the bait and you gobble it up. He is directing and starring in the media cycle.
13
" the starkest acknowledgment yet that a statement he dictated last year about the encounter was misleading."
For God's sake, NYT. The statement is not MISLEADING, it was a LIE.
12
And while this latest brou- ha- ha is going on, keep your eyes on the kavanaugh for SCOTUS play by play.
6
Republicans, someone you claim as your own felt, "to sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards of men".
Lincoln would be disowning you now.
6
Question for Don The Con: You now admit the meeting was to get dirt on Hillary. Earlier, you helped to write a statement saying the meeting was about Russian adoptions. Does that mean you lied to the American people and handed out fake news for the press to report? Yes or no please. And no tap dancing, Sarah.
9
What a small person he is. Lying, attacking Lebron for his charity, yet his charity spends money on 6’ portraits of him for his golf clubs.
Everything about him is phony.
9
NYT — please be more careful in your reporting not to repeat phrases employed by the administration to deceive, distract and obfuscate. There is no such thing as a ‘perjury trap,’ which you refer to in your reporting here. Perjury happens when someone lies. Period. One chooses to lie, or to tell the truth. There is no ‘trap’ there. If an individual, including Trump, has lied to investigators, and that lie gets exposed, that is not a trap. It is the truth being revealed.
13
@kathpsyche: We have no proof of ' Russia colluded with the Trump people to sway an election ' but we have been hearing that repeated ever since he defeated Hillary . ( wife )
It is now our time - we are done with this liar. Our attention must turn to our Congress. They must be made aware that they are not anonymous to us. They are our collective voice as a nation - not an institution to line their pockets with cash and favors in return for turning their heads. Identify those in the Republican leadership of both Houses who would interfere with our will and hold them accountable! They are equally as guilty!
5
Why is this news? I read the Times on line every morning and every morning the top headlines are cluttered with with "news" about Trump. Trump has been lying about this meeting for over a year, ever since news of it came to light. His lies have shifted around, but so what? What he has to say about it is still obviously self-serving, stupid and untruthful.
I would rather read about Democratic plans to move to universal health care coverage and toward better financial security for working families.
Times editors, keep your focus on Trump and I will blame you for Trump victories. I blame you for his victory in 2016 for exactly the same reason.
8
Lies and prevarications and efforts to rewrite the scripts of the past have become the hallmark of the Trump administration, both the enablers and the president himself. It is impossible to believe anything a liar says. When the rants turn to the "fake news" the farce is complete. Let this nightmare end!
3
It is time for the NYT to insert into every article that quotes the president's" seventeen angry Democrats" line that Mueller's team is not composed of these angry Democrats.
10
"Totally Legal," if you say so, Donald. Right-ee-o.
But just remind us again why we should take your word for it.... or put our faith in your knowledge of the law (or anything else, for that matter).....
9
It explains his near hysteria over Mueller. The noose is slowly, slowly tightening.
8
I'm convinced this poor man is so consumed with rage and self-pity, that he can't help himself. He lives in abject emotional poverty, desperately trying to steal some self-esteem wherever he can find it. Yet, self-respect can only be built over a lifetime of respecting one's self. Having missed that opportunity, the only recourse is to level the field by disrespecting everyone else. Hence, his cries, "They are not the elite--we are the elite...I'm smarter--they are stupid...I know how to get all the good women--your wife is ugly."
I'm convinced he very much wanted dirt on Hillary, by any means. But not in order to win the election! He simply wanted dirt on Hillary! Running for the Presidency was a means of obtaining a larger megaphone to scream out his pain of self-hatred, expressed as hatred of others.
This level of rage would set an entire country on fire in order to express itself. Collateral damage is invisible to someone so consumed in their inner sense of worthlessness.
The truly kind act would be to commit him to rehab.
6
Here's what we can hope for...the liar-in-chief is tired of the "fake news," and everybody picking on him so he's going to quit. The equivalent of taking his ball and going home to tell mommy how mean we all were to him! His stunted intellect is always reminiscent of ten-year-olds, hopefully, this is more of the same.
6
Why are so many here still banging their heads against their fake president's wall of lies?
The sociopath that your corrupt political and electoral system put in the White House is a complete stranger to Reason, Fact and Ethics.
He doesn't even know what Logic, Truth and Honesty are, so why keep on complaining that he defies these fundamental principles?
He's simply an actor preening in the mirror of a pathetic but dangerous Bas as devoid of morals as their narcissistic hero himself.
Lawyering up against this monster and all he represents is essential, but still more essential is a forensic analysis of his and the nation's deep pathology.
Until those in America still open to Reason and Fact confront the cultural pathology that produced the monster, and understand the lure of his deep psychopathology for so many of their fellow citizens, there's little hope for them, their country, or the wider world facing this American Nightmare.
8
Can the NY Times (and WAPO et. al) please explain why you do not call 45 what he is, a liar who is telling lies. The number of times you used other words in this article would be laughable, if it was not complicit. See below definition of "erroneous." A lie is a lie is a lie and it's time to call it that.
əˈrōnēəs/Submit
adjective
wrong; incorrect.
"employers sometimes make erroneous assumptions"
synonyms: wrong, incorrect, mistaken, in error, inaccurate, untrue, false, fallacious; More
See UNTRUE
4
DT Jr first said the meeting was a nutin' burger, then changed the story of meeting to discuss child adoption nutin' burger, and now, getting dirt on Clinton nutin' burger. I smell sumtin fishy with this nutin' burger.
If this meeting was so benign, then why the lies, cover-up? Answer: DJ stole the election with Russian help to get rid of the sanctions and that he can personally benefit financially. He owes the Russians, big time, and they want payment.
6
Is getting "dirt" from foreign countries a crime? If the information is true, the candidates must be able to bring that to public for the public to decide before voting. In this case Russia offered "dirt" on Clinton, I don't see anything wrong to have a meeting by Trump people with Russian source to assess the credibility and truth of the information. Even getting information from the hacked e-mail is not a crime, if Trump was not part of the hacking.
On the other hand, Clinton got "dirt" from Russian sources through a former British spy agent which was maliciously spread by Clinton people with the help of Obama intelligence and Fake news people to discredit Trump knowing well that the "dirt" was not credible. It appears that there was a real conspiracy here involving foreign agents here.
2
Given that Lying to Congress is a crime U.S. Code sections 1621 and 1001 of Title 18 - Section 1001 relates to Lying whilst not under Oath - with up to 5 years imprisonment, I am surprised that Jr, Kushner and Manafort are not being indicted immediately given the testimony of the President (though Manafort isn't worried about a measley extra 5 years)
The President has given all the evidence needed to secure a conviction so why is it not happening?
This is what should be the basis of questioning to every R member of Congress and the Senate at every Town Hall, Rally and Public Event - Why are they not taking action against someone who lied before Congress??
If that simple question is asked of them enough they will end up having to respond.
Whilst the Trumpians will excuse anything the Trump family does, the mainstream Republicans won't.
Mainstream Republicans care about America and care about truth and most won't tolerate Congress turning a blind eye.
If the Dems are looking for the edge in November then the President has given them the ammunition to go after every seat within a 20 point lead and go after every Senate seat.
Make every Republican state their position publicly.
Either they show themselves unwilling to defend America and uphold the rule of law or Jr gets indicted.
4
When the Trumpers claimed the meeting was about "adoption" it was telling enough to raise some real suspicion. "Adoption" refers to the Russia and Moldova Jackson–Vanik Repeal and Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act of 2012, a bipartisan bill passed by the U.S. Congress and signed by President Obama in December 2012 to punish Russian officials responsible for the death of Russian tax accountant Sergei Magnitsky in a Moscow prison in 2009. Magnitsky, a Russian tax accountant, died in a Moscow prison after investigating a $230 million fraud involving Russian tax officials. While in prison, Magnitsky developed gall stones, pancreatitis and calculous cholecystitis and was refused medical treatment for nearly a year before being beaten to death while in custody. In response to the Magnitsky Act, Putin put an end to the practice of American families adopting Russian orphans. That is the extent to which the meeting was about "adoptions": the quid pro quo here was the White House in return for sanctions relief and, oh yes, little babies being able to join an American family again. Even Trump should be able to understand that this is not going away. It's time for him to resign and arrange a plea deal with Mueller.
2
The question now is: what did the Russians get in return for giving Trump this information?
The crime can be found in whatever "payback' Trump and his campaign made to the Russians.
3
There is no longer any room for reasonable doubt. It's clear that Trump has misled investigators and the public about his campaign's involvement with Russia. And we know he is pressuring the Justice Department to end the investigation. Can someone please explain to me: why is he not under indictment for obstruction of justice?
3
Will Congress sit still if President Trump grants a preemptive pardon to his own son? It is clear that he is the most vulnerable of the clan at this point.
To those who wonder why so many people think Mr. Trump is dishonest. This meeting is an excellent example. First they denied any meeting, then they said it was about adoption, next there was a memo that apparently was dictated by Mr. Trump senior, who initially denied any involvement in the memo. Then the number of people attending the meeting increased, followed by an admission that the meeting wasn't about adoptions; it was about getting help from the Russians in gathering dirt on Hillary. Today it looks like there might have been false testimony before Congress. While Mr. Trump's "assertion that he knew nothing about it at the time." may apply to a lot of things, like international relations, I don't believe it is true about this and other Russian meetings.
