Well, OK, but there’s a difference between “working to get Clinton elected” and funneling some money into DNC coffers (as an example of something relatively minor) so they could hold someone’s feet to the fire at a later time should it prove useful.
That’s all I meant, that it wouldn’t surprise me if they hedged their bets in case other plans didn’t work out, not that they had equal effort on both sides or didn’t prefer one outcome over the other. Or, if you prefer, perhaps they did so, so that they could then go to the opposite side and say, “guess what those guys are doing”.
Daagar
3681
Haha, shame on me for not linking the story. Usually by the time I read the news, it is old hat. Rare that I’m the first to mention something!
I’ve seen the text of the statement Jr made, but I’m confused on what the original source was (was this a press release blasted out to a bunch of outlets?) and why did he make a statement at all (other than being a doofus…did something prompt the statement?). Trying and failing to understand the context.
I’m skeptical this is true. The conventional wisdom is that the Russians were as surprised as the rest of us that Trump won. Their objective was to undermine confidence in a Clinton administration. Getting Trump elected was a happy accident.
Also, if there was any financial connection between Russia and the Clinton campaign, we’d probably know about it by now. Instead, we got silliness about how she gave Russia all the uranium, or whatever other stupid “you’re the puppet” counter-allegations Trump could muster.
The New York Times was fact checking an article they were going to run. That involved contacting Trump Jr, who released the statement because he knew he was about to be outed.
-Tom
Ok, but the original article was yesterday. Jr. Has released two statements.
So, the timeline goes something like this:
–
Original article on Saturday in Times
First Jr statement
Follow-up interviews after that with WH aides by WaPo lead to additional info saying pretext of meeting was anti-Clinton fodder
Jr hears about this and releases second statement
Is that about right? And again, this was a widely disseminated press release? It wasn’t just a statement to the Times, because I’ve seen other sites saying things along the lines of “In a statement to BuzzFeed” etc.
And yes, Trump getting elected was a happy accident. All the more reason they could have had some fingers in the other pie. Not saying it happened, just that it wouldn’t surprise me if they had at least tried.
@Timex, yeah I saw that nonsense a while ago.
Yes.
The original story – a Post story confirming the Times story – are sourced, apparently to FIVE separate administration insiders. It was their information, given to the press, that caused Donald Jr to issue two separate statements on consecutive days.
Ok, thanks for confirming. Sorry if that seems silly. Just trying to understand what happened.
Kind of interesting, isn’t it, that no one is saying (for once, at least that I’ve heard) that the real story is the leakers.
The really interesting part of all of this is why the White House is going out of its way to not only confirm a meeting, but to give really damning details about what occurred there.
I think I agree with the theory that someone involved with that meeting is talking to investigators, and the White House is trying to get out ahead of this.
Not silly at all! That was the first thing I wondered: why on earth would Donald Trump Jr. release a statement saying that?
-Tom
ShivaX
3694
It’s both. Putin is KGB, that’s how they operate: by blackmail.
It helps that Trump is an idiot narcissist so that you can say one nice thing and he’ll do anything for you.
This is the key thing, and why Misguided’s suggestion that the Russians would make a serious attempt to get into the Clinton camp doesn’t parse.
The opportunity that existed in the Trump campaign for the Russians existed because of the same kind of stuff going on that we see happening with his administration: key spots in the campaign went un-filled, or were staffed by people who were under-qualified or had no idea how to do their jobs.
One of the dullest, wonkiest, hardest-to-fill but most important jobs in a national campaign is being the legal clearance/compliance person. Typically it’s someone who has both a law degree as well as extensive background or education in public policy. This person is the no-fun person, who reminds the rest of the campaign that the documents of dubious origin being shopped to them purporting to be eyewitness accounts of the opponent kidnapping babies and bathing in the blood of virgins are probably the work of cranks and hoaxsters, and not to touch that shit with a ten foot pole.
This is the person who is constantly making sure the campaign reigns itself in from getting itself into trouble. It’s likely that the Trump campaign didn’t have anyone in this capacity, or the persons in that capacity were unqualified and made the Trump campaign a very juicy target for the Alt-Right, the Russians, and anyone else who wanted to jump on that train.
The Clinton campaign, whatever else its many faults, was perhaps over-staffed on that position. If anything, her campaign was overly suspicious and paranoid of outside groups, to a fault (literally.)
