Forget collusion; conspiracy's the watchword in Mueller's filings

NEW YORK — For a look at how special counsel Robert Mueller could tie Russian election interference to American citizens, watch the C-word.

Not coordination or collusion, but conspiracy.

One charge in particular — conspiracy to defraud the U.S. — has cropped up in several of the Mueller team’s major cases. The allegation shows up in filings against former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, as well as in indictments of Russian nationals accused earlier this month of hacking into Democratic Party organizations and election infrastructure.

Conspiracy charges are significant because they’re building blocks: Once prosecutors allege a conspiracy, they can add more individuals later.

President Donald Trump and his circle have long focused on a different buzzword, saying that there was no collusion with Russians, and subsequently that if there was collusion, Trump wasn’t aware of it. Now comes Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani. “I don’t even know if that’s a crime, colluding about Russians,” Giuliani told CNN this week. Trump echoed that in a tweet: “Collusion is not a crime.”

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/forget-collusion-conspiracys-the-watchword-in-muellers-filings/ar-BBLkiAJ?li=BBnbcA1

Sounds like Giuliani might have wiffed this one.