Seth Abramson: summary of the Trump collusion news
The following is a condensation of a tweet thread by Seth Abramson, UNH professor of law and former criminal defense attorney. The original tweet thread is at https://twitter.com/SethAbramson/status/921456148984758274. I have lightly edited the tweets for clarity.
The September thread above (https://twitter.com/SethAbramson/status/911350485277380615) strove to prove that Trump knew Putin wanted to negotiate with his campaign on March 31st, 2016 — at the latest. The basis for the thread’s argument was a March 31st, 2016 meeting — pictured above — attended by both Donald Trump and George Papadopoulos. The argument was that on that date, at the Trump International Hotel in D.C. (TIHDC), Papadopoulos told Trump that Putin wanted to deal with him. If Trump was legally put on notice that the Kremlin wanted to deal [with him] as of that date, his subsequent actions would be considered collusion.
The Daily Caller, a conservative publication, has just confirmed that Papadopoulos revealed himself as a Kremlin agent on March 31st, 2016. Per the reports linked to in the thread atop *this* thread, Papadopoulos told Trump’s NatSec team he was acting on behalf of the Kremlin. He said he had contacts among “top officials” at the Kremlin, and he was seeking to *help them meet with Trump* (preferably) or his aides. These top Kremlin officials, per Papadopoulos’ emails, included Vladimir Putin himself. Papadopoulos was acting as an agent to assist them. (“Agent” is a legal term. It means another party has secured your services to perform a task, and that “consideration”, i.e., some form of payment, has been provided.) At the time I wrote the thread linked to in the first tweet above (9/22/17), there was only *circumstantial evidence* of what Trump was told. At the time, I said the media needed to speak to people who were at the TIHDC on March 31, 2016 to find out if Trump was, indeed, notified.
The Daily Caller believed it was assisting Trump by reporting (falsely) that Trump’s NatSec team “shot down” Papadopoulos’ entreaties. The Daily Caller also thought it aided Trump to say (perhaps accurately, we don’t know) that Sessions shot down Papadopoulos at the TIHDC. In fact, the issue was only whether Trump was *put on legal notice on March 31st, 2016,* that the Kremlin wanted to open negotiations. If Trump had that knowledge and took steps to negotiate with the Russians, it would be collusion; if he did so *post-hacking*, [it would be] a crime.
We know this, because the man tasked with changing the platform to benefit Russia told media that Trump ordered him to do it on March 31. We know the effort was intended as secret, because the campaign’s manager (Paul Manafort) lied about it, as did the man who changed the platform (Brad Parscale).
At the TIHDC on March 31, Trump also failed to fire Papadopoulos on the spot after Papadopoulos revealed himself as a Kremlin agent. A “general agent” can perform many tasks for his “principal.” A “special agent” is authorized only to perform a single important task. The consideration [that Papadopoulos] received was the task itself; it gave him something of value to offer Trump’s NatSec team, and [thus] kept him employed. At the time, Papadopoulos — a recent college grad — was announced by Trump as one of a dozen NatSec advisors, and the media said he wasn’t qualified. At the time Papadopoulos — a recent college grad — was announced by Trump as one of a dozen NatSec advisors, media said he wasn’t qualified. Indeed, objectively, Papadopoulos had no reason to be hired by Sam Clovis or anyone on Team Trump. But Papadopoulos did have useful information.
Contrary to the reporting by The Daily Caller, Trump’s NatSec team did *not* shoot down Papadopoulos. In fact, they did the *opposite*. If Sessions, [Trump’s] NatSec chief shot down [Papadopoulos’] idea [on] March 31, Clovis wouldn’t have been discussing sending a “private citizen” to Moscow in May. Likewise, Trump’s NatSec team wouldn’t have engaged in a weeks-long conversation about the logistics and law[fulness] of a Kremlin-Trump meeting. Likewise, Manafort wouldn’t have said, [via] email, “Trump can’t be involved,” [because] Sessions would’ve indicated *no one* could be involved. And [Trump] kept Papadopoulos on staff, thus keeping the boy’s Kremlin contacts close and allowing the full team to discuss a Kremlin meeting. The team decided a “private citizen” could hold secret meetings in Moscow. In July, [Carter] Page went to Moscow as, he says, a “private citizen.”…according to the US intelligence community — and as reported by major media at the time — Page met with top Kremlin officials in Moscow.
