 The Trump White House feels vindicated because they knew that they did not collude. But did they really. I would suggest the novice Trump probably did not know what was the legal proof that would be required to be charged with collusion. He knew that Russia helped him win the election. He knew his staff had numerous meetings with the Russians asking for their help and even sometimes providing polls to the Russians so they would know how to influence American voters, He knew they had met with Russians asking for dirt on Hilary but he did not know if that qualified for collusion.
So the denials of meetings with Russia, the firings of personnel who were investigating him, and the obstructions began. But to win a case against the President for collusion would have required a contract or some kind of written agreement with a quid pro quo or someone who heard a verbal ‘contract’ able to document it and willing to testify about it. Mueller could find none of this. Without any proof of collusion some believed there could be no obstruction. Now this theory of law is not necessarily true but may have made Mueller wonder if this would make it hard for convicting Trump of obstruction. This fact may have kept Mueller from making the final decision about a trial and leaving it for Congress to decide. So to be clear Trump celebrated he did not ‘contract’ to collude but sought a foreign enemy’s help to win the election. This is like a teenage son spending his college money on partying at college instead of tuition, books, room and board. He did not technically misuse his college money it was his to spent on college. Now everyone knows his actions were wrong but he could not be accused in a court of law of misusing the money. Trump took his Mission Accomplished victory lap. Because for Trump it is not about ethics but about winning. But the fact is he colluded with Russia in every way except in a way that he could be convicted. This is the state of the American presidency today. The Trump White House feels vindicated because they knew that they did not collude. But did they really. I would suggest the novice Trump probably did not know what was the legal proof that would be required to be charged with collusion. He knew that Russia helped him win the election. He knew his staff had numerous meetings with the Russians asking for their help and even sometimes providing polls to the Russians so they would know how to influence American voters, He knew they had met with Russians asking for dirt on Hilary but he did not know if that qualified for collusion. So the denials of meetings with Russia, the firings of personnel who were investigating him, and the obstructions began. But to win a case against the President for collusion would have required a contract or some kind of written agreement with a quid pro quo or someone who heard a verbal ‘contract’ able to document it and willing to testify about it. Mueller could find none of this. Without any proof of collusion some believed there could be no obstruction. Now this theory of law is not necessarily true but may have made Mueller wonder if this would make it hard for convicting Trump of obstruction. This fact may have kept Mueller from making the final decision about a trial and leaving it for Congress to decide. So to be clear Trump celebrated he did not ‘contract’ to collude but sought a foreign enemy’s help to win the election. This is like a teenage son spending his college money on partying at college instead of tuition, books, room and board. He did not technically misuse his college money it was his to spent on college. Now everyone knows his actions were wrong but he could not be accused in a court of law of misusing the money. Trump took his Mission Accomplished victory lap. Because for Trump it is not about ethics but about winning. But the fact is he colluded with Russia in every way except in a way that he could be convicted. This is the state of the American presidency today.
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