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The scandal to nowhere

written by David Shephard May 22, 2017

In public relations you learn to judge a crisis or scandal by whether it has “legs” or not. Meaning will the drip by drip facts lead to a major scandal. Now we live in an era of fake news and fake scandals. The latest fake scandal that CNN and the other media outlets are pushing is this notion that there was “collaboration” or “collusion” between the Trump campaign and the Russian government.

Does the scandal have legs? No, in fact there is not a shred of evidence of any collaboration. I can’t understand why a candidate for President of the Untied States would think a leader of a foreign county could help his campaign. It doesn’t make any sense.

But for 10 months CNN has found a way to speculate. And Democrats want an independent prosecutor to look into the matter. Perhaps an investigation can yield some evidence. Now normally you acquire evidence first and then open the investigation, but the hope of the left is based on the belief that an investigation might find some evidence.

The charge centers on the claim that Putin ordered the hacking of Hillary’s email and released its contents to hurt her campaign and bolster the Trump campaign. But it is clear that the hacking occurred before Donald Trump was the GOP’s nominee. Putin hacked Hillary’s email without Trump’s knowledge or request.

Democrats have made it clear that they hope this fake scandal will lead to the impeachment of President Trump. But the Constitution requires that a President can only be impeached if he commits high crimes and misdemeanors while in office.

On the campaign trail Trump did suggest that Putin should release all the Hillary emails he had, but that is hardly a high crime or misdemeanor. For most Americans such a release would be closer to transparency than a crime. Remember Hillary deleted some 30.000 emails which she didn’t want the American people to see. Putin seemed to think the American people should have the chance to read all her emails.

Now since we have no evidence of “collaboration” I thought I would make up three examples and discuss whether any would equate to High Crimes and Misdemeanor’s and lead to the goal of impeachment.

Now in any campaign there are phone banking events. That is where a group of volunteers get together and call voters and encourage them to vote for their candidate. And after the phone calls the campaign usually will provide pizza and coke for the volunteers. Now imagine if investigators found that on one such occasion Vladimir Putin paid for the Pizzas. Let’s say in Scranton Pennsylvania investigators discover that the Dominoes pizza bill was paid for with Putin’s credit card.

This would be evidence of collaboration, but could Trump be impeached for it? Would it rise to the level of a high crime and Misdemeanor? I doubt it. Putin and the Trump campaign may have violated FEC regulations, but it would not be enough to overturn an election.

Second scenario. Let’s say Putin called Trump and suggested that Trump spend the last 3 days of the campaign in Ohio. And records showed that Trump did. Investigators find the Super 8 hotel bill for the days in question. Perhaps that would in imply collaboration between the two. Would it rise to the level of a high crime and Misdemeanor? No, if he wanted to take campaign advice from anyone including Putin he could.

Third scenario. Trump suggests publicly that there are a lot of Russian Americans in the panhandle of Florida. Hearing that Putin decides to help. Investigators discover that in the final 3 weeks of the campaign Putin spent a total of twenty hours making calls into Florida encouraging voters to pull the lever for Trump.

Would it rise to the level of a high crime and Misdemeanor on Trump’s part? Probably not. If on his own volition Putin decided to make campaign calls to Florida he could. The discovery of such calls could be a political issue for Trump but not a criminal matter.

The left may think they have something. They really have nothing.

The scandal to nowhere was last modified: May 22nd, 2017 by David Shephard
Trump and Putin
33 comments
David Shephard

David Shephard grew up in Fairfax County, attending George Mason University and majoring in government and politics. He started his career in politics as a student volunteer with the Stan Parris for governor campaign in 1989, and currently does lobbying and consulting work in Richmond.

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  • Warmac9999

    We have seen manufactured somethings out of nothings. This is the direction the left is taking, and it is likely that something manufactured will have an impact. We can’t expect Trump to rebut all of this because by its very definition, a manufactured something is nothing but a vapor or a paranormal appearance.

    • Jim Portugul

      The left learned their “trade” from 8 years of the right. Trump himself said he had sent a detective to Hawaii to investigate the Obama birth certificate fiasco. Wasn’t that move in itself an attempt to delegitimize the Obama presidency? Was there a shred of evidence that Obama was not born in Hawaii?

      And then there is 4 years of Benghazi, and years of email, yet no official charges. And the Clinton foundation, yet no official charges.

      Now, we know that Hillary and Trump both lied every single day on the campaign trail. Trump being the eventual winner. The question for you is, if Trump lied to win the election, then why should I care if the media lies to impeach and destroy the Trump presidency?

      • Warmac9999

        Obama brought on multiple personal investigations by hiding virtually every aspect of his life including things as simple as a birth certificate and college records. Unlike you, I blame obama, not Trump, for the confusion and mistrust that exists to this day. Apparently, you think a public figure doesn’t have to be forthcoming on some very simple things. I, on the other hand, don’t trust any politician (and that includes Trump as well) particularly one who hides what should be accessible with minimal difficulty. Obama brought on the distrust and nobody else.

        • Jim Portugul

          Well, perhaps Trump will read your comment and release his tax returns?

          • Warmac9999

            When I applied for a job, I had to provide my birth certificate and college transcripts as well as list of past employers. I was never asked for my tax returns.

          • Jim Portugul

            Did you apply to be president?

          • Warmac9999

            Absolutely, and I am more than qualified to be the President.

          • Jim Portugul

            Well, why won’t “we” hire you?

          • Warmac9999

            You should. I am certainly better than Hillary and any Democrat.

          • sd

            did you have to prove your were experienced and qualified?

          • Warmac9999

            I never applied for a job that I did not think I had the experience and qualifications. However, to be President, the qualifications are pretty minimal:

            The US Constitution lists three requirements for any individual wishing to become president of the United States. A president must:

            be a natural born U.S. citizen. Someone may be born abroad, but only if both parents were citizens of the United States. The only exception to this was for those around at the time the Constitution was adopted. Their requirement was that they had to be a citizen when the Constitution was adopted.

            be at least 35 years of age. The youngest president elected was 43 years old. However, there was one president who was even younger. Do you know who he was?

            have lived in the United States for at least 14 years to be president. This does not have to be consecutive or even the 14 years leading up to becoming president.

            Literally, every American meeting these requirements is qualified to be President – and experience has nothing to do with it if you bother to read the Constitution.

          • Sd

            Shouldn’t the person running the country has something more going for them than simply being born long enough ago in the country? These 100 days shows that I am right

          • Warmac9999

            The rule of law is specific. You want opinion to govern. We have had far worse presidents than Trump – Obama is one.

          • sd

            stop making me laugh – your continued support of your guy is so nutsy – why not admit you made a mistake? At lest that way, you can stop living a lie

        • sd

          you blame Obama for Trump – you are quite a nut!!! You blame Obama for the stupid accusations of not being a citizen? You are even more a nut!! You blame Clinton for terrorist attacking Benghazi, not the terrorists? Wow, you get nuttier as the day gets long

          • Warmac9999

            You certainly know how to twist words and create “fake” meanings. You must be a reporter.

          • Sd

            No twisting. Simple repeating what you wrote. Perhaps you should learn that you have your own way of twisting reality to don’t your predefined narrative

    • just a wild & crazy RINO

      The Inside Story on James B. Comey

      http://stateofthenation2012.com/?p=72788

      • just a wild & crazy RINO

        “There are very few crime/mystery novels that approach this true story for compelling drama, intrigue and brinkmanship (with the nation in the balance).

        Don’t believe the fake-media story that Trump made a mistake or huge gaffe by firing Comey.
        Don’t believe the media narrative from the left that it was an attempt to silence Comey from some investigation into Trump.
        Don’t believe the RINO narrative that Comey is a good guy just trying to do his job in terrible circumstances and the timing was bad.
        Don’t believe the lie that Comey was admired and respected by career FBI investigators and agents.
        Don’t believe the lie that Trump’s “tweets” are not professional and have no strategic purpose. His tweets are weaponized and deadly.”

        • just a wild & crazy RINO

          “James Comey is a poisonous snake of the highest order… a deep-water Swamp Denizen who has been highly paid to deliberately provide cover for high-level corruption by the Clintons and Obama. He is has been central to trying to destroy the Trump campaign and then the Trump administration from the start. He is as dirty as they come in DC. He had highest-level cover (the FBI no less) and was deep into an effort to eliminate Trump. Trump had to move hard, fast, and at exactly the right time to cut the head off the snake without getting bitten by the snake or being finished by the other swamp denizens.”