4
"...lies and corruption.” Another example of Trump projecting onto someone else. This works for his base but not for critical thinkers that include people like Muller.
4
Democrats are angry that Clinton won the popular vote, but still lost. How are they going to feel when Pence becomes President without anyone casting a single vote?
Such a strange world!
4
So, this basically proves both political parties were colluding with the Russians to get dirt on each other...one paying million$ through a British intermediary, the other by supposedly promising sanctions relief. The former got away scott free, the latter the subject of massive investigation.
5
But the Clinton campaign didn’t conspire with a foreign country to get that information and there was no quid pro quo. The Clinton campaign hired an American company to do opposition research. That company hired a former British spy to find out what the Trumps were doing. At no point did the Clinton campaign ask the Russian government to interfere in our election or to publish stolen RNC emails.
4
Frankly, I also do not understand anymore what Mueller is still supposed to find out. It seems to me that we already know that Trump is colluding with the Russians, he is now admitting it all himself. He is making Mueller redundant.
And yes, his lawyer is correct that the investigation is riddled with lies and corruption.
Trump is the riddler, that's the entire point.
1
@RML Agreed. However, to accomplish these goals timing is crucial.
1. Allow the shaken Trump to hysterically continue being the least “presidential” president in our history.
2. Delay the confirmation of SC nominee Brett Kavanaugh until after the midterm elections.
3. Achieve Democratic majorities in both houses of Congress. Focus on state legislatures and governors’ mansions. The Democratic party needs to adopt a cohesive, moderate plan to accomplish thes goals. This plan must be implimented in a disciplined, cohesive fashion.
4. This is NOT the time for infighting among the Democratic factions. Disunity is political death.
We need to attract as many independents and disenchanted Republicans as possible to vote Democrat in November. This is Priority One.
The nomination, election and administration of Donald Trump is the worst political disaster I have witnessed in my lifetime. He has proven, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he possesses NONE of the experience, knowledge or demeanor to be our president.
The Age of Trump has been a nightmare. As we eliminate him from the national scene, let’s carefully win some victories that will put us in a strong position to begin the work of undoing the damage Donald his base have wrought.
If you read thes clumsy words and are unconvinced.
If you aren’t motivated to get onboard, look at what D. Trump has put our nation though in a year and a half? Extrapolate. Consider what either 4 years or <shudder> 8 years of DT could destroy.
12
@Tom W
My former party, the Democrats, won't get my vote for nothing. They must espouse policies and programs that benefit the working class and the poor--all of us, not only illegal immigrants. They must choose between us and the fat-cat donors. (After all, in the end it's votes they need.)
If we have to survive a few more years of lunacy in order to wake up the Democrats to what is needed, so be it.
1
@farhorizons, the Democratic Party platform under HRC reiterated what you stated. The Rs precluded any price negotiation when they passed and signed (and did not pay for) the Medicare boondoggle prescription drug bill on December 8, 2003. Then, the Rs wanted to privatize Social Security under Cheney/Bush II's second term. The Rs have always been for the money masters over the working class.
The Republican SCOTUS consistently favors them particularly since 2000; i.e., we ordinary working/retired people are never a concern to the Rs, particularly to the illegal pResident. (The Rs and the latter cares for us as little as he cares for the poorest people living in either flyover country or the cities.)
If you mostly purvey Fox Entertainment Noise or AM talk radio, you may be unaware of these truths.
Okay Times, it's time to stop with the prevaricating. Trump's statement was not simply "misleading", his team went beyond not being "forthright". These were, plain and simple, LIES and should be referred to as same.
7
At some point in time, the near future God willing, the opinion of trumps followers and enablers will be replaced by the rule of law.
11
@Psst
Agreed, lock up everyone who colluded with the Russians - Democrat, Republican, Green, or "Democratic Socialist."
1
“ 'Let’s be honest with the American people, there are irregularities in this investigation the likes of which we have not seen,' Mr. Sekulow said, mimicking one of the president’s favorite phrases.' "
Being honest with the American people. . . Isn't that a refreshing concept. Jay Sekulow is en embarrassment to the legal profession. He says he had "bad information" when he when on camera last year to say Trump had nothing to do with the meeting in question.
How does he look in the mirror each morning?
4
I am confused as to why you would say his statement last year was “misleading”
How about - he LIED - which is what he did.
It’s not alternative facts, or any other softened rhetoric, it’s plain old lies.
Name it as simply as possible.
7
Trump paid 25 million in hush money to buy himself out of liability for cheating his customers at Trump University. Simple. Just grease a few hands and you are done. Like Trump says its done all the time.
But lying, cheating and collaborating with a foreign power is something that borders on treason. And people have been executed for similar crimes. Will his GOP enablers be bought off so easily?
Our whole country is brought into the dirt if this is allowed to stand as normal behavior. For Trump this is just another day at the office, but for we who love this country this is behavior that sinks us so far into the swamp that we and our country will not survive the drowning.
20
@just Robert NYT Thank you for changing your format for accepted comments. As a visually challenged person it really helps me navigate the comments section.
OK ..lets just say that yes, Russia interfered in the election. The question then is who benefited? If I remember correctly Hillery Clinton won the popular vote so perhaps their interference benefited her. According to the Constitution the electoral college determines who becomes President and that is how Donald Trump was elected. So the next question becomes, did the Russians influence the electoral college? Maybe that is where Mr. Mueller should concentrate his efforts. We also know that had the electoral college elected Hillery Clinton there would be no investigation into anything. So let's stop this nonsense, stop wasting money and time it is getting really tiresome to the electorate. The last question to be considered,.. is our Democracy so fragile that a foreign nation can cause a constitutional crises and the demise of America? I don't think so folks, we have been through much worse and survived .....Have another cup of coffee and enjoy the day. This is America ...The greatest and strongest nation on earth.
@Fred. Speaking as a member of “ the electorate”, I did not elect you to speak for me and I would like the investigation to be carried through to it’s conclusion, whatever that may be.
1
@Fred
it would be tough to find a country that did NOT try to influence our election.
Obama went to GB to CAMPAIGN against leaving the EU ...
Ever hear of Air America?
We do the same ...all the time.
It's difficult to reconcile the fact that the sitting President Of The United States, would engage in this way with Putin and Russia. This is a very sad period. My only hope right now is that our country can restore itself and that justice can be served to all those responsible.
9
@Jim Sande Very well said! Let us hope that all American citizens of good will and sound judgement resolve to comply with the core concept of your reasonable suggestion. To demand justice in these dark days.
2
As a Brit, watching and reading about Trump daily via the NY Times and Washington Post, it seems Trump has turned America into a country decidedly unAmerican,what happened to truth, justice and the American way?
He tells numerous falsehoods hidden in plain sight.
He clearly demonstrates traits of racism.
He is a raging narcissist who’s is gaslighting half of the nation.
Any rationality or dissection of his arguments would reveal numerous inconsistencies, yet he escapes scrutiny time and time again.
Finally, the constitution of the USA is probably one of the most highly regarded documents in the world for ensuring a system of government. This man flouts the constitution of his own country regularly and with impunity, as the system of government fails to hold him to account via Congress, whose incumbents are more interested in power than exercising that power with the responsibility that accompanies it.
Sad times. Trump is almost universally disliked over here, no matter what he says.
15
If Donald Trump Jr. is such a "wonderful son," why is it that his father is interested in Russian adoption?
3
So he directly admits the intent was to get foreign government help in a political campaign. That's hugely illegal. He admits his intent was to get dirt on Clinton from Russia. It's not what they got out of the meeting--apparently a bit nothing burger-- it's the intent that matters. Their intent was to get help from Russia. Totally illegal, he admits it. What other proof do they need besides this full confession of intent?
4
If it is illegal for anyone in a campaign to speak with a Russian about information regarding an opponent why is it apparently OK for the Clinton Democrats to purchase a dossier about Trump from foreign interests and give it to a court to obtain a warrant? President Obama may know the answer.
9
@Eugene Patrick Devanynn the difference is one was an agent of a foreign government, the other, not; one was hired by the campaign (evidence is revealing), the other was not.
1
I am just as curious as you.
If there is anything good to come out of this discussion it would be a stronger FEC, reversal of Citizens United (can't buy foreign info if the money is there there to spend!) and actual legislation on the limits of political campaigns to receive and handle info from foreign agencies.
1
@Eugene Patrick Devany - It's too late to repeat aged talking points, talking points that are known to be lies. Trump is done. He just doesn't know enough to know it.
3
Speak softly and sweet because you may have to eat those words. Trump and crew have been eating their words of late even though their supports are blind to this.
9
The next thing they will have to admit is that Donald knew about the meeting beforehand.
24
Republicans: If you are too close to a cornered skunk it is hard to get away smelling sweet. (and I think some of the Russian ones spray Novichok :-)). It is your problem, and while you may like the direction of the courts and regulations this is a bigger issue.
