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Andrew Harnik/AP

Investigator's team 'interested in speaking to Trump' over possible Russian collusion

When or even if an interview would occur was not immediately clear.

SPECIAL COUNSEL ROBERT Mueller’s team of investigators has expressed interest in speaking with President Donald Trump as part of a probe into potential coordination between Russia and the Trump campaign, a person familiar with the matter said Monday.

The prospect of an interview with the president has come up in recent discussions between Mueller’s team and Trump lawyers, but no details have been worked out, including the scope of questions that the president would agree to answer if an interview were to actually take place, according to the person.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing investigation.

When or even if an interview would occur was not immediately clear, nor were the terms for the interview or whether Trump’s lawyers would seek to narrow the range of questions or topics that prosecutors would cover. Trump’s lawyers have previously stated their determination to cooperate with Mueller’s requests.

It’s not surprising that investigators would ultimately seek to interview the president given his role in several episodes under scrutiny by Mueller. Any interview of Trump would be a likely indication that the investigation was in its final stages — investigators typically look to interview main subjects in their inquiries near the end of a probe.

Mueller for months has led a team of prosecutors and agents investigating whether Russia and Trump’s Republican campaign coordinated to sway the 2016 election, and whether Trump has worked to obstruct an FBI investigation into his aides, including by firing the FBI director, James Comey.

Comey has said that several months before he was dismissed, Trump told him he hoped he would end an investigation into his former national security adviser, Michael Flynn.

Mueller’s team recently concluded a series of interviews with many current and former White House aides, including former chief of staff Reince Priebus and the president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

Four people have been charged so far, including Flynn, who pleaded guilty in December to lying to the FBI about his conversations with the Russian ambassador. Former campaign chairman Paul Manafort was indicted on charges tied to foreign lobbying work.

Peter Carr, a spokesman for Mueller, declined to comment, as did Trump lawyers John Dowd and Jay Sekulow.

Trump did not rule out the possibility of being questioned by Mueller when asked about it at a news conference on Saturday. He said there had been “no collusion” and “no crime.”

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    Mute Dave Sherman
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    Jan 9th 2018, 7:08 AM

    Can’t wait for that tweet…

    83
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    Mute Martin Critten
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    Jan 9th 2018, 8:14 AM

    @Dave Sherman: its like saying the Russian understood the needs of the American people better than the Democrats.. Health, Wealth n Security is what people vote for . . .

    22
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    Mute Gillian Scully
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    Jan 9th 2018, 11:00 AM

    @Dave Sherman: Can they do anything if he refuses to talk to them?

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    Mute ₱I₷₠₷ ੩⑭
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    Jan 9th 2018, 2:40 PM

    @Martin Critten: Lol! Health – trying to repeal Obamacare worth no replacement. Wealth – tax breaks for the wealthiest and corporations. Security – mass shootings still a problem, no attempt at gun reform. You’re quite a pathetic little troll, aren’t you?

    6
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    Mute Dave Sherman
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    Jan 9th 2018, 6:34 PM

    @Gillian Scully: yes. Anyone that lies to an FBI investigation such as this one can be jailed.
    Why do you Bannon is singing like a canary?

    2
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    Mute yelkcub
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    Jan 9th 2018, 7:11 AM

    Might explain the fire up on the roof of Trump tower yesterday, as Donald did a Liam Lawlor and spent the night burning files.

    72
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    Mute Ruairi Gagarin
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    Jan 9th 2018, 7:21 AM

    President Trump struggles to sing the US National Anthem, hours after criticising NFL players for not giving the Star Spangled Banner due respect:

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-us-canada-42616112/did-president-trump-forget-the-words-to-the-national-anthem

    50
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    Mute Gerald Kelleher
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    Jan 9th 2018, 7:46 AM

    @Ruairi Gagarin: It looked like the ‘Naked Gun’ comedy but the crowd didn’t seem to mind -

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxHnXajIex4

    13
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    Mute Ruairi Gagarin
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    Jan 9th 2018, 7:58 AM

    @Gerald Kelleher: President Drebin’s diplomatic skills would far outweigh Trump:

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=foll8sDGq4M

    18
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    Mute Fionnuala DiFreyne
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    Jan 9th 2018, 7:09 AM

    Make America great again, leave trump alone :(

    33
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    Mute Paul Furey
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    Jan 9th 2018, 7:57 AM

    @Fionnuala DiFreyne: you do know he only wants to make trump rich again and advertise all his properties and sell all his stuff.

