This is a VERY important point.
Following this logic, even merely knowing about and not reporting assistance by others violates federal election law.
Who needs “collusion” when you have the far easier election finance law violations to prosecute.
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Following this logic, even merely knowing about and not reporting assistance by others violates federal election law.
Who needs “collusion” when you have the far easier election finance law violations to prosecute.
1/
The gist here is that knowing but not reporting that another party (who happen to be Russian) is spending money to further your campaign is in and of itself a crime.
It doesn’t matter if you “colluded” with them on their actual efforts.
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It doesn’t matter if you “colluded” with them on their actual efforts.
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Mueller appears to be creating a scenario where merely proving the Trump campaign KNEW others were working in their favor is enough to convict.
That DRAMATICALLY lowers the burden of proof and ups the legal jeopardy for the entire Trump campaign.
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That DRAMATICALLY lowers the burden of proof and ups the legal jeopardy for the entire Trump campaign.
3/
We’ll have to see how the legal eagles interpret this but my speculation:
By tomorrow, it will have dawned on the talking heads that Mueller just took the need to prove “collusion” right off the table...
...and pulled the rope tighter around Team Trump.
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By tomorrow, it will have dawned on the talking heads that Mueller just took the need to prove “collusion” right off the table...
...and pulled the rope tighter around Team Trump.
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p.s. Mueller also just established a crime... Russian interference... which makes any effort to cover it up obstruction.
Obstruction requires knowledge of a crime.
Mueller just laid out the crime.
Obstruction requires knowledge of a crime.
Mueller just laid out the crime.
...and Mueller just stated in an indictment that Team Trump had knowledge of that crime... regardless of whether they knew who the actors really were.
Thus: we’re one tiny step away from Mueller connecting those dots:
Thus: we’re one tiny step away from Mueller connecting those dots:
Team Trump had knowledge of violations of campaign finance law... and acted to obstruct justice.
This is a pretty big deal IMHO.
Now, Mueller merely needs to prove that the Trump campaign knew they were receiving campaign support.
This is a pretty big deal IMHO.
Now, Mueller merely needs to prove that the Trump campaign knew they were receiving campaign support.
