Remember this part of the Steele Dossier? pg. 11, Detail paragraph 3. Unwitting agent, says who?!?

[Nevermypresident]

I'll qualify this by saying while much of the raw intel in the dossier seems to be accurate, some may not.

However, it rankles me to hear "unwitting asset" so much on the cable news in the last days when referring to dotard.

I believe he started out as unwitting years ago, but over time became either a "witting asset" or a full on agent of Russia. I lean towards a compromised witting asset, well before he announced his candidacy.

Back to the Dossier section I referred to above:

"3. However in terms of established operational liaison between the TRUMP team and the Kremlin, the emigre confirmed that an intelligence exchange had been running between them for at least 8 years. (my bold) Within this context, PUTIN's priority requirement had been for intelligence on the activities , business and otherwise, in the US of leading Russian oligarchs and their families. TRUMP and his associates duly had obtained and supplied the Kremlin with this information."

[Thomas Hurt]

1. Trump is such a narcissist it probably never dawned on him...

he was being played. He thinks they like him and he was playing them.

Trump has made comments about the regs regarding doing business in foreign countries and he holds them in contempt of course.

Of course I think that ended when he got in office and the sh&t hit the fan with Flynn.

[ginnyinWI]

8. I don't think he knows what a real friendship is.

I think all of his "friendships" are really business associates and people who otherwise wanted something from him.

He sure was flattered by the spectacle and parades in China, wasn't he? All about his ego. And remember, he wanted one on American soil, too. So he could stand there and be magnificent.

Also since he knows so little about government, he didn't and doesn't understand the terminology--like what collusion means, or an asset, etc.

He knows business terms.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

2. ITMFA

Start the televised hearings.

[Harker]

16. I think I get your drift.

Does the 'A' stand for 'Already' or 'Asshole?'

Either way, I am in complete agreement.

[marylandblue]

3. I'd agree with you except for the nature of Trump himself.

I'm honestly not sure what Trump actually knows about anything. He seems to be a black hole where reality is concerned. The laws of reality literally break down in his brain, so we can't see if he is witting, unwitting, or if he has any wits at all. We only know he has a brain because of the disastrous effects on anything that gets too close to it.

[northoftheborder]

4. dotard's brain is a black hole, I agree

"The laws of reality literally break down in his brain, so we can't see if he is witting, unwitting, or if he has any wits at all."

Well put!

[GetRidOfThem]

7. Black hole it is...

...the rules of physics.as we know them, break down in a singularity, aka black holw...

[Pacifist Patriot]

6. Agreed, but it could also be...

that he's well aware of what he's doing, but doesn't believe the rules apply to him. His narcissistic antisocial personality allows him to justify the behavior in a way a normal person would not. We'd be aware of what we were doing and might feel twinges of "this is wrong, but...I need the money or I'm being blackmailed or....." For him it would be more like "this might be wrong if others did it, but it's not wrong if I do it."

[Nevermypresident]

5. Then why does he lie about it? Is that not "witting"?

[Perseus]

9. Unwitting is not a defense,not sure why it comes out

I could say a child of 3, or even 5 was an unwitting collaborator, but a grown man of 70? Give me a break...by then you have to know what is treason...

I am not sure why the "unwitting" comes out so much, as if it makes it less of a treasonous behaviour...

[Bernardo de La Paz]

11. It is in the court of pub(l)ic opinion. Why is media presenting a defence in that court? Caution?

It has not been definitively proved to the level required for a criminal case. Yet. So perhaps media are thinking we can't say it is "witting" until that has been proven to a higher standard.

Or perhaps they are thinking "horse race" and profits, as they always do.

Note: "media" is not equivalent to or congruent with "journalist".

[Pepsidog]

14. Good distinction and discussion.

[ffr]

10. "if it's what you say I love it." That's about as cognitive understanding as it gets.

Jr. knew full well what he was doing. Ignorance of the law, especially when it comes to working with an adversary of your country? It doesn't matter that your father skirts the law or has chosen to work as an unregistered foreign agent. When you do it, you understand the jeopardy you put yourself and your family in.

[red dog 1]

12. Kick for exposure

[many a good man]

13. Holy Crap! Trump is snitching on Russian mafia to their big boss Putin?

PUTIN's priority requirement had been for intelligence on the activities , business and otherwise, in the US of leading Russian oligarchs and their families.

He's damn lucky he and his family have Secret Service protection!

[Pepsidog]

15. Yes and to think they would take a bullet for these traitors. Unpaid to boot.