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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThe single most important fact in the Trump-Russia investigation is a never-discussed one.
https://tttthreads.com/thread/915685900214063105Link to tweet
(THREAD) The single most important fact in the Trump-Russia investigation is a never-discussed one. This thread discusses it. Please share.
1/ Investigators are now trying to determine *exactly* when every member of the Trump campaign found out Russia was working to elect Trump.
2/ These dates are of legal importance because they establish a "mens rea" (mental state) for possible crimes committed by Trump and others.
3/ Once Trump, his family, and/or his campaign aides knew Russia was committing crimes to assist Trump, certain actions became *prohibited*.
4/ For instance, once Trump had this knowledge, he could not publicly deny it without running afoul of federal Aiding and Abetting statutes.
5/ For instance, once Don Jr. had this knowledge he couldn't take any action in furtherance of a plan to benefit from Russia's illegal acts.
6/ Knowledge of Russian illegalitieseven broadlyis a necessary precursor to what we colloquially call "collusion" (not a legal term here).
7/ This is why *all* of Trump's most audacious liesand his family's, and his aides'center on their *knowledge* of what Russia was doing.
8/ Paul Manafort's excuse for not knowing Russia was working to elect Trump? (a) he didn't check his email; (b) he was looking at his phone.
9/ Jared Kushner's excuse for not knowing Russia was working to elect Trump? (a) he left a big meeting early; (b) he didn't check his email.
10/ What do the Trump aides who changed the GOP platform last July say in response to charges they were executing a quid pro quo for Russia?
11/ They say (a) they were executing orders Trump gave March 31, 2016; (b) but don't blame Trump, because he didn't know what we were doing.
12/ What's *Trump's* excuse as to Russia working to elect himafter *admitting* he knew and then *getting briefed on it* on August 17, 2016?
13/ Why, he just didn't *believe* what U.S. intel agencies said, of course! He just didn't *believe* the mountains of evidence we all saw!
14/ Now ask yourself: does Bob Mueller believe any of these lies? Does the FBI? Does the DOJ? Do American voters? Would a duly-seated jury?
15/ FACT: Don was directly told by a trusted friend that Putin was working to elect his dad. He knew this as of the first week of June 2016.
16/ Now consider: despite the way the Russia issue blew up after June 2016, Don says he *never told his dad* Putin was working to elect him.
17/ Don, Jared, and Manafort say they *never* discussed the issue againwith *anyone*and deliberately plotted to keep this info from Trump.
18/ Do *you* believe that? Do you think Mueller does? Or the FBI? The DOJ? Most American voters? Most American Congressmen? Future jurors?
19/ You think Don sat there watching Russia news every single day for *months*, yet never told daddy Putin was confirmed as "in his corner"?
20/ Do you believe thatonce the Russia news broke shortly after June 2016
Kushner and Manafort *never went back to look at their emails*?
21/ Do you think Kushner and Manafort werestart to finishin the dark about who Veselnitskaya was, who she worked for, and what she wanted?
22/ Do you believe *none* of the Russia news between June 2016 and this summer caused Kushner *or* Manafort to reflect back on that meeting?
23/ Why did Trump witness-tamper with his sonexposing himself/Don to *prison*with false statements on the meeting? Why? Knowledge matters.
24/ This explains fantastical tales of phone-checking/email-ignoring at the *exact* moments knowledgelegally speakingcould be established.
25/ This explains Trump's increasingly grotesque and deranged denials of reality on Russian interference: if he says otherwise, *knowledge*.
26/ This is why the news that Don and Ivanka were about to be charged with felony fraud matters. It goes to their honestywhich is now key.
27/ Don/Ivanka *repeatedly lied to consumers* about how many Trump SoHo units had sold. So do you think they'd lie to save dad's presidency?
28/ And this is why every single lie Trump tells is legally relevant on the question of his reputation/propensity for honesty versus deceit.
29/ Trump admitted Russia was helpingthen was briefed on itthen reversed course and said otherwise when he saw the danger of an admission.
30/ But his reputation for deceitit's legendarywould prompt an investigator or juror to presume his initial briefing sealed his knowledge.
31/ The danger *now* is non-attorney journalists confusing evidence of Aiding and Abetting with "evidence of a cover-up." They're different.
32/ There's evidence of a cover-upMueller could get Trump on Obstruction with a jury right nowbut also Aiding and Abetting a Russian plot.
33/ The evidence of a cover-up overlaps in many particulars with the evidence Trump and his team knew Russia was interfering, then aided it.
34/ For instance, it *isn't* legal for Trump to learn on August 17th, 2016 that Russia was committing crimes against the U.S., and *then*...
35/ ...send his chief foreign policy aideSessionsto negotiate *unilateral sanctions-lifting* with Russia's ambassador three weeks later.
36/ So let's stop talking collusiona vague and meaningless term in this legal scenarioand instead discuss "knowledge of illegal activity."
37/ Don, Jared, and Manafort were on *legal notice* that Russia was illegally stealing information from June 9, 2016 onwardat the *latest*.
38/ So no, Don wasn't entitled to take that meetinggiven what he'd been told. And Manafort couldn't push a GOP platform change weeks later.
39/ Indeed, arguably, the *entire campaign* was on notice Russia aimed to secretly negotiate with and aid Trump from March 24, 2016 onward.
40/ On that date, Papadopoulos told seven senior Trump staffers that Putin wanted to meet with Trumpand felt Trump could improve relations.
41/ On that basis, *any* subsequent revelation that Russia was committing crimes should've been read by the campaign as a pro-Trump proffer.
42/ Note that, in this analysis, I'm approaching this as a former criminal attorney and former criminal investigatorwe *do* think this way.
43/ The media can'tit feelscall Trump a liar when he lies to (dis)establish his legal knowledge. But as an attorney, I see it differently.
44/ But as we enter the intermediate stages of the Mueller probe, we *all* must be thinking in legal termsas we're in the legal sphere now.
45/ So if you want to talk Russia on social media, I'd suggest focusing on the date each actor had knowledge of Russia's illegal acts. {end}
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The single most important fact in the Trump-Russia investigation is a never-discussed one. (Original Post)
CousinIT
Oct 2017
OP
Angry Dragon
(36,693 posts)1. food for thought
canetoad
(17,171 posts)2. Before I read this
Thank you so much CousinIT, for taking the time to copy/paste the tweets into a readable piece.
I really enjoy Seth Abrahmson's writing. This will be good.
we can do it
(12,189 posts)7. Yes, thank you.
Pacifist Patriot
(24,653 posts)9. Adding my thanks.
Big help for someone like me!
NBachers
(17,126 posts)3. What did they know, and when did they know it?
WinkyDink
(51,311 posts)4. Now THIS is an enlightening and thorough post. Should be REQUIRED READING.
malaise
(269,094 posts)5. The word is TREASON
Time for America to grow some big boy pants and deal with TREASON
oasis
(49,394 posts)6. Keep after these traitorous scum.
CK_John
(10,005 posts)8. IMO, you have too much faith in Mueller getting an indictment.