Pretty clear, D is for Democracy and Democrat, while R is for Russia and Republican. Need to vote democratic at all levels to fix the gerrymandering and the corruption which caused this problem. Sounds extreme, but we seem to be driving off a cliff, and a sharp turn to the left might get us back toward the middle.
Vote. Pence has more issues and congress will need to prevent his (Republican) agenda.
2
Trump's lies are so pervasive and self-referential that only a person charged with keeping track of how his assertions change over time can keep up with the evolving question of did-he-or-didn't-he break one law or a dozen at once. Each time he's caught lying about the obstruction of justice "thing," however, he wraps another coil around the lengthening hangman's noose he's creating all on his own.
7
GOTCHA.
Trump caught out on lying again.
15
This commenter apparently interpreted this article differently from I:
"Trump just admitted his campaign attempted to conspire with the Russians."
I guess I missed that. Can you point out the part where Trump admitted that his campaign "attempted to conspire with the Russians?" I've read the article, carefully, several times, and somehow I didn't notice that part. You didn't just make it up, did you?
1
I guess it all boils down to "it's not illegal to lie" ( when you're not under oath )
"It is illegal for a campaign to accept help from a foreign individual or government. The president and his son have maintained that the campaign did not ultimately receive any damaging materials about Mrs. Clinton as a result of the meeting. But some legal experts contend that by simply sitting for the meeting, Donald Trump Jr. broke the law."
In 2016, the Hillary Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee purchased and actually RECEIVED opposition research material..."dirt"... on then-candidate Donald Trump from former British spy Christopher Steele and his network of Kremlin informants.
Has the NY Times commented on the legality of THAT transaction? Since Steele and his Russian government informants were "foreign"?
4
“Well, the question is: How would it be illegal?” Mr. Sekulow said. “What law, statute or rule or regulation’s been violated? Nobody’s pointed to one.”
Here's an idea: Let's ask Robert Mueller.
13
Busted! Now Tяump & Яepublicaиs need to get out front of the story to spin their no big deal everyone does it speil. Another nothing burger.
And more news that Trump is actually contemplating sitting down with Mueller. Really! I can’t believe that serious journalist are actually falling for that line; still?
Out of that more than 4000 lies Donald Trump has told, that one is the most obvious.
7
"It is illegal for a campaign to accept help from a foreign individual."
We need to lock up John Oliver and Trevor Noah and throw away the key. Every time these foreigners open their mouths they are helping the campaigns of Trump's opponents.
3
@CLA So only those with birthright citizenship (itself an endangered principle) have freedom of speech?
4
@CLA
John Oliver is a 'Naturalized Citizen' of the United States of America.
2
@CLA, the lawyer with the kompromat story represented the Russian government.
2
Could you make your reporting more complete by quoting the actual law about not getting help from foreigners during an election? Sekulow says ‘nobody’s pointed to a law’ so you need to answer that contention with the facts.
14
@Alyce Surely 52 USC sec 30121 would be relevant
1
@Alyce
Whoever, owing allegiance to the United States, levies war against them or adheres to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort within the United States or elsewhere, is guilty of treason and shall suffer death, or shall be imprisoned not less than five years and fined under this title but not less than $10,000; and ...
18 U.S. Code § 2381 - Treason | US Law | LII / Legal Information Institute
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/2381
1
@Alyce The applicable laws are administered by the Federal Election Commission, which is anything but politically independent.
The president finally admitted he lied to the American people. Will he admit all the other thousands of lies?
Predictions:
1. Trump will resign before year's end "to spare the many innocents whose lives are ruined by this ridiculous Russian hoax and witch hunt."
2. Pence, upon becoming president, will pardon Trump and everybody else involved.
3. Upon completion of the Mueller probe, Pence (who would not have been VP but for a sabotaged election) will also be forced out.
4. Speaker Ryan becomes a weak, caretaker president.
5. Die-hard Trump supporters, some armed with military weapons, take to the streets.
6
So there was collusion...
Will the LIar finally put an end to his words: No collusion, No collusion ?
I doubt it.
13
Jr. will be thrown under the bus if it can save Sr. Nice family!
No matter who is involved in the many more disclosures to come we are fortunate to have a free press who will do their best to bring out the truth. Fox fantasy news excluded for the most part!
1
This president (aka Donald J. Trump ) lies so often. How can anyone know when he is telling the Truth? Only the most gullible and naive believe what Trump says. We know that what he tells us today he may deny having told us tomorrow. Yet, we see these rallies, somewhat akin to religious cults, composed of red-MAGA-hat-wearing adults behaving like intoxicated children, cheering him on. What is wrong with these people? Surely they can't all still believe that this carnival barker is really going to do what he tells them. Trump is by definition unbelievable. His supporters are inexplicable.
4
Sunday morning's tweet acknowledging that the Trump Tower Meeting had been about getting dirt on Hillary Clinton from Russia (and having lied and lied and lied about it) is the arrogance of "I could shoot someone on 5th Avenue and no one would care." So America do you care that a hostile foreign government influenced a campaign? Do you care that your President lied, and lied, and lied about it? Do you care that he continues to block an investigation into this matter? The Republican party does not care but Americans, do you care? If you do, make sure you and everyone you know votes in the mid-term elections.
4
Duh!! Trump's family is either one step away or is already there, from being a Mafia family. They lie all the time, its probably not hereditary, but a learned vice, and the have committed crimes we just haven't learned about, but soon will. So trump really didn't believe himself he would ever win the White House, so why not pull out all the stops, like conspire with Russia, no one will ever notice or look. Turns out he did win, and now he and his campaign are being investigated. Mueller I feel is very close to indicting Americans, and its certainly possible one of those will have the name Trump on it. #45 is worried, cause he knows that Jr. lied under oath to Congress about who knew. Little by little we are learning new truthful facts, can't wait until we learn to whom the blocked cell number was Jr. called before and after the Tower/Russia meeting. My bet its a another cell phone that resides at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. What do you think?
3
Let me get this straight. Clinton solicited a foreign agent to get dirt on Trump and that was ok but Trump soliciting a foreign agent to get dirt on Clinton was a crime. This kind of partisan nonsense is why the next civil war is on its way.
1
"'Well, the question is: How would it be illegal?' Mr. Sekulow said. 'What law, statute or rule or regulation’s been violated? Nobody’s pointed to one.'"
52 USC § 30121
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/52/30121
The goal posts just keep sailing back...
1
But it was OK for the DNC and Clinton campaign to pay for the Steele dossier, which originated from the Russians, right? Oh wait, I forgot, rules don't apply. The double standard is so blatant it's become a joke. The way to quiet the fanatics or 'deplorables' would be to admit wrong doing on both sides, that would be journalism. Where can we go to find it?
2
send them both to jail and we will call it even!
@jameshra
The Republicans paid Fusion GPS....
3
words matter:
"misleading"? "not been forthright"?
how about: "lie"?
3
How is this not a conspiracy to undermine the American electoral process, one thing (among hundreds of others) that he has sworn an oath to uphold? How are his ever-changing denials, including to members of Congress, not obstruction of justice? Why is this mobster-like egomaniac still sitting in the oval office wreaking havoc and chaos upon the country he is betraying and the world that once looked up to us? Why have the spineless Republicans in Congress not taken action to remove this human blot on our democracy? And how fast can Bob Mueller work???
As a frustrated patriotic citizen, I want answers - quickly, honestly, and action-backed. Now. Please.
8
Clearly Trump has realized that if he tweets something, no matter how nasty or illegal, it is then legitimized in the eyes of his followers. They will believe his "everybody does it" and his "exceptionalism" as they drive us all off a cliff.
I have come to the conclusion that the last two Republican presidents are criminals. It did not take long. One is now an artist. The Devil is in the details, and what does that say about us?
4
How is thos not conspiracy and grounds for impeachment?
When then President Clinton lied about performing sex acts with an intern, Ken Starr, Kavenaugh, Gingrich and the Republican party claimed it was the most serious crisis in US history and grounds to start impeachment procedings.
Today we have pathological liar President Trump and his family of grifters conspiring with Russia to influence elections and obstructing justice, and Republicans like Nunes, Ryan, McConnell act like its business as usual and no big deal.
It makes me wonder if top Republican leadership were also engaged in this conspiracy and coverup. They ALL need to go.
10
All we hear from Trump is lie after lie which he plays like a fiddle every chance he gets. The one tht seems to have the highest pitch with his base is witch hunt.
Now all I keep hearing from Trump is the meeting did not result in any information that was used against Clinton. The more he says it the more we know he is lying again!
5
trump team had not been forthright-trump team lied. What are you people so afraid of. Do your job for a change.
21
Well, here we go again, another proven Donald Trump LIE.
There has to be no doubt that Donald Trump knows he's a guilty man, and knows his son may be headed for jail time.
The Trump's are a family of traitors and only care about making money for themselves and their business interests, nothing more than a bunch of Grifters.
3
The clintons had dealings with russia and russians. How is it a crime to listen to someone who says I've got dirt on their dealings? -- The democrats need to stop whining and clean up their act.
1
Since when does any politician in the United States of America rely on "dirt" on an opposing candidate from Russian sources? This is blatant interference from a foreign country and the sooner Donald Trump's tax returns (and all of the tax schedules both business and personal) are disclosed it will publicly make clear just how much financial influence Russia has played in Trump's attitude toward a government that opposes our democratic principles.
