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Impeachable Offenses?

~ Examining the Case for Removal of the 45th President of the United States

Impeachable Offenses?

Tag Archives: conspiracy to defraud the united states

Trump Balks at “Chinese Propaganda”

27 Thursday Sep 2018

Posted by crosbysamuel in Articles, Uncategorized

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Abraham Denmark, bots, china, China Daily, chinese, Collusion, Conspiracy, conspiracy to defraud the united states, des moines, donald, Impeachment, interference, iowa, president, register, Russian, the des moines register, trump

President Trump charged China with “placing propaganda ads in the Des Moines Register and other papers,” in response to a 4-page advertorial purchased by a Chinese State-run paper. The advertorial was fashioned as a series of articles entitled “China Watch” (PDFs found here). Trump’s response is particularly striking in light of his relative silence in response to the established interference of Russian robots. Abraham Denmark, “a former senior Pentagon and U.S. intelligence official [and current] director of the Wilson Center’s Asia Program,” told the New Yorker that this was an old practice and much less extreme than recent Russian actions: ” . . . there’s a distinction between influence and interference. What China did was the former, what Russia did was the latter.”

Denmark brings up an interesting point for an impeachment discussion. President Trump is being investigated for conspiracy to defraud the United States for his possible collaboration with Russians with the intention of interfering with the Presidential election. Some scholars believe that could constitute fraud. Though Trump could not be charged with colluding with the Chinese, it is an interesting question whether the actions of the Chinese government could similarly constitute fraud. That seems unlikely. In addition to what Denmark has already suggested (that there is a distinction between influence and interference) we are also missing the element of deceit (as described by Professor Bowman in the link posted immediately above). The Chinese were very candid in their attempts to influence voters — there was a banner at the top of each page of their advert which read “section sponsored by China Daily.” This is far from the equivalent of the massive campaign of Russians who adopted American personalities online. Therefore there was no probably no fraud involved; making Trump’s reaction contrast even more starkly his silence in the face of Russian interference. That being said, that’s an answer to a question nobody was asking. More soon.

397c0ded-a693-4cc2-bf77-10f6043cadb3-IMG_5088.jpgThe Des Moines Register

 

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The Russians Influenced the Election — So What?

25 Tuesday Sep 2018

Posted by crosbysamuel in Articles, Uncategorized

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bots, Collusion, Conspiracy, conspiracy to defraud the united states, Cyberwar: How Russian Hackers and Trolls Helped Elect a President—What We Don’t, donald trump, Kathleen Hall Jamieson, overt act, president, robots, russia, russian hackers, trolls, trump

The New Yorker writes today that Russian bots and trolls likely did influence the 2016 election; or rather Kathleen Hall Jamieson, author of  “Cyberwar: How Russian Hackers and Trolls Helped Elect a President—What We Don’t, Can’t, and Do Know,” asserted as much during her interview with the paper. She writes about how, through an online campaign, Russian hackers influenced voters to garner support for Trump. These trolls adopted pseudo-American-identities to better influence their audience, and, according to Jamieson, succeeding in swaying the vote.

Though this is an alarming proposition, it is worth noting that it is not one that needs to be established for a charge of conspiracy to defraud the United States. A showing of success is not necessary for a charge of collusion — all that is necessary is that there is a conspiracy with the aim of defrauding the U.S. and some overt act taken in pursuit of that goal. Whitfield v. United States, 543 U.S. 209, 214, 125 S. Ct. 687, 691, 160 L. Ed. 2d 611 (2005). As such, it would be sufficient if Trump were to have conspired with Russian hackers, the Russian hackers assumed American avatars, and then the whole plan went belly up. That being said, the idea that the presidency was handed to Trump by internet trolls could add fervor to impeachment efforts.

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A Meeting of Casual Agents

09 Friday Mar 2018

Posted by crosbysamuel in Articles, Uncategorized

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administration, Collusion, Conspiracy, conspiracy to defraud the united states, dmitriev, emirates, erik, george, grand jury, Impeachment, kirill, kremlin, lebanon, Mueller, nader, prince, Putin, trump

George Nader, a Lebanese American businessman, is now cooperating with the Mueller investigation. Nader has ties to the Emiratis, and significantly, was at the ‘Seychelles Meeting’. Previous reports have shown that Erik Prince, founder of Blackwater, had met with with Kirill Dmitriev, a man who runs an investment fund for Vladmir Putin. Prince has claimed that the meeting was pure coincidence and very casual. But Nader’s attendance casts the encounter in a new light.

Prince has close ties with the Trump Administration; ties which could be said to mirror those of Nader’s to the Emiratis and Dmitriev’s to the Kremlin. So what is one to make to make of such a meeting? The Washington Post claims that this development substantiates the idea that the meeting was intended to set up a “back-channel” between Trump and Russia. If that is so, the implications of the meeting for the emerging pattern of Trump-Russia connections are intriguing.