Now here’s what Trump and his team did *after* Trump learned the Russians (up to Putin himself) wanted to negotiate with him personally. Shortly after the March 31st, 2016 meeting, Trump, per the IC (intelligence community) and major media reports had his son call the Russian ambassador (Kislyak). The result was Kislyak breaching diplomatic protocol to appear as a VIP at Trump’s first foreign policy speech (at the Mayflower Hotel). At the VIP cocktail hour before the speech, Kislyak got to meet Trump *and* Sessions, who had allegedly “shot down” any Russia meetings. Trump then gave a speech in which he promised to give Russia a “good deal” (on sanctions) if elected POTUS. Kislyak was in the front row. After Kislyak watched — live — Trump change the GOP platform at the RNC as a sign of good faith to Putin, he *asked Sessions for a meeting*.
I want to be clear here: everything in this thread is confirmed by major media reporting. I’m just summarizing the reporting we have.
Per Sessions’ last testimony, we know Kislyak asked him at the RNC to talk sanctions and did talk sanctions at their September meeting. There is reason to believe the two men who met with Kislyak and Sessions in September were at the RNC *and* got the Papadopoulos emails. When Sessions talked sanctions at the RNC, and on 9/8 (and if the others did too), at least Sessions, and maybe all [involved] knew it was a negotiation. The reason all of them knew this is that PAPADOPOULOS HAD TOLD THEM SO IN PERSON on March 31, 2016 at the Trump International Hotel, almost six months earlier.
As detailed by The Daily Caller, someone at the 3/31 TIHDC meeting spilled the beans — most likely Keith Kellogg. I say this because Kellogg’s Mueller interview lines up with the sudden release of this info about a meeting only a dozen men attended. Obviously, Trump and Sessions didn’t leak it, and they haven’t spoken to Mueller, [so he didn’t leak it]. Nor [did] the man Trump tasked with secretly changing the platform. So the list of already-interviewed people who could’ve leaked this bombshell about Papadopoulos is surprisingly small, as far as we know.
But it IS a bombshell. It means the Senate knows Trump began negotiating with Putin in April 2016 and continued after the hacking was known. Aiding and abetting via negotiation — offering, reports imply, no-strings sanctions relief — to a nation waging cyberwar on us is a *crime*. If The Daily Caller is correct that Trump knew Putin wanted to negotiate as of 3/31/16, Trump colluded *and* committed crimes doing so.
It also means the two most important witnesses in the whole Russia probe are Papadopoulos and the man asked to change the GOP platform. These two witnesses can confirm Trump was told a negotiation had started and [can also] confirm [that] Trump took steps to make Putin preliminary offers. It also explains why Sessions has not been interviewed by Mueller yet: [Sessions is] a primary target of the FBI probe, along with Trump.
The story of collusion is now clear — and confirmed by exclusively major media reporting. Trump used Sessions, Flynn and Sessions’ aides. Kushner substantially assisted by calling Kislyak in April, and [then] calling Kislyak [again] in November to set a December meeting with Mike Flynn. Such collusion would require involvement from very few [people]: Trump, Kushner, Manafort, Sessions, Flynn, Papadopoulos, Page, and [two of] Sessions’ aides. A conspiracy of fewer than 10 people would, by the means described here, be able to negotiate with Russia both openly and in secret. Today’s news confirms [that] Trump negotiated sanctions relief before AND after he learned of Russian hacks in July ’16. Thus — collusion.
P.S.: The chances Mueller won’t demand the Senate postpone its Papadopoulos interview are low — and certainly no open hearing will be allowed. Papadopoulos told the NatSec team [that] the Kremlin wanted “to discuss U.S.-Russia ties under President Trump,” i.e., they sought assurances.
P.P.S: Ironically, an acquaintance of Papadopoulos is said to be the source for much of the Steele dossier.