Recall Trump publicly stating, "Russia, if you are listening maybe you can find Hillary Clinton's 30,000 missing emails" - most people thought it was a joke because it was unthinkable that Russia had actually tampered with the 2016 election -18 months later this is not a joke at all - it is very serious Russian espionage for treasonous behavior conducted by Donald Trump to undermine our government. There should be alarm bells sounding throughout this country that voting on November 6 2018 is mandatory for every eligible citizen to begin the process of removing this abhorrent traitor from the Oval Office. And we await Special Counsel Robert Mueller's findings.
727
@kkm
The Clinton campaign and Democratic National Committee relied on the Steele Dossier. The dossier was produced by Christopher Steele, a foreign national, who paid Russian officials and Russian intelligence agents to shovel dirt on Donald Trump into the dossiers.
@kkm. What’s the big deal about Trump releasing his taxes? I don’t have to release mine. You don’t have to release yours. The forth amendment applies to Presidents as it does every other citizen. Look at everything Obama didn’t release. The only thing Special Counsel Mueller is going to find when this is over is many, many millions of taxpayer dollars lining his pockets. Trump’s poll ratings are 50% positive and rising. The good accomplishments of the Trump administration can be hidden by the bias media only so long; the truth will be exposed.
@kkm So, please explain how this is different than the DNC and Hillary Clinton paying Russian sources -- albeit indirectly through their law firm (which raises serious campaign disclosure issues) and a foreign retired intelligence officer -- for the dossier of allegedly damaging information about Trump. Honestly. Please explain.
I'm curious as to what are the legal repercussions are to Trump's tweets. I don't believe that tweets, or any statement to the public, can be used in a court of law. What I mean is that lying to the public is not a crime even for the president as far as I know. This is important because Trump may be tweeting all of these incriminating statements but nothing prevents him saying the opposite to Mueller if he was to be interviewed. If nothing else Trump has a, well documented, talent for "playing the room" so its not unreasonable to expect he'll know what to say in such a setting.
1
So let me get this straight - I am a wealthy American thinking of running for POTUS; set aside issues of party affiliation. One of the new tools in my polling arsenal is to reach out to foreign powers (pick a country, any country) to ably assist my candidacy, whether by dredging up dirt on my opponents, or maybe even stirring up a divided electorate with inflammatory Internet postings for instance (apparently it has been known to happen).
Who in the world thinks this is a good idea, let alone suggest it is okay? Stunning.
8
You would only go to the foreign power if you were prepared to do them some favors in return for their clandestine help with your campaign. That would be illegal.
If you wanted to legally obtain information on your opponent you would go to a company like GPS Fusion, pay for the research and declare it as a legitimate campaign expense as the Clinton campaign did. Then you would not come under investigation.
I know this sounds naive,but the best way to win elections is to have the best policies,ideas,and character. It also saves money on legal bills.Honesty is not only morally better,it's also cheaper.
5
If Trump needed dirt on Clinton and acquired it through foreign agents from a country that the US has an open and ongoing dipute with, then he has violate two laws:
1. Election campaign finance laws, for he was trying to acquire material aid in his campaign for the presidency and was trying to acquire that campaign without reporting it. Although the exchange may not have included actual dollars, selling promises of insider favors, once elected, is an attempt to circumvent election finance laws which means Trump knew he was violating them.
2. To acquire that campaign support Trump was making a deal with a country that the US is in active and open dispute with. That is a violation of the Logan Act which specifically makes it a crime to have unauthorized negotiations with foreign adversaries. The matter of interest for those negotiations was the lifting of the sanctions imposed by the US on Russia for the murder of a spy in England and the Russians promised lifting the sanctions on Americans who wanted to adopt Russian orphans.
Trump was making deals and was expecting to receive a good-faith payment in the form of help in defeating Clinton in the 2016 presidential election. He had no right to make foreign policy promises in exchange for help with his campaign and he violated the Logan Act by getting material aid from Russia.
7
This should be the ballgame. He's admitted both collusion and obstruction.
Will anyone care?
7
Remaining silent and hoping that these recent revelations of Trump's collusion/conspiracy with Putin during the 2016 campaign pass quickly is no longer going to be an option for the GOP and the Republican base. Ryan, McConnell, and the rest of Trump's abettors face an existential choice, the end of the Republican Party as a respected political institution (it's too late), or to throw Trump under the bus and demand his resignation. Following the latter course, Pence will then provide pardons to the Trump family. Whatever happens we need the Mueller investigation to complete its work and reveal the level of corruption and criminality that so many on the right are willing to overlook to establish conservation policies and judges. The end is near.
7
After sometime Trump, his lawyers and devotees would argue that, "digging dirt against opposition (political and corporate) and conspiring against USA is not any crime. Believe me. It's true". I'm still little doubtful if American judiciary under this President would accept that logic- so long all Trump's nominee's start occupying the positions of justices in various federal courts, including Supreme Court.
1
James Comey testified that the FBI investigation would be looking for collusion, cooperation, or coordination between Russia and the Trump campaign. Both Democrats and Republicans ignored the charges of cooperation or coordination and concentrated on collusion. The Democrats loved it because collusion meant that Trump had done something wrong and possibly illegal. The Republicans loved it because it gave them the deniability and because it would be difficult to prove. "No proof o collusion" became their main reason to shut down the Meuller investigation.
The President's recent statement that the purpose of the meeting at Trump Tower was to gad dirt on Hillary Clinton was an admission that his campaign was guilty of all three of the charges. He made this statement because his new legal strategy says that these actions are not illegal and because the truth will come out soon anyway. In addition, the President has the power to pardon his son if he is found guilty of perjury.
2
As we edge closer and closer to the epic and satisfying season finale of "the Trump Show" we must ensure Mr. Mueller is permitted to complete his investigation without interference.
We must not lose sight of the single most important fact. This is not solely about Trump. He is surrounded by a gang of cohorts that are complicit in his crimes. This includes those in the G.O.P. and his base who continue to disregard the truth, disrespect our democracy and ignore their subservience to our highest authority - the law of our land. WhenTrump goes down EACH and EVERY ONE of his executive actions MUST be deemed null and void. This includes his nomination and the appointment of two supreme court justices, and ALL the policies he, his appointees or the G.O.P have repealed. AND because the 2016 election is null and void - so is Pence.
If Trump won the election illegally each of his actions while acting illegally in the position of President become NULL and VOID. Nothing Trump has done with his illegal win can remain.
8
But the DNC funding of the Russian Dossier was no big deal ? And even the use of a foreigner , Steele , to dig up the smears was no big deal ? The partisanship in this country is dividing and damaging America far more than any Russian could. The Globalist Democrats, now in the control of their Far Left wing, seem determined to ' fundamentally transform ' America - just like all of our many global enemies today. ( wife )
5
@richard Sorry, the "What about. . ." defense is old and tired. Please stick to the topic of Trump admitting he colluded. Do you support a sitting president who has (and probably still is) colluding with an enemy?
1
The dossier was initially funded by republicans.
1
@richard Dear Denver. They paid an American company with connections in Britain to investigate Trump. Not illegal. Did the Trump campaign get information from the Russian government? YES!. That is illegal.
3
I'm very thankful for the what "interference" in the election unveiled. A corrupt DNC. I was seriously considering Clinton as a candidate. Although we were suspicious about the DNC promoting Clinton it was nice we got proof. I know the DNC is corrupt and can never be trusted. No more consideration of Democrats for president until they get their house in order.
5
@Ari Hate the DNC? Fine. What is your opinion of the republican president selling out to Putin?
1
@Ari
But the republicans on the other hand, you will aid and abet and not bother with slandering.
The Illusionist is at it again. He creates "alternative facts" that his followers gobble them up. The conjured reality will surely disappear after the show is over. Until then, he will make a variety of claims all in the style of dismissive statements. I would not be a bit surprised if he conjured a statement like "he's not my son anyway." Yes, he is capable of saying that.
15
Trump's entire legal team, and the Trump family remind me of the Abbott and Costello routine, "who's on first." At this point no one from the Oval Office can craft a clear story on who is on first, what is on second, and, if with an impending indictment, I don't really know who was on third.
15
"totally legal"
"done all the time in politics"
"went nowhere"
"I did not know about it!"
Seems that we'll need four more walk-backs in the near future
23
Who is being less than honest with the American people?
Listen to Trump's lawyer: Let’s be honest with the American people, there are irregularities in this investigation the likes of which we have not seen,” Mr. Sekulow said.
Let's be honest, indeed! There are irregularities in this President, his campaign, & his entire administration, the likes of which we never have seen & hopefully will never see again. Trump would literally do anything to get elected, including aiding & abetting a Russian plot to influence the election in his favor. As his lies & deception are exposed, he keeps retreating from denials of wrongdoing. Mueller will expose his fraud for the world to see. But will Republicans in Congress even care?
13
Here's the problem. Trump and his family might be able to claim ignorance with regards to laws pertaining to foreign intervention. But, every professional around him from Pence to Roger Stone to Michael Flynn to Paul Manafort understands full well the legal requirements when it comes to dealing with foreign entities. We know the Trump's are rubes when it comes to being played by foreign powers, Donald admitted as much as he keeps harping on how the Saudi Princes and Chinese billionaires took advantage of him when they bailed him out.
