Counting Trump’s shady Russian dealings
The latest revelation that ties the Trump campaign to Russia
US intelligence agencies have confirmed that emails from the Democratic National Committee and from Clinton campaign chair John Podesta were stolen by Russian hackers. And now in the latest string of indictments and guilty pleas announced by the Justice Department, the evidence suggests at least one Trump adviser knew of the theft in advance, and lied about it. The revelations come from George Papadopoulos, a foreign policy advisor to the Trump campaign, who met with Russian sources who told him of Clinton’s stolen emails, several months before they were released. His guilty plea upends our timeline of what the Trump campaign knew about the Russian hacks, and when they knew it.
As more Trump folks are linked to Russia, possibility of collusion looking more like reality: Our view
Flames are still not visible. But the smoke billowing out of allegations that Russians colluded with the Trump campaign is thicker and darker than ever.
That wasn’t the case at the start. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, during a confirmation hearing in January, flatly denied knowing of any Trump campaign surrogates talking with Russians. President Trump echoed the same before reporters in February: “nobody that I know of. … Russia is a ruse.”
OPPOSING VIEW: Trump camp too disorganized to collude
What a difference 10 months of investigations make. Tuesday, for the fourth time this year, Sessions will trek to the Hill to clean up previously misleading statements about Russian developments.
The reality, so far, is that there have been nine Trump associates in contact with Russians during the campaign or transition:
► Then-campaign chairman Paul Manafort, recently indicted on money laundering charges, participated in a June 2016, meeting at Trump Tower with a Moscow intermediary offering dirt on Hillary Clinton. He later offered to brief a Russian oligarch with close ties to the Kremlin about the campaign. To read more go to the link below:
