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Best explanation I’ve heard so far of the WJS Peter Smith story, and how it implicates the Trump Campaign and even Trump himself, in seeking what the GOP Oppo researcher Smith, was potentially offering — a hacked version of Clinton’s emails — once he got his hands on them.
Rachel Maddow is Chris Hayes’ guest, as they drill into these Opposition-research details further.
As Chris implies, the “smoking gun” may be as simple as Trump’s own words themselves “Russia, if you’re listening, please hack Hillary’s emails ” …
All In with Chris Hayes 6/30/17
[If video fails to load — click the link in Title instead.]
Trump wanted Hillary Clinton's emails. He thought Russia had them. And he knew Michael Flynn had connections. Rachel Maddow joins to discuss the new reporting on Trump campaign contacts with Russia.
In summary, the dots:
• Smith was recruiting/looking for Russian Hackers with a copy of Hillary’s emails.
• Flynn and Smith were attempting to set up a back-channel/go-between for delivery of said emails.
(Indeed, Smith’s emails “included Flynn’s consulting firm Flynn Intel Group in a list of those who had joined the search party.”)
• And as made plain from his public statements and Tweets at the time, “Trump wanted Hilllary’s emails — they were the silver bullet — the thing that could bring down Hillary Clinton” (at the point in the Campaign when it looked like she’d walk-away with it).
• As Hayes notes in concluding, the “nexus” that connects the Firing of Comey story with the effort to get Hillary’s Emails story — is Trump’s continual effort to “Protect General Flynn, even after he was fired.” That is the thread that brings “clarity” to the whole RussiaGate saga.
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In the end however, they only got the DNC hacked emails, and Podesta’s emails instead — with Julian Assange acting as the go-between.
And those externally-hacked, but internally-sought, private emails disclosures, ended up having their intended effect.
And now we all must learn to live with those “un-intended” Consequences (the Election of Trump). The results of perhaps the ultimate in “Dirty Tricks”, or depending on how you slice it (how Mueller slices it), the results of something far worse — than simple Oppo “trickery.”