A Diminished Wall
When Donald Trump first proposed a border wall between the United States and Mexico, he said it would be 2,000 miles long. During the Republican presidential debates, he shortened the wall to 1,000 miles without giving any explanation for the change. The wall has continued to shorten and be less "beautiful." President Trump has recently scaled back the length of the wall to the 700-900 mile range; also, the roughly 600 miles already protected by walls, fences or other barriers may count toward the overall length.
In the campaign, Trump described a wall about 30 feet high, built of steel. Now he doesn't specify height, but wants holes in it so that it can be seen through, as drug cartels may be hurling 60-pound bags of drugs over the wall. Trump is also seriously thinking about putting solar panels on the wall and he says companies are looking into it.
Macron and Netanyahu on Settlements
French President Emmanuel Macron told Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu: "The problem is that you're making it more complicated by building more and more in the settlements." Macron told Netanyahu that President Trump told him that there is an opportunity for peace in the Middle East and he, Macron, supports Trump's efforts.
Netanyahu answered that: "It will be complicated to move quickly with the American plan." Netanyahu also said that Trump is focusing too much on Palestinian President Abbas and he needs a parallel process with the Arab states.
ADDENDUMS:
*Vice President Mike Pence said in a keynote address at the Christians United for Israel summit in Washington D.C.: "I promise you that the day will come when President Trump moves the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem."
*Attorney General Jeff Sessions has said: "The president has also directed me to issue guidelines on how to apply federal religious liberty protections. The department is finalizing this guidance, and I will soon issue it."
*Rather than "rip it up," President Trump will certify the deal with Iran on nuclear weapons, which must be done every 90 days. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has said that Iran "is unequivocally in default of the 'spirit' of the agreement," whatever that means. Yet, Trump remains convinced that the deal is a bad one for the United States.
*The Trump Organization has its clothing and home goods made in countries such as China, Mexico. Bangladesh and Pakistan. Ivanka Trump's clothing line relies on factories in China, Indonesia and Bangladesh. Now-departed press secretary Sean Spicer defended Trump's use of overseas manufacturing, because, as a businessman, he has "a unique understanding of regulations and other conditions that make it difficult for companies to make their goods in the U.S."
Monday, July 31, 2017
Wednesday, July 26, 2017
CSR "Crash and Burn" and Roll Back Curbs on Civil-Asset Forfeiture
Let CSR "Crash and Burn"
In late June, Trump press secretary, Sean Spicer, said that President Trump would continue CSR (cost-sharing reduction payments) but only on a monthly basis. These payments partially subsidize deductions and co-payments for more than seven million low-income persons. Spicer argued that if Trump promised to pay the subsidies long-term, it would "prop up a failed system."
On June 26, Trump tweeted a threat to let "Ocare crash and burn!" On the same day, he tweeted: "Republican Senators are working very hard to get there, without help from the Democrats. Not easy! Perhaps just let OCare crash and burn!" In an interview with The Economist in May, Trump said: There is no Obamacare, it's dead. Plus we're subsidizing it and we don't have to subsidize it. You know if I ever stop wanting to pay the subsidies, which I will." "Anything I want!"
Civil-Asset Forfeiture Curbs Rolled Back
Attorney General Jeff Sessions has rolled back Obama-era curbs on civil-asset forfeiture, describing it as a "key tool that helps law enforcement defund organizing crime, take back ill-gotten gains, and prevent new crimes from being committed."
The Department of Justice inspector general's report in April found that federal forfeiture programs had taken in $28 billion over the past decade, and the Washington Post reported that civil-forfeiture seizures nationwide in 2015 surpassed the collective losses from all burglaries that same year. The inspector general's report also found that half of the Drug Enforcement Agency's forfeiture income wasn't tied to any broader law-enforcement purpose.
Kanya Bennett, a legislative counsel for the ACLU, said: "Civil-asset forfeiture is testament to policing for profit, generating millions of dollars annually that the agencies get to keep." Darpana Sheth, a senior attorney at the libertarian nonprofit law firm Institute for Justice, said: "The only safeguard to protect Americans from civil forfeiture is to eliminate its use altogether." "The Department of Justice's supposed safeguards amount to little more than window dressing of an outrageous abuse of power."
ADDENDUMS:
*Trump (July 18 tweet): "As I have always said, let Obamacare fail and then come together and do a great healthcare plan. Stay tuned!"