          • just a wild & crazy RINO

            “Begin by noticing how the President fired Comey when Comey was 3,000 miles away from his office, that Comey had no inkling he was being cut, that all his files, computers, and everything in his office were seized by his boss Sessions and the justice department. This was not a violation of protocol, it was tactical. Notice how Prez Trump compartmentalized the strike and did not inform any of his White House “staff” to prevent leaks. Notice how he emasculated Comey and the swamp denizens by letting them know in a tweet that the Attorney General got information (surveillance “tapes” from the seizure of Comey’s office) to let Comey and his handlers know that Trump’s DOJ has the goods on them. This was a brilliant, strategic and totally imperative move at exactly the right time against horrible, evil and corrupt powers infesting our government.”

          • just a wild & crazy RINO

            “The swamp is on notice that the President is on to them, they are sweating bullets because their criminal games of corruption are being pursued and they know it. They are screaming and ranting because they are desperate denizens of the swamp who are beginning to realize they are roadkill.”

          • just a wild & crazy RINO

            http://stateofthenation2012.com/?p=72788

    • Jim Portugul

      Are the lies Trump told about his healthcare plan, who is going to pay for his Wall, tariffs, draining the swamp, all manufactured?

      • Warmac9999

        I wonder how much you cared about the Obama excesses and lies. Trump has a long way to go to reach the tremendous debt imposed by Obama. He is trying to get the Congress to fix the healthcare mess they created. The Wall will be built and it will save us lots of money. Even the threat is already paying dividends. Draining the swamp will take years but he is on his way and the Democrats know it.

        • sd

          always amazes me why poor to middle class folks cheer on rich folks who are robbing them blind. Trump and his buddies will get richer without improving your life – but go ahead and believe in the greatness of govt

        • Jim Portugul

          What kind of president do you think Mike Pence is going to be????

          Aren’t we almost there?

  • FrankUnderwoodSr

    I think most of the pro’s agree with the author. Even Alan Dershowitz certainly agrees. The Dems are just trying to de-legitimize the election. Within the Democrat base, their strategy is working. The Dem base, including the media, has been driven nuts by the election outcome, and they are going to keep it up to delay Trump’s agenda as long as possible. At least they have rational motives, though duplicitous.

    The more interesting phenomenon is in the Republican party. Some Republicans are lining up with the Dems and actually propelling the craziness with pretentious concerns about the need to “find the truth”. It is most interesting that these are by and large the usual faux Republicans (McCain, Graham, et al) along with Republicans still bitter about losing to Trump (e.g. Rubio). I think the self-serving posturing of these Republicans may be causing more damage to themselves than to Trump. Time will tell.

    • Marybanderson

      Google is paying 97$ per hour! Work for few hours and have longer with friends & family! !mj381d:
      On tuesday I got a great new Land Rover Range Rover from having earned $8752 this last four weeks.. Its the most-financialy rewarding I’ve had.. It sounds unbelievable but you wont forgive yourself if you don’t check it
      !mj381d:
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  • David Dickinson

    “The left may think they have something. They really have nothing.”

    I disagree. They have:

    1) A scapegoat for an election that blew up in their face.
    2) A massive fundraising gimmick.
    3) A platform to continue to breed discontent in their uneducated masses.
    4) A pretense for their “resist” hysteria.
    5) A reason to whine

    It’s perfect for Democrats.

    • Jim Portugul

      Sounds exactly like the Romney loss 4 years ago.

    • Kristinawbailey

      Google is paying 97$ per hour! Work for few hours and have longer with friends & family! !mj416:
      On tuesday I got a great new Land Rover Range Rover from having earned $8752 this last four weeks.. Its the most-financialy rewarding I’ve had.. It sounds unbelievable but you wont forgive yourself if you don’t check it
      !mj416:
      ➽➽
      ➽➽;➽➽ http://GoogleFinancialJobsCash416HomeNationGetPay$97Hour… ★★✫★★✫★★✫★★✫★★✫★★✫★★✫★★✫★★✫★★✫★★✫★★✫★★✫★★✫★★✫★★✫★★✫★★:::::!mj416..,…..

  • Edward N Virginia

    IF it is ‘nowhere’ then why has General Flynn refused to cooperate? And why has Trump refused to release his taxes for the past 5, 10, 15, 20 years? …. and not even the taxes from the past 1,2,3 years!

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