According to a summary of the Mueller Report from two former US Attorneys, Barbara McQuade and Joyce Vance, the Mueller Report states the following nine specific areas of interference.
There were five links listed between the Trump Campaign and the Russian government in the broad area of "Collusion."
- "a Russian entity carried out a social media campaign that favored candidate Donald J. Trump and disparaged candidate Hillary Clinton."
- "a Russian intelligence service conducted computer-intrusion operations" against the Clinton campaign and then released stolen documents.
While there was no established conspiracy between members of the Trump campaign and the Russians, Mueller made it clear that "that does not mean there was no evidence of those facts." Bottom line, Mueller's report stated that Russia interfered in the 2016 election in "sweeping and systematic fashion." Am I the only person who feels this is a major deal? Should it be swept under a rug as "closed case?"
3. "the investigation established that the Russian government perceived it would benefit from a Trump presidency and worked to secure that outcome ..."
4. ... and "that the (Trump) campaign would benefit electorally from information stolen from and released through Russian efforts."
To find conspiracy, a prosecutor must establish beyond a reasonable doubt the elements of the crime: an agreement between at least two people, to commit a criminal offense and an overt act in furtherance of that agreement. One of the underlying criminal offenses that Mueller reviewed for conspiracy was campaign-finance violations.
5. Mueller found that Trump campaign members Donald Trump, Jr., Paul Manafort, and Jared Kushner met with Russian nationals in Trump Tower in New York in June, 2016 for the purpose of receiving disparaging information about Clinton as part of "Russia and its government's support for Mr. Trump."
Mueller 's team was not able to confirm that the information obtained was worth at least $25,000, which defines a campaign finance to be a felony as opposed to a civil violation of the law. In any event, it was clear that the Trump campaign officials welcomed foreign influence into our election, then covered it up. Other contacts with Russia were documented including sharing polling data about Midwestern states where Trump won upset victories, and other improper actions. None of these acts legally amounted to "conspiracy," yet all could be described as "collusion."
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In the area of "Obstruction," there were at least four areas by Trump in which all elements of the obstruction statue were satisfied.
- Attempting to fire Mueller
- Directing White House counsel Don McGahn to lie and create a false document about efforts to fire Mueller
- Attempting to limit the investigation to future elections
- (and) Attempting to prevent Manafort from cooperating with the government.
Mueller's report stated "while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him." This has been cited widely as evidence of "no obstruction" but Mueller makes it clear that he cannot make a "traditional prosecution decision"about obstruction of justice because he was bound by the Department of Justice policy that a sitting president cannot be charged with a crime. In his words, he undertook to "preserve the evidence when memories were fresh and documentary materials were available."
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National dialogues now seem to be going on to the next little bits of ironic and surprising news. Each day is a "breaking news" cyclone. I don't remember, in my seventy-seven years, of any American administration in such constant turbulence. The President campaigned on "Draining the Swamp" and we find ourselves with a great deal, if not the majority of his administration at the cabinet and deputy level now gone, some under criminal bases, others just "gone," and replaced with "acting"people who do not go through Congressional vetting and approval. A large number of ambassadors are gone and their subordinates or others are acting. The new normal is Presidency by Tweet, bypassing the usual press conduits. If nothing else, Trump has changed the office a great deal. He is benefiting from a fantastically buoyant economy, so credit the administration, the tax cut, and the head of steam he inherited since the catastrophic financial collapse of late 2008.
Enjoy life, it's the only one we will get.
Jim George
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* Please check out my books and blogs on my author website:
www.authorjkgeorge.com
and recommend them to your friends. Also, recall that I’ll travel to any book club or radio club within two hours of Austin to discuss either of the books and answer any questions. Any and all comments are welcome either by email to my return address, n3bb@mindspring.com, or to the website in the comments section after any blog.
* Reunion is available in stock at Tamarack on the West Virginia Turnpike as well as at amazon.com and other Internet locations. It’s under consideration for a movie.
*Contact Sport is in stock in hardcover print form at any of the thirteen HRO (Ham Radio Outlet) stores nationwide as well as at DX-Engineering and the American Radio Relay League. In addition, many Barnes and Noble stores nationwide carry it in stock, and they as well as Book People in Austin or any independent bookstore can order it. You can buy direct at my website’s link for a personalized copy. In addition, Contact Sport is available in either eBook or/and audible book formats.