*The U.S. 2015 per capita healthcare expenditures were more than double those of the following countries: Canada, France, Australia, Japan, Britain, Italy and the OECD average.
*The latest CBO score of the Better Care Reconciliation Act says 32 million would lose health insurance by 2026 and average premiums would increase by 25 percent initially and double over the long-term.
*Trump is considering a crackdown on imported steel. Opponents say it could lead to job losses, a fight at the World Trade Organization, and possible trade wars.
In late June, Trump press secretary, Sean Spicer, said that President Trump would continue CSR (cost-sharing reduction payments) but only on a monthly basis. These payments partially subsidize deductions and co-payments for more than seven million low-income persons. Spicer argued that if Trump promised to pay the subsidies long-term, it would "prop up a failed system."
On June 26, Trump tweeted a threat to let "Ocare crash and burn!" On the same day, he tweeted: "Republican Senators are working very hard to get there, without help from the Democrats. Not easy! Perhaps just let OCare crash and burn!" In an interview with The Economist in May, Trump said: There is no Obamacare, it's dead. Plus we're subsidizing it and we don't have to subsidize it. You know if I ever stop wanting to pay the subsidies, which I will." "Anything I want!"
Civil-Asset Forfeiture Curbs Rolled Back
Attorney General Jeff Sessions has rolled back Obama-era curbs on civil-asset forfeiture, describing it as a "key tool that helps law enforcement defund organizing crime, take back ill-gotten gains, and prevent new crimes from being committed."
The Department of Justice inspector general's report in April found that federal forfeiture programs had taken in $28 billion over the past decade, and the Washington Post reported that civil-forfeiture seizures nationwide in 2015 surpassed the collective losses from all burglaries that same year. The inspector general's report also found that half of the Drug Enforcement Agency's forfeiture income wasn't tied to any broader law-enforcement purpose.
Kanya Bennett, a legislative counsel for the ACLU, said: "Civil-asset forfeiture is testament to policing for profit, generating millions of dollars annually that the agencies get to keep." Darpana Sheth, a senior attorney at the libertarian nonprofit law firm Institute for Justice, said: "The only safeguard to protect Americans from civil forfeiture is to eliminate its use altogether." "The Department of Justice's supposed safeguards amount to little more than window dressing of an outrageous abuse of power."
ADDENDUMS:
*Trump (July 18 tweet): "As I have always said, let Obamacare fail and then come together and do a great healthcare plan. Stay tuned!"
*The U.S. 2015 per capita healthcare expenditures were more than double those of the following countries: Canada, France, Australia, Japan, Britain, Italy and the OECD average.
*The latest CBO score of the Better Care Reconciliation Act says 32 million would lose health insurance by 2026 and average premiums would increase by 25 percent initially and double over the long-term.
*Trump is considering a crackdown on imported steel. Opponents say it could lead to job losses, a fight at the World Trade Organization, and possible trade wars.
Monday, July 24, 2017
Assault on Press, Immigrant Mistreatment, NAFTA Myths and More
Free Press Under Assault
"But as we lurch from scandal to scandal, let us not lose sight of the fact that we are witnessing a dangerous, sustained, and increasingly violent assault on the free press." In the 24 hours following Greg Gianforte's physical assault on a newspaper reporter, his campaign to be Montana's sole U.S. House representative, raised almost $100,000. "For a certain section of the electorate, it would seem, violence against the press isn't a disqualification in a congressman; it' a bonus." [1]
Grover Norquist tweeted: "Congratulations to tax pledge signing Greg Gianforte who just body slammed tax liking Democrat pol." Also, in May, while on a gun range, Texas Governor Greg Abbott hoisted a target sheet riddled with bullet holes, and said: "I'm gonna carry this around in case I see any reporters."
There appears to be no political price to pay for violence.
Immigration Mistreatment
The Immigrant and Nationality Act of 1965 had allowed more people from Asia, Africa, and South America to come to the United States. Then the Immigration Act of 1990 increased the over-all number of visas.
The FBI's investigation into the 9/11 attacks became the largest in the Bureau's history. By the following summer, it had led to the arrest of 762 immigrants across the country; nearly 500 were picked up in New York and 254 were Pakistani. [2]
New York City officials calculate that 73,000 Pakistani's live in the five boroughs, although the true number is likely much higher. The number of Pakistanis detained is significant when referenced to a report on mistreatment of detainees at the Metropolitan Detention Center in New York. The report says that "some officers slammed detainees against the wall, twisted their arms and hands in painful ways, stepped on their leg restraint chains, and punished them by keeping them restrained for long periods of time."
