President Trump has repeatedly said he didn’t collude with Russia over the course of the 2016 election. At one point, he even called the entire Russia matter “a ruse,” even though evidence has long since pointed to exactly the opposite.
Earlier this week in the House of Representatives, California Congressman Adam Schiff (D), as part of a larger hearing on how Russia manipulated social media to benefit the Trump campaign, perfectly elucidated all of the data points which prove beyond doubt that Trump and members of his team did indeed collude with a sworn enemy of the United States.
On The Rachel Maddow show, the host played a video clip of Schiff’s presentation, and in it the congressman goes point by point to make his case:
“We now know as a result of the guilty plea by Trump campaign foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos that the Russians approached the Trump campaign as early as 2016, to inform them that they were in possession of ‘dirt’ on Hillary Clinton in the form of thousands of stolen emails … The uppermost levels of the Trump campaign were also informed that the Russians had dirt on Clinton that was offered to the campaign in what was described as part of the Putin government’s effort to help Mr. Trump. The President’s son said that he would love the assistance, and suggested that the best timing would be in the late summer … At least one top Trump official, the President’s own son, accepted.”
Thanks to the unsealing of indictments and a guilty plea on Monday, we now have conclusive evidence that Trump, along with Jeff Sessions, was indeed at a meeting where foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos mentioned he was trying to arrange for Trump to meet with Russian officials–including Russian president Vladimir Putin.
So when Trump and Attorney General Sessions say they didn’t know of any planned contacts with Russians, they are clearly lying. Sessions has already perjured himself at his confirmation hearings, and soon enough Trump will be asked the same questions under oath before a grand jury. One wrong statement by Trump while he’s under oath and he too will be guilty of perjury.
Mueller is building his case expertly. He clearly has Trump in a vise and is now tightening the pressure with each passing day.
Watch the segment from Rachel Maddow’s show:
Rep. Adam Schiff nails down why the question of Trump campaign collusion with Russians has already been answered. pic.twitter.com/n4SeVCCcOL
— Maddow Blog (@MaddowBlog) November 2, 2017
Featured Image Via the BBC