So either his entire circle including the Vice President (the RNC for that matter) are corrupted to the core or we're dealing with the dumbest most gullible political organization in contemporary history. In either case, no important legislation or Supreme Court nomination can be held until we flush the Republican swamp of Russian influence.
31
And Clinton went to the British government for dirt on Trump. Christopher Steele had closer ties to the British government than Natalia Veselnitskaya had to the Russian government. I am not a lawyer but I suspect that the law is agnostic regarding which foreign government helped your campaign. Good luck proving Trump had a hand in Russia's other attempts to sway our election.
4
@Epistemology.
So far we’ve seen over 30 indictments with regards to Russian involvement. 5 guilty pleas have all come from people in Trump’s campaign. His manager is now on trial.
The proof of conspiracy is staring everyone in the face
6
good there is plenty of room in prison for all of them both democrats and republicans!
1
@Epistemology: Happy to have that crime prosecuted! What do have that shows Teresa May owns Hillary the way Putin owns trump?
Hasn't Sekiow been sufficiently discredited so that no one need pay attention to him?
23
Why should this latest revelation come as any surprise. This is all being drip-fed to coincide with the November elections.
Now we just have to hear all the pitiful excuses about "not knowing", and "I'm new at all this", and the rabid followers nodding their heads in agreement as they jump off the cliff.
Get him out now before we descend into a full scale, on the streets civil war.
45
Is this too difficult for Messrs. Ryan and McConnell to understand? Soliciting help from a foreign government in an election is illegal. It is their real actual job, for which they get paid, to do something about it. Duh.
26
Clearly we are under seige by Putin and his regime of trolls and his army of internet attackers.
The President is clearly under siege as well. He laundered money for the Russian oligarchs. He and Putin have more plans up their sleeves no doubt.
Thr Congress of the US vis a vis the Republicans are under seige as they support this President and keep us Americans at the mercy of a criminal running the coumtry.
45 percent support all of this debasement of Democracy. That means 55 percent do not! We must vote every last one of us to save this country.
We must counterattack the Russians and defend ourselves! Note to Democrats: run campaigns on this message....defending Democracy is the priority. Forget all the other stuff for now. Unite the party and fight!!!
18
The Liar in Chief is putting this out there early to numb us and create the narrative that it's no big deal. We know that it's working with his base. Will it work in a court of law?
22
We have known why Donald Trump Jr. agreed to the Trump Tower meeting since Sept. 7, 2017, when he testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee. He expected Natalia Veselnitskaya to present documents incriminating Hillary Clinton, but she had no “dirt” on Clinton to offer. Instead, she offered proof that the Magnitsky Act—which imposed sanctions on her corporate clients—was based on false testimony. Russia responded to the act by banning U.S. adoption of Russian children. Veselnitskaya urged the Trump campaign to make the act’s impact on orphans and childless U.S. couples a campaign issue.
In her sworn testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee, Veselnitskaya said she was unaware Trump Jr. agreed to the meeting in the expectation she would present incriminating information about Clinton. She wrote, “Donald Trump Jr. asked if I had any financial documents proving that what may have been illegally obtained funds were also being donated to Mr. Clinton’s foundation. I said that I did not and that it was not my issue. The meeting, essentially, ended there. Today, I understand why it took place to begin with and why it ended so quickly with a feeling of mutual disappointment.” She blamed the misunderstanding on go-betweens who set up the meeting for the misunderstanding.
It is not illegal to accept incriminating information about political rivals from foreign nationals. This is why no one has been indicted in connection with the Trump Tower meeting.
6
@William Case. If this wasn’t illegal, why did Trump lie about the meeting and why does he constantly point out he supposedly knew nothing about it?
1
No one has been indicted yet concerning the trump tower meeting because the investigation is ongoing.
4
@William Case
From WaPo, Aug. 3, 2018. Note especially the paragraph about foreign "participation" in campaign decisions. Also the line about "promises" of possible spending.
"The ban on foreign national involvement in federal elections is exceptionally broad. It applies to any spending to affect an election: The prohibition applies to “contributions,” “expenditures,” “donations,” and “disbursements.” A “contribution” for this purpose includes any “thing of value.” The rules reach “promises” of such spending whether express or “implied,” and to campaign spending provided either directly or “indirectly.”
This basic prohibition extends even to foreign national “participation” in the decisions that a U.S. national makes about election-related spending. . . .
Congress has enacted and reenacted the foreign-national prohibition in 1966, 1974 and 2002, seeking on each occasion to strengthen it. So the lawyer reviewing a contact between the campaign and a foreign national—particularly a foreign national with apparent ties to a foreign government—would understand that the rules in question are not among the backwater provisions of the law, under-enforced relics of the aged and discredited regulations."
2
Trump broke the law, lied again, and threw his son under the bus. Just another day for Donald Trump. He probably thinks that if the U.S. economy tanks, he can always throw it into bankruptcy like his casinos and businesses - I believe the count is 6 times. What more does he have to do before Congress and the American people fire him? If he isn't Lonesome Rhodes in "A Face in the Crowd." I don't know who is.
19
Trump wants to speak with Mueller but his lawyers are opposed. Reminds me of the tax returns he wanted to release but his accountant said no because he was being audited.
21
Hillary and the dnc actually paid tony podesta who paid Christopher Steele who paid Russians for the dirty dossier
Hillary actually colluded
If Trump tried and nothing happened, so what?
4
Christopher Steele was hired and paid by an American company Fusion GPS who was originally hired by republicans to get dirt on trump. Fusion GPS is an American company that specializes in investigations.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trump–Russia_dossier
7
@William Rodham. The DNC paid a researcher, not a foreign country.
3
Someday, when the history of this presidency is written up, it will make for some very tortured and tiresome reading, and wide-eyed head-scratching on how and why we ended up in this sorry situation.
18
The Trump team conspired with the Russian Government to receive and distribute stolen property, private communications, in order to subvert our democracy and take control of our government. Then they covered it up and obstructed any and all investigations into their actions.
And Rudy says there were no crimes committed?
27
The President and his family with perhaps his 10 year old son are all Crooks. I know it, you know it, the religious right knows it, and of course the Republican's know it
He will always be a thorn in the side of America even if he is impeached in disgraced. His base will follow him off the cliff.
19
The claim that "it went nowhere" might be technically correct if you consider only information that was handed over during the meeting. If you include information released after the meeting, and as a result of the meeting, it's pretty clear it went "somewhere."
10
This weekend, there was Donald Jr. frolicking with his children while swimming together in a pool.
The happy look on his face, suggests he's not worried about his lies, since his father will pardon him.
I see the Trumps as a crime family, and nothing more.
Congress is complicit with these people.
75
Trump has just admitted his son committed a felony. He can now be called as a witness at Jr.’s trial.
Knowing the illegal purpose of the meeting makes trump an accessory before and/or after the fact in a conspiracy to violate 52 U.S. Code § 30121.
Further, there is a legal provision called “spontaneous admission of guilt,” under which this tweet would fall and therefore be admissable in court.
64
Trump was right. His supporters will still support him even if he shoot a person in the middle of Fifth Avenue. So what if he colluded or conspired with Russians to steal the election ? He is still their president pushing their agenda and undoing all of Obama's agendas. This year November 7 is the date we need to go out and vote them out of the offices and win back our country and democracy. 2020 may be too late.
42
Actually it is November 6th.
2
@Pumpkin
November 6th is election day.
Vote!! Vote!! Vote!!
November 6th, 2018
3
My limited knowledge of Putin is that he doesn't do anything out of kindness for his fellow man. We really need to be asking, why did Russia choose to help Mr. Trump in 2016? How does Russia expect Mr. Trump, and the Republican Party to repay the debt they now owe for services rendered?
31
The Trump presidency is is more than sufficient return on investment. I think Putin got more for his "meddling/collusion" than he ever thought possible the day Trump was elected. Party time in Moscow.
7
Mueller its time to stop this charade of a presidency and this direct attack against the US Constitution and the Rule of Law. Time to indict, go to trial and let the cards fall where they may. Force him to resign...if not impeachment and off to jail. Trump has committed treason pure and simple.
45
What, exactly, is the legal status of someone’s Tweet? Is it an
official public record when sent by a Federal employee on “company time?” Can a person be sued for libel based on a malicious tweet? Or, in the eyes of the law, is it just a toss away comment regardless of the content?
Does the use of Twitter by Trump or others, claiming their first amendment right to free speech, have no boundaries or legal consequences?
7
It looks more and more like Trump is in the early stages of dementia. He can't seem to understand that openly admitting to a crime and then claiming it's not a crime is not good enough.
"Russia, if you're listening..."
"I said to myself, this Rusher thing..."
What's the excuse for the rest of the Republicans, who freaked out when Obama saluted with a paper cup in his hand, but now can't seem to see any problem.
50
It would appear that the Fox trolls are equating HRC’s opposition research in hiring Steele’s company to Trump’s collusion with Russia, banking on the “low IQ” of his base to buy this. I see that line of fake reasoning in some trollish comments to this articles. They are banking on people’s ignorance and stupidity. I’ve long wished that the Times had a flagging category for “stupidity.”