Most of the 9/11 detainees were eventually deported for immigration violations.
NAFTA Myths
"If all countries tried to balance their trade with all countries, global commerce would break down. It would be too difficult to match every nation's export capacities with every nation's import needs." [3]
Economist C. Fred Bergsten notes that "as a share of their economies (gross domestic product, or GDP), Mexico and Canada have larger deficits than the United States." According to Samuelson, in 2016 the U.S. current account deficit was 2.6 percent of GDP, compared with current account deficits of 3.3 percent of GDP for Canada and about 2.7 percent of GDP for Mexico. "Our net deficit equaled 3.5 percent of total trade and about two-tenths of one percent of U.S. GDP. This hardly seems crushing." "The administration appears to perceive Mexico and perhaps Canada as surplus countries," writes Bergsten,"whereas they (more accurately) see themselves as deficit countries, seeking to increase exports or dampen imports. This is Trump's delusion."
Footnotes
[1] Lila Lalanis, "Free Press Under Assault," The Nation, June 19/26, 2017.
[2] Jennifer Gonnerman, "Neighbor Watched," The New Yorker, June 26, 2017.
[3] Robert J. Samuelson, "Trump's designs are built on myths," Albuquerque Journal, June 17, 2017.
"But as we lurch from scandal to scandal, let us not lose sight of the fact that we are witnessing a dangerous, sustained, and increasingly violent assault on the free press." In the 24 hours following Greg Gianforte's physical assault on a newspaper reporter, his campaign to be Montana's sole U.S. House representative, raised almost $100,000. "For a certain section of the electorate, it would seem, violence against the press isn't a disqualification in a congressman; it' a bonus." [1]
Grover Norquist tweeted: "Congratulations to tax pledge signing Greg Gianforte who just body slammed tax liking Democrat pol." Also, in May, while on a gun range, Texas Governor Greg Abbott hoisted a target sheet riddled with bullet holes, and said: "I'm gonna carry this around in case I see any reporters."
There appears to be no political price to pay for violence.
Immigration Mistreatment
The Immigrant and Nationality Act of 1965 had allowed more people from Asia, Africa, and South America to come to the United States. Then the Immigration Act of 1990 increased the over-all number of visas.
The FBI's investigation into the 9/11 attacks became the largest in the Bureau's history. By the following summer, it had led to the arrest of 762 immigrants across the country; nearly 500 were picked up in New York and 254 were Pakistani. [2]
New York City officials calculate that 73,000 Pakistani's live in the five boroughs, although the true number is likely much higher. The number of Pakistanis detained is significant when referenced to a report on mistreatment of detainees at the Metropolitan Detention Center in New York. The report says that "some officers slammed detainees against the wall, twisted their arms and hands in painful ways, stepped on their leg restraint chains, and punished them by keeping them restrained for long periods of time."
Most of the 9/11 detainees were eventually deported for immigration violations.
NAFTA Myths
"If all countries tried to balance their trade with all countries, global commerce would break down. It would be too difficult to match every nation's export capacities with every nation's import needs." [3]
Economist C. Fred Bergsten notes that "as a share of their economies (gross domestic product, or GDP), Mexico and Canada have larger deficits than the United States." According to Samuelson, in 2016 the U.S. current account deficit was 2.6 percent of GDP, compared with current account deficits of 3.3 percent of GDP for Canada and about 2.7 percent of GDP for Mexico. "Our net deficit equaled 3.5 percent of total trade and about two-tenths of one percent of U.S. GDP. This hardly seems crushing." "The administration appears to perceive Mexico and perhaps Canada as surplus countries," writes Bergsten,"whereas they (more accurately) see themselves as deficit countries, seeking to increase exports or dampen imports. This is Trump's delusion."
Footnotes
[1] Lila Lalanis, "Free Press Under Assault," The Nation, June 19/26, 2017.
[2] Jennifer Gonnerman, "Neighbor Watched," The New Yorker, June 26, 2017.
[3] Robert J. Samuelson, "Trump's designs are built on myths," Albuquerque Journal, June 17, 2017.
