There was collusion !

[kentuck]

Since Barr came out with his little speech that there was no collusion and no obstruction, we have heard Trump say it over and over. It is not surprising if most Americans believe there was no collusion.

There was a lot of collusion. There just was not enough evidence to criminally convict. It is a lie to say there was no collusion.

When, Don Jr, Jared, and Manafort met with the Russians in Trump Tower, hoping to get dirt on Hillary, that was collusion.

When Trump sent Cohen and Sater to Moscow, during the middle of his campaign, to try and make a deal to build a Trump Tower in Moscow, that was collusion.

When Erik Prince met with the Russian in the Seychelles, to discuss a nuclear deal in the Middle East, that was collusion.

When Jared Kushner attempted to create a secret channel for communicating with the Russians, from the Russian Embassy, that was collusion.

There was a shitload of collusion but Mueller did not find the evidence that they criminally conspired. That is a big difference.

But it is a big lie when they say there was no collusion, There were many instances of collusion. To repeat over and over that there was "no collusion" does not make it true.

[Funtatlaguy]

1. Indeed.

[cilla4progress]

2. Do you think this has or is

gaining traction among the populace at large?

Any recent poll data?

Seems to me it would be a moving target...daily fluctuations, hopefully increasing...

[unblock]

3. In fact, mueller said a thorough fbi investigation might produce enough evidence to indict

So basically, the only reason there isn't enough collusion evidence already is because the obstruction was effective.

[Chin music]

4. And the report said they didn't think they received all the evidence they requested, from almost

every aspect the investigation. Some places the report said other conclusions could have been easily made, should he have been given that information.

[NewJeffCT]

11. I've been thinking since the beginning

that once Barr was confirmed, he told Mueller to stop (or wrap up) his investigation and get his final report to him in 30 days or something like that. Barr was confirmed on February 14th and Mueller sent his report to Barr on March 21 or 22? So, a little over 30 days, so maybe Barr takes a few days to settle into the role.

[kentuck]

12. I think Mueller was ordered to end the investigation...

That was one of the requirements for Barr to get the job.

[Chin music]

28. I do too Ken.

[Chin music]

27. Hmmm.

Interesting.

[BigmanPigman]

29. Yep, I am almost sure of it.

Too neat and convenient in the timing of the events.

[kentuck]

5. It could also be argued..

...thst after Trump fired Comey, and met and laughed with the Russians in the White House, with only Russian media, was obvious collusion.

And when he stood on the stage in Helsinki with Vladimir Putin and denigrated America as he was praising Putin, many thought they were colluding.

There are many examples of collusion. We should not forget them.

[FakeNoose]

31. Yep, definitely Helsinki was an obvious instance

What about other Repukes meeting with Putin as a messenger for Chump?
Rand Paul comes to mind. There have been others.

[Chin music]

32. Amen Ken.

This last 2 years has been RIFE RIFE will illicit and illegal, and dangerous behavior. It puts all of America at risk. We hire Congress to do a job. I'm really hoping someone pulls off something unexpected. I'm glad Muell is coming to congress, but, why not next week? That way we'll know if he is going to be "barred" from testifying and we can step all this up a bit. Surely by now Mueller is aware he was going to be called. Not being a pain, but, why the 2 weeks? So trump can spin and change everything? What if we lose 2 more weeks? I want to hope for the best, but lordy, this has gone on long enough. We've been patient. Seems like stonewalling and caterwalling in the extreme. Not sure what to think about all of it. We've been fooled before. Come on guy, HE can make arrangements w Congress to come in sooner if he chooses. The 2 weeks is just an arbitrary time frame to assist him in arranging his testimony. Seriously, this whole admin has gotten by with deadlines 2 weeks, a month, two months out, and we just accept it now. That's how we got two+ years into this instead of throwing him right out somehow. Remember "Give him a chance." I do.
Meanwhile no real big protests or demonstrations are triggered and time goes by, and America fractures a little more each day. No urgency on fixing the voting boxes other than from congressional dems and those in the senate. trump sold us to russia. We all know it.
The Dems led By Congressman Nadler, requested the unredacted report by Monday. That's a big relief. Go Jerry.

[spanone]

6. K&R...

[Iliyah]

7. Majority of Americans know it was collusion and

Obstruction of Justice. They are still doing it. Case in point, t-rump & putin and the Mueller investigation is OVER bullshit.

Ding ding ding. Many Americans find that quite odd.

The talking point for Republicans, courtesy of putin.

[mopinko]

8. i dont get why the payoff is not the central issue here.

within days they were changing sanctions and leaking secrets.
the inauguration was a smorgasbord of pay to play, full of russians.

they were rewarded w official acts. why isnt that the take home?

[Ohioboy]

15. Good point!

That hardly ever gets mentioned.

[NewJeffCT]

18. Isn't the inauguration

a separate investigation?

[librechik]

9. They're fascists. They have to repeat the lie over and over again until folks believe it

because common sense goes only so far when all the other Germans live in the same lie bubble.