    39
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    Mute Brian Ward
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    Jan 9th 2018, 9:14 AM

    So let’s see if I have this right. When Trump won, Clinton supporters howled that the nasty Russians backed his campaign and cheated Clinton out of the election. They claimed that the Russians put fake news and ads up on social media such as Facebook to swing voters in favour of Trump. Facebook comes back and said that about $100,000 was spent on ads by a Russian based group. Clinton’s campaign spent $1.2 BILLION trying to get Clinton elected but that was defeated by a $100k ads campaign coordinated from 4,500 miles away!

    Now we are being told by Wolff that not only did Trump and his team not expect to win, they didn’t actually want to win! So much so that Trump was loathe to put his own money into the campaign. Yet the Russians for some strange reason went ahead and backed him anyway according to Clinton supporters. That is the equivalent of backing a three legged donkey entered in the Grand National at odds of 5000/1. Anti-Trumpers claim that the Russians wanted to stop Clinton winning but no-one including Trump ever expected him to win so why would the Russians spend a fortune ($100k) on backing him?

    When this whole Russian thing is shown to be a load of BS I predict that anti-Trumpers will enlist the services of David Icke who will declare Trump to be a alien lizard who has taken human form and is in league with his fellow lizards in the British Royal family in a bid to take over the World. Along with the prophecies of the Book of Revelations and the coming of the Anti-Christ, the end is truly nigh.

    Time for the snowflakes to go to their safe space, hug a puppy, have yet another emotional meltdown and fill in some coloring books while sipping their Double Ristretto Venti Half-Soy Nonfat Decaf Organic Chocolate Brownie Iced Vanilla Double-Shot Gingerbread Frappuccino Extra Hot With Foam Whipped Cream Upside Down Double Blended, One Sweet’N Low and One Nutrasweet, and Ice.

    29
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    Mute Paul Coughlan
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    Jan 9th 2018, 9:32 AM

    @Brian Ward: how you know how much was spent by the Russians.

    13
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    Mute Brian Ward
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    Jan 9th 2018, 9:52 AM
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    Mute Liam Doyle
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    Jan 9th 2018, 10:48 AM

    It is odd how quickly the tribe out of power jump to conspiracy theories over in the US. As soon as Obama was elected the Tea Party formed and soon followed pretty bizarre conspiracies (Muslim, birth certificate etc.), and they were rightly mocked. But then once the opposing tribe took power those that had been mocking the conspiracy theorists immediately started to craft heir own bizarre and often contradictory conspiracies. All speaks to a worrying lack of trust in their democratic institutions.

    4
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    Mute Tom Mc Cormack
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    Jan 9th 2018, 11:00 AM

    @Brian Ward: brilliant !

    4
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    Mute Simon O'Connor
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    Jan 9th 2018, 1:29 PM

    @Peedur Dante: So you’re saying Trump ran the presidential campaign and spent hundreds of millions of his own money, just to secure a career in TV? Apart from the fact that he paved the way for reality TV as we know it, don’t you see how ridiculous your statement is?
    Even CNN has stated that the majority of Wolfe’s assertions are inaccurate, misleading or simply false. His book is no different from something you’d read in Buzzfeed, Now This…or dare I say it, the Daily Star. It’s entertainment gossip and nothing else

    2
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    Mute Francis Mc Carthy
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    Jan 9th 2018, 1:43 PM

    @Simon O’Connor:”hundreds of millions of ‘his’ own money’” – that would be a Daily Star figure. it was well less than that..

    1
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    Mute Sean Conway
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    Jan 9th 2018, 7:31 AM

    Some of the elite wont stop until they see the back of trump. their profits seem to be taking a battering.

    26
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    Mute Malachi
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    Jan 9th 2018, 7:59 AM

    @Sean Conway: The elites are doing quite well thanks to Trump, actually. What made you think he was reducing their profits?