32
They need another for 'disinformation'. Get rid of the vulgar report option, a simple word filter will take care of that
The only thing I don't get is why Mueller keeps pining for an interview with Trump. What does he think Trump is going to say? Trump is too stupid to take the 5th and too much of a liar to say anything relevant to rational investigative conclusions. I say again, Mueller should say "I'll be in my office to interview you next Tuesday at 9:00 a.m. If you're not there we will move on without an interview. Bye."
15
Muller knows Trump cant control himself. There is a strong likelihood that, once sworn in, Trump will perjure himself repeatedly. Its not really Trumps fault, as he is a pathological liar with a complex combination of mental diseases.
1
don the con continues to prove that he has not even a passing familiarity with the truth and the slavish support he gets from tupPence shows that he is also a habitual liar
19
"President Admits Trump Tower Meeting Was Meant to Get Dirt on Clinton"
We know this. It's OLD NEWS.
7
This rotten excuse for a man has hung around on far too long.
The undeniable stink of eau de trump and company is overwhelming, sickening and pervasive.
Time to put on the rubber gloves, grab the disinfectant and take out the trash.
28
People always brush thru that “adoption” comment by the Trumps.
The facts are Putin halted the adoption of the sick and desperate children that loving, generous Americans saved from Russian orphanages. Putin did it to SPITE Americans, in retaliation for the Magnitsky sanctions.
Trump wasn’t discussing adoptions. He used the term to garner sympathy from people. Trump was negotiating terms for lifting sanctions when he took office. Terms for his pockets only.
Heartless to use those kids as a ploy to obscure the real purpose. This insidious spin is so void of conscience parents everywhere should call it what it is.
15
So when the DNC aka Clinton Campaign was paying for the alleged Steele documents and then leaking unsubstantiated stuff to the press and to the DOJ they were just gathering material for a TV mini series? When the DNC sent 2,000 lawyers to Wasilla, Alaska in 2008 it was all for fun?
If anyone was conspiring with foreign entities it was more likely the DNC. Maybe that is why so many emails were bleached.
6
@mikey Come on, you're going to have to release a Sherwood Forest's worth of squirrels if you want to distract from this episode. What-about-Hillary is so 2017. Step up your game.
9
@mikey - I do see a major problem the DNC had, that was not appropriately jailing Trump decades before he was running for president.
5
@mikey, how does this whataboutism work? are we supposed to just forget about trump and just look at Hillary, or just say everybody does it so it's OK? Are you concerned that all politicians are crooked, or just trying to deflect for trump?
3
Donald Trump colluded (conspired) with Russians. Then, he lied. When he was caught, he lied again. When he was caught again, he lied again. It will happen again - probably today. Unfortunately, this is probably just the tip of the iceberg of lies.
29
Unfortunately, while we are dealing with this very real and important information, in the background Trump's handlers are busy installing judges who will impact society for years to come.
30
@Third.coast - this seems to be strong reason for early taking of Trump to court. His current illegal use of US government to excessively increase his wealth should be quickly stopped but so much of his past should then be treated appropriately. These measures should put Trump, many of his family members and many or most of his 'legal' supporters should end up in a lifetime in prison as well.
9
Perjury trap? I guess I would advise him not to lie
12
If the meeting was "totally legal," why lie about it and say it was about adoptions?
38
Trump just shot "someone" on 5th Avenue and is going to get away with it.
12
it’s hard to tell the same story when you’re lying. You have to keep track of all those pesky details and, sometimes, even our high IQ president forgets a thing or two. You truth-tellers have it easy; it’s the same story over and over again.
28
Oh, "it's totally legal." This sounds like what a high-schooler says when they're caught cheating on an exam. "Dude, it's totally ok, everybody does it."
26
Hence, the republicans entire rationale for all that they do...someone else did it too!!
2
Sunday Tweets are always special.
9
Would Trump be speaking under oath, should he and Mueller meet for an "interview?" Trump's lawyers have good reason to worry. The know, probably better than anyone, that Trump can barely complete one inhalation/exhalation cycle in a row without prevaricating. Last I heard, lying under oath is the definition of perjury.
10
What prompted Trump to acknowledge this now? Has Mueller got some evidence and Trump, as usual, wants to “break the news”?
8
Why does the NYT and other outlets keep burying the lead on Trump's lies? He said getting dirt on an opponent was "totally legal." Not when it comes from a foreign country. So, either he's too stupid to know that or he just wants to deceive his followers on Twitter. So the lead to the story should have read:
"President Trump admitted on Sunday that his son and top aides met with Russian operatives to get information on Hillary Clinton, which is a violation of federal election law. Trump said the meeting was 'totally legal,' which is not true."
25
I wasn't there where I was and didn't do what I did, or vice versa......President Doublespeak J.Trump, voiced by Foghorn Leghorn.
10
Republicans, someone you claim as your own felt, "to sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards of men".
Lincoln would be disowning you now.
12
If the Constitution doesn't explicitly say that a candidate cannot accept help from a foreign adversary then it is not a crime.
Ah, what logic! That’s why I drive drunk everywhere and own a nuclear arsenal, because I know my rights and understand the legal code.
22
@Diane: The Constitution also does not prohibit kidnapping, murder, rape, etc. That doesn't mean that they aren't crimes.
18
@Diane The Constitution doesn't explicitly say that a candidate cannot murder their opponent (even via a foreign adversary), but I'm absolutely sure that would be a crime. I'm not sure how the Constitution's lack of explicit commandments on modern campaigning really applies here.
12
A commenter opines:
"Soliciting and receiving information from any foreign power as part of an election campaign, especially from one like Putin's Russia should be illegal if it is not already."
It's not illegal -- far from it, in fact.
Dozens of Presidential candidates over the years, from both major parties, have openly received information from foreign governments during Presidential campaigns. Many of them (Barack Obama, for example) have actually met privately with foreign officials during the Presidential campaign, and nobody has even suggested that they did anything wrong.
And they didn't. Barack Obama, or Hillary Clinton, or Donald Trump is entirely free to get and use whatever information he or she can get from any source, including from the Devil himself. That doesn't change if that source prefers that Barack Obama -- or Hillary Clinton, or Donald Trump -- win the election he or she is trying to win.
It's different if that source is some foreign government AND that source suggests that the candidate and the foreign government work together to help the candidate win. In that case, the candidate had better tell that source "no dice" -- emphatically -- and report the effort promptly to US authorities.
Trump says that never happened, while his critics say it did. Mueller was hired to try to figure out whether Trump is lying. Maybe he's come up with some evidence that Trump has been. All we know is that he hasn't told us that he's found anything.
1
@MyThreeCents
Trump says it never happened and you believe him, even though, he has admitted to lying about every other thing related to this investigation. He colluded with the Russians, he asked them to release the emails, he asked them to hurt Hillary Clinton.
13
I suggest you read the Federal Election Campaign Act — especially the part that prohibits contributions from “foreign nationals”.
And if you’re aware of any other presidential candidate who has accepted contributions from a foreign national, I urge you to share what you know with the FBI. They’ll be interested.
2
Mr. Trump and his son seem to think that meeting with Russians to get dirt on an opponent is okay-fine, since they claim that nothing much was offered.
Sorry, no. That’s like excusing a bank robber who couldn’t get into the vault.
It’s all about intent. The intent was to get information from a foreign adversary. That is illegal for any political campaign, including that for The Presidency.
They had to know it was illegal, which is why they tried to cover it up by saying it was about adoption.
I believe that Mr. Mueller should begin typing that report. Mr. Trump needs to be impeached.
20
This doesn't look good for Trump Jr. If the Russians called and said they had dirt, the appropriate response would be to "make it public yourself." But to have a meeting is a setting for a deal to make.
9
I keep reading - especially from Mr. Schmidt - about how much Trump wants to sit down with Mueller. So why doesn’t just he do it? This suspect and his entire legal and PR team have proven to be lying time and again. Why take anything they say at face value, let alone print as fact?
13
Since Mueller is unlikely to indict a sitting president I don't see this going anywhere. A GOP Senate and House will not impeach Trump.
@Paul
Let's hope for a D-controlled Congress after November.
9
Of course this meeting was about relieving sanctions on Russia. "Adoptions" is code for "Sanctions" because Russia restricted foreign adoptions as retaliation for economic sanctions imposed by the US.
8
So we have gone from it never happened, to it was about adoption to no collusion, collusion isn't a crime to throwing his own son under the bus. How very very Trump. Lie lie lie and lie so more then when you realize there's evidence you have been lying make it someone else's fault.
12
And the Republican Congress will turn their heads the other way. Collusion?
8
Finally cheater Trump has accepted the truth; can we also start talking about a process to have all his actions nullified starting with Paris accord & Iran accords and then Gorsuch.
12
Looking forward the these two upcoming tweets:
• I totally laundered Putin’s money but as everyone knows, it is not a crime.
• Of course I obstructed justice by firing Comey, but it is perfectly legal to do so
18
“Fortunately, the facts are all coming out, and fast!” he added.
