When Trump first started bleating “no collusion, no collusion,” some attorneys correctly pointed out that conspiracy was the correct charge. They noted that collusion pertained only antitrust violations and did not apply to criminal or counterintelligence activities such as election fraud and the recruitment of assets for foreign governments. But it may be Trump, inadvertently, stumbled on an apt description of part of what was involved in the Russian affair.
The proposed deal between Trump, Russian oligarchs, and the Kremlin to build a “Trump Tower” in Moscow also included Russian promises to help Trump win the election. To sweeten the deal for the Russians, Trump also promised to “give” Putin a penthouse valued at $50 million and lift the economic sanctions on Russia. (Lifting the sanctions would have also permitted the Kremlin-backed Alfa Bank to finance the tower.)
Trump lied about the existence of this proposed project, worth hundreds of millions of dollars, on numerous occasions. These lies not only shows consciousness of criminal behavior but they also open Trump and his associates opened themselves up to blackmail by the Russians. The Russians knew Trump and his associates were lying and were thus in a position to coerce them.
Trump deceived American voters about a Moscow business deal. He gained an unfair advantage over the Hillary Clinton while the Russians gained an unfair advantage in short-circuiting economic sanctions. But there are a lot more charges likely to be brought against Trump than just collusion or conspiracy.
Besides any charges that may arise out of the Moscow Tower, Special Counsel, Robert Mueller’s sentencing memo, filed for former Trump lawyer, Michael Cohen, made it clear that Trump illegally funneled payoffs to two women to keep his sexual liaisons secret. Besides the campaign violations involved in payments to these women, there are likely other crimes such as bank fraud and money laundering.
The proposed deal between Trump, Russian oligarchs, and the Kremlin to build a “Trump Tower” in Moscow also included Russian promises to help Trump win the election. To sweeten the deal for the Russians, Trump also promised to “give” Putin a penthouse valued at $50 million and lift the economic sanctions on Russia. (Lifting the sanctions would have also permitted the Kremlin-backed Alfa Bank to finance the tower.)
Trump lied about the existence of this proposed project, worth hundreds of millions of dollars, on numerous occasions. These lies not only shows consciousness of criminal behavior but they also open Trump and his associates opened themselves up to blackmail by the Russians. The Russians knew Trump and his associates were lying and were thus in a position to coerce them.
Trump deceived American voters about a Moscow business deal. He gained an unfair advantage over the Hillary Clinton while the Russians gained an unfair advantage in short-circuiting economic sanctions. But there are a lot more charges likely to be brought against Trump than just collusion or conspiracy.
Besides any charges that may arise out of the Moscow Tower, Special Counsel, Robert Mueller’s sentencing memo, filed for former Trump lawyer, Michael Cohen, made it clear that Trump illegally funneled payoffs to two women to keep his sexual liaisons secret. Besides the campaign violations involved in payments to these women, there are likely other crimes such as bank fraud and money laundering.
https://www.newyorker.com/news/swamp-chronicles/the-michael-cohen-sentencing-memos-are-damning-for-trump
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https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/07/nyregion/michael-cohen-sentence.html?smid=nytcore-ipad-share&smprod=nytcore-ipad
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