
Ask HN: Can somebody explain how Trump is connected to Russia? - perseusprime11
All these articles are confusing and nobody is giving a clear picture.
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minsight
Saved this on reddit a few days ago.

[https://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/6a9pnj/cnn_exclu...](https://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/6a9pnj/cnn_exclusive_grand_jury_subpoenas_issued_in_fbis/dhdcoss/)

It's a list, with links to back up the points connecting Trump.

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perseusprime11
I just want somebody to explain the connection in 2-3 sentences.

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maxerickson
There's no public information making it clear that there is a connection.

US intelligence officials have stated that the Russians devoted resources to
act against Clinton in the election.

There's lots of speculation that people involved in the Trump campaign
coordinated actions with Russians. Stuff like timing releases of information
or messaging on social media.

People have made the point that regardless of whether there was coordination,
Trump and fake news did often end up talking along similar themes (but that
can just be one following along with the other).

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perseusprime11
Correlation but not causation.

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api
My question is kind of "sure, but so what?" It seems to me that lots of
politicians have sketchy foreign ties. The Bushes have their Saudi partners
and the Clintons have the Chinese. I think this is a bad thing and ought to be
unconstitutional, but I get a sense Trump is being singled out for something
everyone does. Personally I find the Saudi connections of the Bushes more
troubling than Putin.

(I say this as someone who is not a Trump supporter.)

~~~
perseusprime11
I am just trying to understand how it reached a fever pitch with media
screaming for impeachment.

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api
For much of the last 20 years, the opposition party was constantly threatening
to impeach the sitting president. It's a symptom of just how unbelievably
divided things have become.

Personally I think impeaching Trump would be a strategic mistake unless there
really is something pressing that requires it-- like he _really is_
objectively selling America down the river to Putin or doing something equally
bad. Impeaching Trump would give us President Pence, who is in many ways worse
than Trump. It would be better to wait for the likely Democratic landslide in
2018, which will render him a lame duck, and then prep for a "you're fired"
2020 election.

Besides, letting this windbag sit in the big chair and make an ass out of
himself is probably bad for the Republicans. Give him more rope.

------
draw_down
There's a lot of smoke but no fire yet.

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olivercreashe
nope