Donald Trump wouldn’t recognize a fact if it hit him in the nose. And if he is so anxious for the facts to come out and exonerate him, why all the obstruction?
14
They say the truth will set you free. In the case of the Trump family, it will lock them up.
9
Is anyone asking Trump and his cronies, from Flynn to Sarah Sanders to Guiliani, why all this lying if, as they say, it is not a crime to meet with the Russians with the intent to receive help from a foreign power?
15
One day Trump says this; the next day he says that; what will tomorrow bring?
I don't believe anything coming out of the Trump/Pence regime.
I just want Bobby 3 Sticks to take as much time as he needs, be as thorough as imaginably possible, and hang out to dry as many of these lying unethical creeps as he can.
16
@Donna Nieckula Tomorrow, Trump will protest that Russia itself is a hoax and there's no such place, it was all invented by Hillary and the DNC to justify higher taxes in the name of defense. Good thing we've finally found out that the entire Cold War was just a Deep State hoax! /facepalm
7
Forward, backward, we did, we didn't, we should have, it was about adoptions, now it wasn't, never mind the intent because the meeting produced nothing of value.
The fact is that they met with a foreign adversary with the intent for the adversary to help them win an election. The fact that it was supposedly not productive takes nothing away from the ill conceived criminal intent with a foreign adversary.
Too many lies false stories and changes of direction combined with a novel of campaign interactions with Russian officials and Russian money equate to a whole lot of pretty strong potential for criminal activity from the top down.
It is looking more and more like all those best people Trump is so proud of are little more than fellow lying criminals. No doubt whatever they get will be deserving. The biggest crime of all would be if the King pin himself skates free.
31
"Over time facts develop..." - Jay Sekulow. This is almost as good an explanation as "alternative facts." How about just call it what it is - lies?
38
Good the demagogue has owned up to one lie.
Now he only has a few thousands more to go.
26
Who can blame him? If were Trump and there was the opportunity to get "dirt" on Hillary Rodham Clinton, I would not pass up the opportunity. Besides, there are scores of opposition research firms that do this kind of thing for a living, digging up dirt on people running for political office, so what if this information was coming from the Russians. President Trump had every right to utilize every opportunity available to him to defeat Clinton. It was in the national self-interest for him to do so because Clinton was not meant to be the President of the United States. Never! In that sense, Donald J. Trump is a patriot. A godsend for America. One day people will realize that. Americans support the President. I support the President. I support Trump. Thank you.
5
@Southern Boy It is one thing to get opposition research on a opponent, but the problem here is that he got it from a foreign power and a foreign power that was actively trying to interfere in a US election for President. This is illegal. And then throw in the never ending streams of lies about it. These are not the actions of anyone I would call a patriot. And if this was a Democratic President you would be demanding their head a long time ago and you know it.
1
Trump is not a patriot, he is anti American.
6
You forgot one important thing. It is illegal to accept this kind of help from a foreign government or individual.
2
With the indictment of the Butina woman and revelations that in all likelihood the NRA was laundering political donations for Russian oligarchs, there is clear evidence GOP members of Congress have more incentive to obstruct the Mueller investigation than mere loyalty to Trump or fear of his supporters. They are attempting cover up their own crimes against the USA.
Appealling to their patriotism or urging them to "get a spine" are naive and useless. Their actions are purely self-preservation. Using citizens to vote them out of office Nov. 6 is the only logical appeal.
37
Trump is not knowledgeable about the U.S. Constitution and has an attorney in Guiliani who is, at best, a second rate mobster attorney. Trump apparently believes Guiliani over the more intelligent and competent people who know he and his son are guilty. If this weren't such a tragedy, it would almost be funny.
21
On Law and Order this admission of guilt is followed by an arrest and conviction in 18 minutes. How about a little help from the so called patriots in the US senate and house who could hold a special session and get this taken care of in short order. Trump wouldn’t respect them otherwise. The world is laughing at us. Don’t our elected officials get it.
32
The painfull thing is: Putin cum suis succeeded in destabilizing the entire American polical system. Never mind if DT remains his puppet-president or is eventually impeached/convicted, the outcome is pretty the same: democracy itself is for decades to come to be distrusted in the US, the common American will be embittered, polical rivals will become political enemies… And Putin is laughing out very loud, thanks to a president-clown that was legally elected by a minority of voters. For non-Americans this is beyond any belief (even beyond ant phantasy). Still, we have to undergo the fall-out and the collateral damage of all of this. Terrible.
38
Ultimately, it was about Russian adoption. As in adopting Russia's oligarchic system, where the leader and all his friends control industries and rake in billions. That is what Trump admires about Putin: money and success by any means necessary.
36
How can we believe anything that comes out of Trump's mouth? Every statement he makes seems to be a lie.
I would suggest that the news media actually stop covering him. Stop attending White House press briefings (Sarah probably would be happy to take a break from spreading her own lies.) Ignore the tweets. Avoid covering the rallies. Given his ego and narcissism, cutting off his media exposure may just drive him out of office back to reality tv where he belongs.
Some might say that we have to cover him because he is the President -- but I would ask if by covering his actions the press is not enabling him to spread his lies even further?
29
Trump's statements change daily and he himself got confused.
10
So President Trump goes to an enemy of American to get dirt on an American! President Trumps's new attack on Iran isn't going that well EU has openly said it will not comply and will continue to buy oil from Iran. In addition U.S. withdrawal from Syria has turned the region over to President Trumps new allies the Soviet Union!
11
A commenter correctly points out what we're "talking about:"
"We are talking about President of our country colluding with the biggest enemy of the country..."
The question remains what it's always been: DID he collude with the Russian government, or didn't he?
Trump's simple point is that it's OK to try to win, and that that doesn't change just because some foreign government prefers you over your opponent. If the Russian government had preferred Clinton over Trump, nobody -- including Trump -- would be arguing that Clinton was obligated to stop trying to win. Nor would anyone complain if Clinton had got "dirt" on Trump from Russians and had made use of that dirt. Nor would anyone complain if the Russians who gave her that "dirt" used it themselves.
Americans would have -- properly -- been upset if Clinton received "dirt" on Trump from Russians AND used that "dirt" against Trump IN COLLUSION with Russians. Whether that happened is what Mueller is supposed to be trying to figure out. Maybe he's come up with some evidence of that -- who knows? All we know is that, if he has, he hasn't told us about it.
Let's face it: Just about anyone could have beat Donald Trump in 2016, but the Democratic Party managed to find -- and nominate -- one of the very few people who couldn't. The DP can blame others all it likes, but that's what happened.
2
You have succinctly nailed what people in the media have been talking past each other about for more than a year. Thanks for the concise description of what happened in the run up to the 2016 election.
1
You're right about Clinton being a lousy candidate, but that's beside the point. More is at stake than the feelings of the Democratic Party.
Your distinction over collusion is mistaken. If the Trump campaign used any information from the Russians in the campaign, dirty or not, it broke the law against relying on foreign support. One conversation or a hundred, doesn't matter. It's not the collusion per se that's illegal. It's the support that is derived from the collusion, whether wittingly or unwittingly.
6
@James K. Lowden
But if Democrats used information from the Russians we are supposed to pretend not to notice.
Steele Dossier; who paid for it?
3
The Steele dossier was paid for by Fusion GPS. The DNC hired Fusion GPS but did not know until much later that they had in turn contracted with Christopher Steele. And, Fusion GPS’ work against Trump originated with Republican clients, not the DNC. There goes your false equivalency. And for all of you who say that Clinton would have done the same and we wouldn’t have cared, it should be noted that in the few other occasions in the past when Russia offered help to an American candidate, such as Adlai Stevenson, they went right to the FBI.
15
One theory about Trump's submission to Putin holds that Trump fears Putin has kompromat on him but he doesn't know what it is. He might have been fishing for clues about that with this meeting.
Trump does nothing cleanly.
17
" ... the [President's] tweet also served as an admission that the Trump team had not been forthright when Donald Trump Jr. issued a statement in July 2017 saying that the meeting had been primarily about the adoption of Russian children." No, no. Trump Jr.'s statement was not about failing to "be forthright." It was a bald-faced, calculated lie. And it was written not by Trump Jr., but by Trump himself. Trump then had his attorney, Jay Sekulow, lie again by denying that Trump himself wrote the lying statement.
These are the facts that have emerged: 1) the Trump Tower meeting was organized for the sole purpose of providing the Trump campaign with hacked dirt on the Hillary campaign, as Trump now admits. 2) The initiative for the meeting came from the Russian government ("the Russian Crown prosecutor," as the Englishman Goldstone ignorantly worded it.) 3) Trump, Jr., along with campaign manager Manafort and Trump son-in-law Kushner, despite knowing the Russian source of the dirt, eagerly participated in the Trump Tower meeting. That was the quid.
The quo: 3) the US would lift sanctions on oligarchs close to the Kremlin, implicated in the killing of Bill Browder's Russian attorney, Sergei Magnitsky.
This was a criminal conspiracy to undermine the American presidential election for Trump's and Putin's benefit. Not "collusion." Conspiracy. No wonder the Mueller investigation has zeroed in on it.
39
I agree that conspiracy is the most appropriate term. Thank you for making this point. Conspiracy. Obstruction. Treason.