Friday, July 21, 2017
Diverse Items From My Writer's Notebook
Good News on the Clean-Energy Sector
"Three million Americans now work in the clean-energy sector, more than are employed in the oil, gas, and coal industries combined." Moreover, the Paris Agreement "commits the world's governments to leave behind oil, gas, and coal by mid-century -- a historic shift. It commits them to limit the global temperature to 2 degrees Celsius." Some of the greatest change is underway in China, which is rapidly shutting down coal plants and mines, and adding solar and wind plants. Although conservatives like to portray China as a laggard in addressing global warming, it is actually making its manufacturing sector more efficient, leaving behind the United States, hobbled by a global warming denier as its president. (Source: Mark Hartegaard, Enemy of Humanity," The Nation, July 3/10, 2017).
Daring to Dream
"[In] so many ways, Trump is not a rupture at all, but rather the culmination -- the logical end point -- of a great many dangerous stories our culture has been telling for a long time. That greed is good. That money is what matters in life."
"Trump is a mirror, held up not only to the United States but to the world." "A society with extreme inequality, unmasked neofascist tendencies, and an unraveling climate is sick, and neoliberalism, as one of the major drivers of all of these crises, is grossly inadequate medicine." "In the many domains Trump does not control, we need to aim higher in our ambitions and accomplish more with our actions." (Source: Naomi Klein, "Daring to Dream in the Age of Trump," The Nation, July 3/10, 2017).
British Labour's Revival
"The Labour manifest promised, without apology, to raise taxes one the wealthiest to restore Britain's welfare state, including free college tuition -- a magnet for the young. Labour's crucial insight was that the Brexit vote had less to do with Europe than with the state Britain's in: jobs and dignity lost, communities unraveling, education failing, the National Health Service in tatters, nurses depending on food banks, and homelessness on the rise while the wealthy continue to flourish, oblivious and insulated." (Source: Maria Margaronis, "Labour's Revival," The Nation, July 3/10, 2017).
The Neglected Under-Insured
The Commonwealth Fund found that in 2012 there were 31.7 million insured people under age 65 who were under-insured. Together with the 47.3 million who were uninsured, this meant at least 79 million people were at risk of not being able to afford needed care before the major reforms of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The ACA has reduced high medical care costs, while also covering the uninsured. Both the House and Senate GOP healthcare plans have provisions to reduce coverage guarantees, thereby substantially increasing the number of the under-insured.
A More Confrontational Europe
Jan Techau, the director of the Richard Holbrooke Forum at the American Academy in Berlin, said: "There is now a more openly confrontational language with the United States. The European public is already outspoken about Trump but now there is a more outspoken European leadership that won't paper over these divisions anymore." "Trump has no constraint and will say anything, and now the Europeans feel they can do the same, [and] that means less respect for each other, and less mutual confidence."
Francois Heisbourg, a French security analyst, said: "All reticence has gone away." "On an issue-by-issue basis, there is apparently no penalty for playing hardball with Trump without necessarily affecting security, on climate for example."
Treason, or Bordering on It
Richard Painter, head of the Government Ethics Office under President George W. Bush, has called Donald Trump Jr.'s setting up a meeting with a Russian lawyer and others, "treason," or bordering on treason. He said: "This is an effort to get opposition research on an opponent in an American political campaign from the Russians, who were known to be engaged in spying inside the United States." "We do not get opposition research from spies, we do not collaborate with Russian spies, unless we want to be accused of treason."
Breaking the GOP
Walter Shapiro, writing in "The Guardian," said: "In a sense, Republicans fit Colin Powell's Pottery Barn rule about Iraq: 'you break it, you own it.' Republican leaders, from Paul Ryan to Reince Priebus, allowed Trump to break the Republican Party and now they own the consequences. ... Where have you gone Howard Baker? Our nation lifts its lonely eyes to you."
Macron and Netanyahu Disagree on Mideast Peace
In their most recent meeting, French President Emmanuel Macron told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: "The problem is that you're making it more complicated by building more and more in the settlements." Macron told Netanyahu that Trump had told him that there is an opportunity for peace in the Middle East and he supports Trump's efforts. Netanyahu answered: "It will be complicated to move quickly on the American plan." Netanyahu also said that Trump is focusing too much on Abbas, the Palestinian leader, and he needs a parallel process with the Arab states.