[TalenaGor]

10. I think it's obvious that if there was no obstruction they would have found a lot more collusion

[Ohioboy]

13. Anytime Trump tried to thwart or diminish the investigation into Russian interference was collusion

He even went as far as to agree with Putin in Helsinki! As far as the investigation goes, he aided the enemy at every turn.

[C Moon]

14. It was a collision of collusion!

[Perseus]

16. "There just was not enough evidence to criminally convict."

Shouldn't even one contact be enough to convict? Don Jr definitely colluded (conspired) with the Russians to get dirt on Hillary Clinton. The buffoon made up the story about the adoption, to me that is conspiracy. Where do they get there was not enough evidence?

The buffoon, in front of the whole World at Helsinki, conspired with Putin to absolve Russia of wrong doing, that is not a conspiracy?

[kentuck]

17. I have thought about that also...

But, it would be quite a scar on America around the world to admit that Russia played America's president like a fiddle... It would be a national embarrassment.

[maxsolomon]

30. To prove Conspiracy, you have to show evidence that an AGREEMENT was made between parties.

Mueller said that, because he was lied to so many times by Trumps myrmidons, and also because the CONSPIRATORS were smart enough to only TACITLY agree to CONSPIRE, not explicitly in writing, that it could not be proved beyond a reasonable doubt.

The US Congress is not held to the same standard of evidence.

IMPEACH.

[Botany]

19. There was collusion

When Manafort sent polling data/advanced data analytics to the Russians in order to
micro target WI, MI, PA, NC, FL, and other swing states.

When Trump and company changed the RNC platform to make it "Putin friendly."

When Trump said, "Russia if you are listening .... "

When the Trump campaign, the RNC, and Congressional Republicans used stolen
material that was sent to them via Wikileaks.

When Trump and Senate Republicans took millions of $s from the NRA which was
Russian money.

When the Trump campaign HQ had a computer server linked to Alfa Bank, Putin, and
Cambridge Analytica.

The many many times that Trump tried to shut down any investigations into Russia's
interference in our elections.

When the Trump campaign/the RNC/Fox News and others used Facebook to spread lies
in order to hurt HRC and the dems.

When Carter Page made all his trips to Russia.

When the FBI told the Trump campaign to contact them when and if Russia reached out
to them which they did and Trump & company didn't report it.

When Ryan & McConnell stone walled letting the American people know about Russia in
2016.

251 contacts between Team Trump and Russia.

https://themoscowproject.org/explainers/trumps-russia-cover-up-by-the-numbers-70-contacts-with-russia-linked-operatives/

BTW we really don't know what Mueller found out because of Barr & company.

[kentuck]

20. Thanks Botany!

There was just so much frigging collusion!

[Botany]

21. Just found this one

https://themoscowproject.org/explainers/trumps-russia-cover-up-by-the-numbers-70-contacts-with-russia-linked-operatives/

[kentuck]

22. Good article!

<snip>
On April 18, 2019, a redacted copy of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s “Report On The Investigation Into Russian Interference In The 2016 Presidential Election” (Mueller Report) was released to the public. The Mueller report builds on the U.S. intelligence community’s conclusion that there were two campaigns to elect Donald Trump— one run by Trump and one run by the Russian government. The Mueller report clearly identified collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, despite repeated denials from Trump and many of his senior advisers and close associates that there were any connections between the two campaigns.

A total of 251 contacts between Trump’s team and Russia-linked operatives have been identified, including at least 37 meetings. And we know that at least 33 high-ranking campaign officials and Trump advisers were aware of contacts with Russia-linked operatives during the campaign and transition, including Trump himself. None of these contacts were ever reported to the proper authorities. Instead, the Trump team tried to cover up every single one of them.

[Botany]

23. And what did every single one of those contacts have in common?

Team Trump lied about every one and or tried to cover it up.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100212069036 I made it into a thread. Can you give it some love.

[Kablooie]

24. They didn't find conspiracy, but collusion, which means secret cooperation to cheat, of course!

Trump thought he was being clever using a non legal term but it actually makes his statements lies.
If he said no conspiracy he could have been correct.

[maxsolomon]

25. There was a CONSPIRACY.

The meaning of "Collusion" has been debased by President Asshole.

Cooperation.
Coordination.

[VOX]

26. Nailed it.

CONSPIRACY it is. Couldn’t be more obvious.

[stuffmatters]

33. Excellent summary OP & thread.Trump clearly obstructed adequate conspiracy investigation.

An Trump never testified under pressure of perjury to Mueller( just submitted his massive written "I can't recalls)" Nor did Kushner Trump Jr or the other kids. Absence of those testimonies tip of the iceberg in missing evidence. Even without it tho, the abundance of evidence & events Mueller did document ( as so well listed in this thread) certainly point more to the probability of collusion,than not. Certainly "aiding & abetting" a hostile foreign power in order to win an election.

As others here suspect too, Barr shut it down for Trump and now keeps lying to the public & Congress to further obstruct the truth.

[sop]

34. Trump says, "no collusion!"

Yet, Trump asked for, received, benefitted from and rewarded Russia's assistance. He kept the conspiracy a secret and repeatedly lied about illegal actions that harmed and defrauded the electorate. These things have been proven. Trump openly bragged about most of it.