    42
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    Mute Walt Jabsco
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    Jan 9th 2018, 9:03 AM

    @Sean Conway:
    Trumps original cabinet had a net personal wealth of $9.5 billion!
    You don’t think that’s a government of elites working for the elites??

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    Mute Sean Conway
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    Jan 9th 2018, 9:41 AM

    @Malachi: A paranoia of russian business men moving in on their turf.

    5
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    Mute ianglen
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    Jan 9th 2018, 7:39 AM

    Trump can’t complete five sentences without lying, so his lawyer will have a zillion bogus reasons why he can’t testify under oath.

    33
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    Mute Julie Burn
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    Jan 9th 2018, 7:23 AM

    such a strong handsome man,

    16
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    Mute Walt Jabsco
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    Jan 9th 2018, 8:57 AM

    @Julie Burn:
    You must’ve dropped out of troll school – that was a very poor effort

    15
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    Mute Pat D'Arcy
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    Jan 9th 2018, 9:02 AM

    @Walt Jabsco: your sarcasm detector seems to be malfunctioning.

    8
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    Mute GITBTSWORDS
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    Jan 9th 2018, 8:27 AM

    You gotta laugh.One of the biggest claims in Wolff book was that Trump never wanted to be president.That he NEVER expected to win and that he did NOT want to win. Melania Trump was suppossedly in tears on election night when he won.Then why was the hell was Donald J.Trump colluding with the Russians to swing the election against Hillary? If he didn’t want to win, what was he doing he colluding with anybody to try and win. LOL!!!!

    30
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    Mute Walt Jabsco
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    Jan 9th 2018, 9:06 AM

    @GITBTSWORDS:
    According to his first campaign manager it’s not that he didn’t want to win, it’s that he didn’t expect to win – big difference.

    14
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    Mute Johnny Bellew
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    Jan 9th 2018, 10:35 AM

    @GITBTSWORDS: My guess is that he wanted to get as close as possible to winning without actually winning. The expression on his face said it all during the White House meeting with Obama. It was a look of horror.

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    Mute Tom Mc Cormack
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    Jan 9th 2018, 10:56 AM

    @GITBTSWORDS: and look at unemployment rates and the new tax deals I.S. is out of syria and iraq ,2.1 million extra jobs and unemployment at a 17 year low !!!

    1
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    Mute Havana na na na
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    Jan 9th 2018, 7:10 AM

    Did anybody else see Trump trying to sing their National Anthem ?What an embarrassment that unpatriotic man is..I bet you that the black American NFL stars know every last damn word…

    Oh, say! can you see by the dawn’s early light
    di,di,di di.di, di ,di,di

    34
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    Mute Ruairi Gagarin
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    Jan 9th 2018, 7:19 AM

    @Havana na na na: I saw that, this morning! It looks like the President is unraveling right in front of the cameras.

    I’ve an uncle who is suffering from Alzheimer’s and it’s a very unpleasant condition. So I’ll hold off laughing at Trump. I hope someone steps forward and ends the Trump years, if he is medically unfit to hold office.

    25
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    Mute OU812
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    Jan 9th 2018, 7:24 AM

    @Jack O’Connell: they’re taking a knee in protest. There’s an absolute difference.

    They’re still paying respect by kneeling.

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    Mute Havana na na na
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    Jan 9th 2018, 7:35 AM

    @Ruairi Gagarin: Hasn’t he got a medical being done on him later on this week? Let’s hope that it’s not the same doctor that wrote his last medical report..

    15
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    Mute Havana na na na
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    Jan 9th 2018, 7:37 AM

    @Jack O’Connell: They have a constitutional right to ‘protest ‘ at a ditty…Why do ye racist alt-right snowflakes get all upset when a black American uses their rights ?

    31
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    Mute Dave O Keeffe
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    Jan 9th 2018, 8:07 AM

    @Havana na na na: didn’t all the test results come back positive last time? https://youtu.be/aI0euMFAWF8

    6
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    Mute Walt Jabsco
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    Jan 9th 2018, 8:54 AM

    @Havana na na na:
    It’s cringeworthy – he’s like a goldfish opening and closing his mouth.