"Three million Americans now work in the clean-energy sector, more than are employed in the oil, gas, and coal industries combined." Moreover, the Paris Agreement "commits the world's governments to leave behind oil, gas, and coal by mid-century -- a historic shift. It commits them to limit the global temperature to 2 degrees Celsius." Some of the greatest change is underway in China, which is rapidly shutting down coal plants and mines, and adding solar and wind plants. Although conservatives like to portray China as a laggard in addressing global warming, it is actually making its manufacturing sector more efficient, leaving behind the United States, hobbled by a global warming denier as its president. (Source: Mark Hartegaard, Enemy of Humanity," The Nation, July 3/10, 2017).
Daring to Dream
"[In] so many ways, Trump is not a rupture at all, but rather the culmination -- the logical end point -- of a great many dangerous stories our culture has been telling for a long time. That greed is good. That money is what matters in life."
"Trump is a mirror, held up not only to the United States but to the world." "A society with extreme inequality, unmasked neofascist tendencies, and an unraveling climate is sick, and neoliberalism, as one of the major drivers of all of these crises, is grossly inadequate medicine." "In the many domains Trump does not control, we need to aim higher in our ambitions and accomplish more with our actions." (Source: Naomi Klein, "Daring to Dream in the Age of Trump," The Nation, July 3/10, 2017).
British Labour's Revival
"The Labour manifest promised, without apology, to raise taxes one the wealthiest to restore Britain's welfare state, including free college tuition -- a magnet for the young. Labour's crucial insight was that the Brexit vote had less to do with Europe than with the state Britain's in: jobs and dignity lost, communities unraveling, education failing, the National Health Service in tatters, nurses depending on food banks, and homelessness on the rise while the wealthy continue to flourish, oblivious and insulated." (Source: Maria Margaronis, "Labour's Revival," The Nation, July 3/10, 2017).
The Neglected Under-Insured
The Commonwealth Fund found that in 2012 there were 31.7 million insured people under age 65 who were under-insured. Together with the 47.3 million who were uninsured, this meant at least 79 million people were at risk of not being able to afford needed care before the major reforms of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The ACA has reduced high medical care costs, while also covering the uninsured. Both the House and Senate GOP healthcare plans have provisions to reduce coverage guarantees, thereby substantially increasing the number of the under-insured.
A More Confrontational Europe
Jan Techau, the director of the Richard Holbrooke Forum at the American Academy in Berlin, said: "There is now a more openly confrontational language with the United States. The European public is already outspoken about Trump but now there is a more outspoken European leadership that won't paper over these divisions anymore." "Trump has no constraint and will say anything, and now the Europeans feel they can do the same, [and] that means less respect for each other, and less mutual confidence."
Francois Heisbourg, a French security analyst, said: "All reticence has gone away." "On an issue-by-issue basis, there is apparently no penalty for playing hardball with Trump without necessarily affecting security, on climate for example."
Treason, or Bordering on It
Richard Painter, head of the Government Ethics Office under President George W. Bush, has called Donald Trump Jr.'s setting up a meeting with a Russian lawyer and others, "treason," or bordering on treason. He said: "This is an effort to get opposition research on an opponent in an American political campaign from the Russians, who were known to be engaged in spying inside the United States." "We do not get opposition research from spies, we do not collaborate with Russian spies, unless we want to be accused of treason."
Breaking the GOP
Walter Shapiro, writing in "The Guardian," said: "In a sense, Republicans fit Colin Powell's Pottery Barn rule about Iraq: 'you break it, you own it.' Republican leaders, from Paul Ryan to Reince Priebus, allowed Trump to break the Republican Party and now they own the consequences. ... Where have you gone Howard Baker? Our nation lifts its lonely eyes to you."
Macron and Netanyahu Disagree on Mideast Peace
In their most recent meeting, French President Emmanuel Macron told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: "The problem is that you're making it more complicated by building more and more in the settlements." Macron told Netanyahu that Trump had told him that there is an opportunity for peace in the Middle East and he supports Trump's efforts. Netanyahu answered: "It will be complicated to move quickly on the American plan." Netanyahu also said that Trump is focusing too much on Abbas, the Palestinian leader, and he needs a parallel process with the Arab states.
Wednesday, July 12, 2017
When Did Trump Know?
During the Watergate hearings, Sen. Howard Baker (R-TN), asked the question that acquired iconic status: "When did [Nixon] know?" When did President Richard Nixon learn about the cover-up activities evolving from the break-in at the Watergate Complex housing Democratic Party headquarters? The same question is being asked in regard to when Donald Trump learned of the meeting of three of his election campaign officials with a Russian lawyer who had been identified in an email as being an emissary from the Russian government.
