Really hesitant to put out another diary but I am just shocked that this isn't getting more exposure, it is probably more important than anything Trump said in his statement:
Trump maintained on Wednesday there was "no collusion" between his campaign and the Russians, but he added that he "couldn't have cared less about Russians having to do with my campaign," calling himself "one of the greatest candidates" and "much better" than 2016 rival Hillary Clinton. The U.S. intelligence community has concluded that Russia attempted to tip the scales in favor of Trump.
What?
He “could not HAVE CARED less about Russians” having to do with the campaign?
Past tense. He didn’t say “I could not care less about Russians having to do with my campaign.” Had he said he could not care less, he would be speaking in present tense. But, he didn’t, his referencing not caring is in the past tense, he could not — at the time — have cared less about Russians having to do with his campaign.
Which, obviously, indicates to me he is saying he knew Russians were “having to do with” his campaign, back then, in the campaign.
That is quite the full-stop against “Putin told me they didn’t help,” and “It could’ve been China, or someone who weighed as much as me in their bed.”
Let’s set wholly aside that a candidate who knows of a foreign power meddling in his campaign is expected to call the FBI and stop the meddling. Let’s focus on the fact he just admitted (in my mind) knowing during the campaign about the Russian’s actions, and it seems quite hard — impossible — for me to believe that he did not ever ask himself why the Russians favored him, wanted enough to take the huge risk and put their influence into getting HIM elected.
Generally speaking, a candidate wants a foreign adversary to be hostile to their campaign. Maybe a candidate might feel good if Canada wants you to win, but Russia?
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We’ve come to tolerate Trump’s self-aggrandizement about his superior quality as candidate, president, purported human being. But, any hypothetical candidate who believes he is best for the American people must ask his or her self, “Why am I also the best candidate for American’s greatest foreign adversary.”
He told us himself he is a genius, the people wanting to stay on the job tell us he’s a genius, it wouldn’t take a genius to ask: “With all my overlapping issues, such as money laundering and all, what is this foreign adversary tacitly asking of me? Are they helping to get me elected because I have no choice but to be good to them?”
And if he knows the answer is yes, and he surely would, and went forward anyway with that silent agreement, that would be “collusion” even if the agreement were silent and could not be proven. But, if all those things were true, I refuse to believe they were not talked about by Trump and some person who had spoken to the Russians. Someone likely talked about something valuable the Russians were offering in exchange for being good to Russia.
Flynn.
Kushner.
Udey and his other brother Udey?
Gotta be one of them or all of them. And they’re all going to be talking to Mueller, unlike Trump, whose lawyer is already walking his word vomit to the press back.
I have belabored the above for absolute clarity in my mind. It need not be anywhere near that complicated. I’m no genius, and yet the second I saw that quote on my TV, I figured it had to be the lead story in print and TV. Nope. It was halfway down the linked story and I haven’t seen it again on the TV. Amazing, since I near jumped out of my chair upon seeing it.
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\in my opinion, he is saying something more substantial than anything he’s said since admitting to firing Comey over the Russia investigation.
I know you all know this. i just thought it needed it’s own place here.
The media will surely catch up soon enough. They’re breathless over hearing he’ll talk, “feeling” the ratings rocket. As I said, a more thorough analysis is coming.
This is the lead.
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And we set aside, for now, that he felt no need to call upon the FBI or CIA to tell them the Russians were playing games, demonstrating extremely poor judgment.
Or he means he still doesn’t care about Russians tipping the scales. In which case, an even more obvious follow-up blooms: “Why don’t you care? Is there something about it you’d prefer to leave unaddressed?”
Quick Follow Up:
A couple of the good initial comments rebut my view on the basis that he has no understanding of the English language. Could be true, it is generally true. But, his referencing himself as a “great candidate” (a past description) means he knowingly was referencing the past.
Peace, y’all.