    Hope he’s not genuinely sick the way Reagan was towards the end of his presidency.

    10
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    Mute Francis Mc Carthy
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    Jan 9th 2018, 9:13 AM

    @Jack O’Connell:Weren’t you one of the lads that was supporting the armed bunch of white men who took over a wildlife refuge in Oregon? You do remember that time,it’s the time when you used to call yourself ‘Oran’?

    11
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    Mute Malachi
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    Jan 9th 2018, 9:34 AM

    @Dave O Keeffe: God that video is timeless

    7
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    Mute Dazz
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    Jan 9th 2018, 9:58 AM

    @Jack O’Connell: You’re supposed to be patriotic to your country and fellow citizens, not lose the ability to think when faced with a piece of cloth.

    8
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    Mute Havana na na na
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    Jan 9th 2018, 7:10 AM

    Did anybody else see Trump trying to sing their National Anthem ?What an embarrassment that unpatriotic man is..I bet you that the black American NFL stars know every last damn word…

    Oh, say! can you see by the dawn’s early light
    di,di,di di.di, di ,di,di

    15
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    Mute GITBTSWORDS
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    Jan 9th 2018, 8:29 AM

    @Havana na na na: Heve you seen NFL attendances lately? Tickest are going for as little as 5 dollars..the stadia are almost empty. In fact they are now on their knees begging patriotic Americans to come back to them hahahahahah!

    13
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    Mute Havana na na na
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    Jan 9th 2018, 8:50 AM

    @GITBTSWORDS: Attendances are down just 1% from the previous year ..HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

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    Mute Brian Ward
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    Jan 9th 2018, 9:27 AM

    @Havana na na na: You might want to have a read of this article.

    http://uk.businessinsider.com/nfl-attendance-not-hurt-by-protests-yet-2017-11?r=US&IR=T

    “NFL attendance has not been hurt by protests, but there is a simple reason why people should be skeptical of that for now”

    The Irish Independent does the same thing. It claims to have a circulation of X amount of copies but doesn’t say that a good percentage of their circulation is made up of free papers left in shops, bars, cafes and hotels. Their claim to be the biggest selling paper in Ireland doesn’t stand up when you look at how many papers are actually given away free.

    4
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    Mute Paul Coughlan
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    Jan 9th 2018, 9:31 AM

    Now that there is a doubt on his mental state of mind will lawyers claim that he is not competent to give evidence. Watch this space.

    5
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    Mute Dazz
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    Jan 9th 2018, 10:01 AM

    @Paul Coughlan: If he plays that card then he’s just impeached himself.

    6
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    Mute ₱I₷₠₷ ੩⑭
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    Jan 9th 2018, 2:46 PM

    @Paul Coughlan: He’s a mental midget with the faculties of a lobotomised lemur, threatening nuclear war. Whay could possibly go wrong?

    1
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    Mute Brian Ward
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    Jan 9th 2018, 10:04 AM

    @Paul Coughlan: Who said that there is a doubt about his mental state? Michael Wolff? He’s a muck racking discredited gossip fantasist who isn’t one bit qualified to diagnose any sort of mental health issue.

    5
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    Mute Francis Mc Carthy
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    Jan 9th 2018, 12:50 PM

    @Brian Ward:A prominent Yale psychiatrist did speak to members of Congress about his mental health just a few weeks back..

    1
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    Mute David Knight
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    Jan 9th 2018, 1:36 PM

    Which part of the word collusion are people struggling with? This is already proven as the senior members of the Trump Campaign team admit to meeting with Russians who they believed represented the Kremlin with a view to getting dirt on Clinton. In other words that meeting constitutes collusion. Any dirt that these Russians would have had, could only have come from some form of illegal espionage or hacking, so the campaign admit they were willing to try an get this from a foreign power. Although they have said nothing came of this meeting, all we have is their word for that and the FACT is that the hacked data was leaked and published at time that coincidentally helped Trump get elected.

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    Mute Michael Wall
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    Jan 10th 2018, 12:53 AM

    @David Knight: What we also have is evidence that the discredited, so called p*ssgate dossier was paid for by the clinton campaign, also from a russian source in an attempt to discredit trump and get clinton elected. is that also collusion?

    1
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