9
Interesting that on the same day Trump came out with this particular tweet, Hope Hicks was seen boarding Air Force One. She, of course, was intimately involved in the wording of the statement crafted by Trump on Air Force One about the initial reason for the meeting. I believe she said something in a subsequent email to Don, Jr. (or to someone else close to Trump, can’t remember exactly who it was) like, “Nobody will ever know.” I sincerely hope she was wired when she went aboard. Perhaps she was given immunity if she was.
14
What I find so mind blowing about where we are is that if the spouses or significant others of all of his supporters lied to each other as much as he has lied to the American people the divorce courts in this country would be packed. But somehow they all find betrayal perfectly fine just so long as they get their tax breaks and the like.
13
Soliciting and receiving information from any foreign power as part of an election campaign, especially from one like Putin's Russia should be illegal if it is not already. It is a kind of treachery and treason. Even if from only a "practical" point of view the quality and credibility of the info obtained is beyond dubious and tainted, To purposely "look for dirt" is moral low that is disgusting. I am far from a Hillary fan, but I find DJTjr behavior reprehensible regardless who carries it out or who the target, For Trump's son to actively participate in this activity also show a definite lack of intelligence as well as judgement and moral character. To have the meeting in Trump Tower of all places makes him look even dimmer and arrogant. As to following up by lying to all and sundry about it is the "real dirt" of the story, illega, and the cry should be "Lock up Junior". As to his father, the old Watergate questions of "What did the President know and when"? seems as relevant today as it in 1972.
14
Trump's demons always get the better of him, including his complete lack of impulse control. He can't help himself. But, ironically, he might just get his most hopeful wish to come true, although not in the way he intended.
Trump has continually shouted "No Collusion" in practically every one of his unhinged tweets, and has demanded that the Mueller "witch hunt" be shut down immediately. Now, based on Trump's most recent confession of collusion, conspiracy and obstruction, the Mueller investigation is indeed over. Write up the indictments, Mr. Mueller. Trump is toast.
18
One can only hope. But Trump had said he will pardon everyone including himself and the GOP is letting him get away with everything.
10
Trump’s right, it’s not a crime compared to the closed door meeting he held with Putin WITHOUT the US National Security team who still don’t know what was discussed. That’s what we should be outraged about, why did they meet in “secret?”
15
The real question is whether Senators and Congressmen regardless or party affiliation will act to unite to defend our Democracy and our Constitution against ALL enemies, domestic and foreign.
37
No, using a foreign government to undermine domestic politics is not legal. It is called treason, part of the high crime and misdemeanor
43
The Trump camaign actively sought information illegally obtained by an adversarial foreign power in order to influence the most important election we have. There is no way Trump didn't know about it.
Nevermind collusion; this is treason.
34
Did he REALLY admit that his son lied all this time?! And did he really admit that he dictated the lie about the original lie? And he's still POTUS? All I can say is this: what if Hillary had been guilty of just these two lies....under a Republican-controlled Congress and House?
And yet, while attending university in Africa in the 1970s, I was taught that the American system of democracy is the best and so worthy of emulation. Perhaps then; but not now.
48
I'd like every member of Congress to ask themselves what they'd do in this situation if this was Obama or Bush and then carry through with their actions.
17
@May The US system of ersatz democracy is a relic of slavery that will never deliver equal protection of law across all its states.
6
How long can our democratic republic survive the leadership of a nominally-elected dishonest, authoritarian, narcissistic, kleptomaniac who holds the the keys to the secrets on which our nation's security depends. . . A leader who within a month of taking office betrayed the security secrets of an important ally to the Russian foreign minister and ambassador to the United States for no other purpose than to satisfy his outsized ego.
Are there enough courageous patriots left in the United States Congress to take those keys away from this traitor before it's too late?
50
Enough patriots? Maybe if 3 are enough. Our only hope is November.
5
@Dave Ritchie, Trump probably has kompromat on them.
4
What are they waiting for?
The president just admitted a crime. Arrest him now.
43
"Trump claimed that the June 2016 meeting was “totally legal,”
If it was so "totally legal," why have they lied, repeatedly with a whole string, for the past year...or are they still lying?
Favoring the latter as Trump is so well a documented habitual liar.
27
can we finally see the tax records for this con man to prove who he is beholden to?
35
Mueller’s Rules: Seeking to obtain oppo research from an unsolicited Russia is bad. But buying opp research from a foreigner using funds laundered through the DNC and their law firm is ok.
Got it.
6
@Cjmesq0 "...buying opp research from a foreigner using funds laundered through the DNC and their law firm..."
Even if what you say were true, (Read the Fusion GPS testimony transcripts. The Steele dossier was derived from publicly available records, not stolen emails.) if it was Madame President Clinton in the same situation, the Republican Congress would be initiating impeachment proceedings today.
20
@Cjmesq0
yes!
and don't forget about those emails!!
Please...
2
Ironic that the dossier got the FBI in trouble but HRC is blameless
3
No one is saying “HRC is blameless”: however, neither is she the President. Her actions have been examined and she was found careless but not criminal. Meanwhile, Mr. Trump has admitted that members of his campaign staff met with a foreign government to get dirt on Mrs. Clinton, which is illegal. Where is the outrage about that?
19
I don’t like her either, but you have to give it up. After all these years of investigations, she’s committed no crimes.
20
@Gub Maines
One of the reasons I voted for HRC was her appearance before the Trey Gowdy hearing which lasted 11 hours. She displayed smarts and toughness during that grilling. Gowdy, on the other hand, at the closing of the hearing, looked like a man who just heard that someone had poisoned his dog. I want my Presidents to be "smart and tough." Hillary was both and DJT is neither.
2
wait...no adoptions?!?!?
once again if this was me and my set of choices the FBI would come to my door and take me away. you can't lie to the FEDs but apparently you can lie to the American people.
13
There will be more admissions to come. Special Counsel Mueller and his team have amassed enough information to indict Trump's children. But his main target has always been the Stable Evil Genius. So, wait and see, at least until Sept 1, 2018--the second deadline that Trump would like to stop the Russian "Rigged Witch Hunt."
On Sunday, Jay Sekulow mentioned for the first time Bruce Ohr and his wife, Nellie, who worked for Fusion GPS. He also threatened to challenge Mueller's subpoena in court by frivolous lawsuits. The promising new breaking news would be Donald J Trump Jr's links to Alexandr Torshin/Butina/O'Neill Jr semi spy cluster, as well as Trump's "know Putin" and his aspiration to get along with Russia. The trials of Manafort, Flynn and Papadopoulos, and the interrogations of the Roger Stone/Miller/Manhattan Madam, together with Weisselberg would hardly help Trump to sleep well. Will he have spare time to destroy Rep Ed Royce as he had threatened last week?
8
“The president claimed that it was ‘totally legal’ and of the sort ‘done all the time in politics.’”
Collaborating with enemy nations is “totally legal” and “done all the time” ... in the Twilight Zone, maybe.
31
"...believe that [Trump] may be increasing his legal jeopardy by continuing to speak publicly about sensitive matters..."
Der Donald wouldn't be the first crook to blabber himself into the slammer and it's just flat impossible for him to remain silent when his buttons are pushed, and there are so many and they are so sensitive.
15
Do we care about what Trump thinks about this meeting? A majority of Americans should by now believe that he knew about the meeting, it was illegal and there were likely many more meetings with the Russians and other foreign governments.
Really, the focus on Trump should remain his secret treasonous meeting with Putin in Helsinki. A meeting planned by Trump, but likely at the demand of Putin.
Trump is a traitor waiting to be convicted.
Americans have few choices since their vote may not mean anything. The display this past week of all those national security heads was likely nothing more than another Russian style method of disinformation, which Trump utilizes nearly everyday. Does any American believe that they came together without Trump's approval? Does any American believe that their efforts to prevent Russian influence over our elections can be done without Trump's approval and involvement?
Americans might keep the Republic if they vote fully for Democrats in November.
21
The penny is dropping quickly. He has done it all. More then we, the public know. Time for the GOP to step up and fulfill their oath of office to the country, to the Constitution.. not the party. Trump's legitimacy become more questionable with each passing day.
12
Vote this November 6 as if your (way of) life depends on it.
It does.
41
He is, by fact check, a liar. He is, by fact check, a dissimulator. He is, by fact check, a con artist, snake oil salesman, and fraud. He has proven that one can never underestimate enough the intelligence of some of the USA citizenry.
But, worst of all, he is a stooge of a foreign power. While all his other qualities damage the Republic, this quality undermines it and democracy, and he does it without shame.
35
Nothing illegal about throwing an election? Or trying to? I don't know what country Comrade Trump inhabits, but in my America, the rule of law prevails -- and throwing an election IS against the law. It's called treason.
24
The question is not so much what happened at Trump tower. The question rather has to do with the boy who cried "wolf" over and over and over again. At what point should you stop believing him? Unfortunately the story of the tower has changed so many times---as with many other stories Trump tells--that it is no longer rational to believe him, even when the wolf is actually there. I find no credibility, any lasting truth --a total zero--emanating from our president who has shown himself to be a habitual liar, the major source of fake news in our world.
18