Donald Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr., received an email on June 3, 2016 from Rod Goldstone, a man he met at the 1993 Miss Universe pageant in Moscow. The email read that a lawyer connected to the Russian government had negative information -- or "dirt" -- about his election opponent, Hillary Clinton. Donald Jr. emailed back that if the information was as advertised, he would "love it."
The meeting itself took place in Trump Tower, on the floor below Donald Trump's office. It was the time between when the initial email was received and the meeting was held that Donald Trump announced a press conference at which he would present some derogatory information about Clinton. It was shortly after the meeting with the Russian lawyer that Donald Trump made a televised appeal for the Russian government to find Clinton's "missing" 33,000 emails and make them available to the media. The timing of these events makes it likely that Donald Trump knew about the meeting and has lied about it time-after-time since then. A sanctimonious Donald Jr. had the gall to accuse the Democrats of lying about collusion between the Trump campaign and Russian officials.
President Trump has called his son, Donald Jr., a "high-quality" individual and praised him for his "transparency." Donald Jr. has kept silence about the meeting until the New York Times broke the story of it this past weekend. He has given more than one version of what happened at the meeting. President Trump's "transparency" claim is based on his son releasing a chain of emails; however, the New York Times informed Donald Jr. that the emails were ready for publication but gave him time to release them himself. Donald Jr. released the chain of emails minutes before the Times published them.
Donald Jr. went to Sean Hannity, whose mission in life seems to be to explain away Trump family troubles. He told Hannity's viewers that he was just conducting opposition research and when he found that there was nothing there, he felt that there was no need to report the meeting to lawful authority. When Donald Jr. wrote in an email reply that if the information on Hillary Clinton was as good as promised, he would "love it," he established a collusion linkage that can't be explained away. Getting money or anything of value from a foreign entity to influence a U.S. election is unlawful. A veteran prosecutor told MSNBC's Rachel Maddow that opposition research could reasonably be considered to be a thing of value. This prosecutor indicated that other violations of law may be involved, as, for example, obstruction of justice could be involved if there is any attempt to stop an investigation of the three campaign officials who attended the meeting.
Donald Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr., received an email on June 3, 2016 from Rod Goldstone, a man he met at the 1993 Miss Universe pageant in Moscow. The email read that a lawyer connected to the Russian government had negative information -- or "dirt" -- about his election opponent, Hillary Clinton. Donald Jr. emailed back that if the information was as advertised, he would "love it."
The meeting itself took place in Trump Tower, on the floor below Donald Trump's office. It was the time between when the initial email was received and the meeting was held that Donald Trump announced a press conference at which he would present some derogatory information about Clinton. It was shortly after the meeting with the Russian lawyer that Donald Trump made a televised appeal for the Russian government to find Clinton's "missing" 33,000 emails and make them available to the media. The timing of these events makes it likely that Donald Trump knew about the meeting and has lied about it time-after-time since then. A sanctimonious Donald Jr. had the gall to accuse the Democrats of lying about collusion between the Trump campaign and Russian officials.
President Trump has called his son, Donald Jr., a "high-quality" individual and praised him for his "transparency." Donald Jr. has kept silence about the meeting until the New York Times broke the story of it this past weekend. He has given more than one version of what happened at the meeting. President Trump's "transparency" claim is based on his son releasing a chain of emails; however, the New York Times informed Donald Jr. that the emails were ready for publication but gave him time to release them himself. Donald Jr. released the chain of emails minutes before the Times published them.
Donald Jr. went to Sean Hannity, whose mission in life seems to be to explain away Trump family troubles. He told Hannity's viewers that he was just conducting opposition research and when he found that there was nothing there, he felt that there was no need to report the meeting to lawful authority. When Donald Jr. wrote in an email reply that if the information on Hillary Clinton was as good as promised, he would "love it," he established a collusion linkage that can't be explained away. Getting money or anything of value from a foreign entity to influence a U.S. election is unlawful. A veteran prosecutor told MSNBC's Rachel Maddow that opposition research could reasonably be considered to be a thing of value. This prosecutor indicated that other violations of law may be involved, as, for example, obstruction of justice could be involved if there is any attempt to stop an investigation of the three campaign officials who attended the meeting.
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