Image result for erik prince trump

Getty Images/AFP/Mark Wilson

 

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Bannon Switching Sides

04 Thursday Jan 2018

Posted by crosbysamuel in Articles, Uncategorized

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bannon, Collusion, Conspiracy, conspiracy to defraud the united states, populism, russian lawyer, treason, trump, Trump Tower, wolff

The world is abuzz today with talk of Steve Bannon’s comments in Michael Wolff’s new book, “Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House.” Most notably, Bannon, former Chief Strategist, claimed that the meeting between Donald Trump Jr. and the Russian lawyer in the Trump Tower was treasonous. The President fired back at Bannon, claiming that he had lost his mind, and had very little influence over the White House while he was involved.

It unclear how much weight to put on Bannon’s opinion as to whether or not the Russian lawyer meeting was “treasonous” — he is a journalist, not a lawyer; however his comments are significant for another reason. The exchange between Bannon and Trump represents a clear break in their relationship. Bannon connected with Trump’s populist base, and though Bannon was fired months ago, he has still had influence on the President’s decision-making. So, now that a break has finally and fully occured, one has to wonder whether Trump’s support will wane. As the President’s base continues to shrink, impeachment becomes more likely.

ct-donald-trump-steve-bannon-russia-20170217.jpgMario Tama / Getty Images

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FBI Investigation “Tainted” — A Message for the New Year

26 Tuesday Dec 2017

Posted by crosbysamuel in Articles, Uncategorized

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clinton, Collusion, Conspiracy, conspiracy to defraud the united states, dossier, hillary, Politics, russia, russian official

Trump is now claiming that the dossier, which summarized the investigation of the Trump campaign’s connection to Russian Officials, has tainted the ongoing FBI investigation. The dossier was published by a private firm, hired by the Democratic National Convention and the Clinton Campaign. It appears Trump has taken the offensive, claiming that the dossier is unsubstantiated, and has corrupted the ongoing FBI investigation. Such claims could be indicative of a troubled administration, and may just set the tone for the new year. One can find the text of the dossier itself here.

Botsford171026Trump21536-1024x683.jpgJabin Botsford/The Washington Post

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Poor US-Russia Relations and What to Make of Them

24 Sunday Dec 2017

Posted by crosbysamuel in Articles, Uncategorized

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cold war, Collusion, conspiracy to defraud the united states, eastern, militias, Putin, trump, ukraine, weapons

One does not have to be an avid reader to know that Trump’s presidency has been marred with suspicions of and evidence of collusion between the President’s campaign and Russian officials; which makes the deteriorating relationship between the United States and Russia all the more confusing. Conflict between the two nations has been heating up through the proxy of the Eastern Ukraine, where Russia is battling for control. The United States has given the Ukraine weapons to fight off Russian Militias, and has condemned the Russian interference in a National Security Strategy report. Despite these actions, however, Trump still speaks of Putin as if they are chummy. So, what is one to make of this double-speak (and double-action)? If there was collusion between Putin and Trump, has their relationship deteriorated since? Did Putin simply bet on the wrong horse? Or could this conflict be part of a larger plan?

06321985_2ffbc90ce085561de1c79b7098820fdb.nbcnews-ux-2880-1000.jpgMIKHAIL KLIMENTYEV/SPUTNIK/KREML /EPA

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The Collusion Case Grows Stronger

30 Monday Oct 2017

Posted by crosbysamuel in Articles, Uncategorized

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Chaika, Conspiracy, conspiracy to defraud the united states, Kushner, Manafort, prosecutor general, Putin, russian collusion, russian lawyer, Trump Jr., Trump Tower

This article, from the New York Times, reports that evidence of collaboration between the Russian lawyer, Veselnitskaya, and high ranking Russian officials has surfaced. Ms. Veselnitskaya met with Donald Trump Jr., Jared Kushner, and Paul Manafort last year at the Trump Tower, and the meeting was the subject of some scandal (more can be read about that here). However, Veselnitskaya has claimed to be an independent actor, which helped to undercut talks of collusion. That is until now.

Evidence shows Ms. Veselnitskaya may have been collaborating with Russian prosecutor general, Yuri Chaika. The talking points which Ms. Veselnitskaya brought to the meeting incorporate language from a memo Mr. Chaika had given to an American Congressman two months earlier, and there is evidence that Veselnitskaya had discussed her meeting with Chaika in the months proceeding it. Additionally, Veselnitskaya has a history of collaboration with Chaika.

If it can be established that Ms. Veselnitskaya was, in fact, an agent for the Russian government, then the allegations of Russian collusion will be strengthened. Though she did not meet with the President himself, she met with his family and advisors, and so the talk could be characterized as a meeting of agents.

veselnitskaya.jpgMartyanov — Getty Images

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Frank O. Bowman, III


Floyd R. Gibson Missouri Endowed Professor of Law
University of Missouri School of Law

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