Robert Mueller just made it impossible for Trump to call the special counsel probe a 'total hoax'

CNN ^ | February 16, 2018 | Chris Cillizza, CNN Editor-at-large

[mdittmar]

(CNN)On Friday afternoon, the Justice Department announced that special counsel Robert Mueller had indicted 13 Russian nationals for their roles in attempted meddling in the 2016 election.

Most of these people do not live in the United States, and you can bet your bottom dollar that Russia won't be extraditing them any time soon. But that's not the point.

The point is this: The indictments of a baker's dozen of Russians gives us a very clear window into not only the depth and breadth of the Mueller investigation, but also makes crystal clear what the Russians wanted in the 2016 election and the elaborate measures they undertook to make it happen.

This paragraph stands out:

"Defendant ORGANIZATION had a strategic goal to sow discord in the U.S. political system, including the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Defendants posted derogatory information about a number of candidates, and by early to mid-2016, Defendants' operations included supporting the presidential campaign of then-candidate Donald J. Trump ("Trump Campaign") and disparaging Hillary Clinton. Defendants made various expenditures to carry out those activities, including buying political advertisements on social media in the names of U.S. persons and entities. Defendants also staged political rallies inside the United States, and while posing as U.S. grassroots entities and U.S. persons, and without revealing their Russian identities and ORGANIZATION affiliation, solicited and compensated real U.S. persons to promote or disparage candidates. Some Defendants, posing as U.S. persons and without revealing their Russian association, communicated with unwitting individuals associated with the Trump Campaign and with other political activists to seek to coordinate political activities."

[joethedrummer]

So, the only REAL crime, if it is a crime, was that they posed as American citizens while doing exactly what tens of thousands of other ‘real’ Americans were doing at the same time.

Correct?

[thoughtomator]

According to CNN, 99.99999% hoax is A-OK I guess.

[LIConFem]

Sorry, CNN, but the hoax is embodied in the collusion allegations against the Trump campaign and administration. And it is a hoax and a witch hunt, just as POTUS and others have been saying.

[JoeRed]

Trump should announce that effective immediately DACA is denied while he appoints a special council to look into every Mexican national who attempted to influence our election. Every Facebook ad, every campaign donation, every public statement made and every meeting between a Mexican national and a US citizen needs to be investigated immediately.

[DoughtyOne]

CNN has jumped the shark...

In fact I’d say they’ve jumped the sharks.

This thought process borders on insanity.

[bgill]

Mueller should have a GITMO cell with his name on it right next to Hellary’s.

[SoCal Pubbie]

I got it.

[depressed in 06]

I can’t stop laughing, how can it not be a hoax?

[Celerity]

Or.. Or.. OR we could say “Trump was right!”

[dirtboy]

Robert Mueller just made it impossible for Trump to call the special counsel probe a 'total hoax'

Considering Mueller was supposed to investigate the Trump campaign for so-called collusion with Russia and has found nothing of the sort, I think the designation of 'total hoax' is still quite accurate.

[fluorescence]

"Defendant ORGANIZATION had a strategic goal to sow discord in the U.S. political system, including the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Defendants posted derogatory information about a number of candidates, and by early to mid-2016, Defendants' operations included supporting the presidential campaign of then-candidate

... Hillary Rodham Clinton

Literally an exact description of the DNC/Soros/Obama/Hillary/BLM/Antifa/MeToo/... media and their conspiracy before and after the election to try to influence the result by being a 24/7 Clinton cheerleading squad and using the power of the US Government to spy on the opposition candidate, and then to try to bring down a sitting president afterwards on the basis of fabricated allegations and delusional dreams of misconduct.

[mplc51]

CNN is a HOAX!!!!!

[colorado tanker]

Still a hoax. Mueller knows these people will never be extradited; therefore there will never be a trial and he will never have to produce his "evidence."

And, BTW, the hoax that Trump colluded with these people is still a hoax, by DOJ's admission now.

[Destroyer Sailor]

All Muller proved that was that Russia/ Soviet Union continues to do what it has been doing for the last 100 years. The investigation and special counsel have only proved a long standing fact. Russia spies and wishes to do us harm. Wow!!

[M Kehoe]

Chris Chris. How is Mulehead going to get these Russians into a U.S. court?

5.56mm

[rx]

In their little minds, they're implicitly saying,...

DJT will have to settle for ... A PARTIAL HOAX!

[ProtectOurFreedom]

"Defendants also staged political rallies inside the United States, and while posing as U.S. grassroots entities"

That is just too, too RICH. The Democrats are experts at "astroturfing" and have been doing it for decades:

Wiki --> Astroturfing is the practice of masking the sponsors of a message or organization to make it appear as though it originates from and is supported by a grassroots participant(s). It is a practice intended to give the statements or organizations credibility by withholding information about the source's financial connection.

If they are going to indict Russians for astroturfing, then indict Democrats for the exact same crime!

[mdittmar]

Boris,we did good;)

[Billthedrill]

It’s still a pretty serious accusation: forcing disinformation into the mainstream, deliberately fostering false information for political gain, creating false consensuses, planting false stories, lying and deceiving and browbeating anyone who tries to disagree - but then I’m talking about CNN. Maybe they just don’t like the competition from the Russians.

[Vesparado]

The conclusions in this article go WAY beyond what the indictment actually says. For any news outfit other than CNN I’d give them the benefit of the doubt and conclude they simply haven’t carefully read the actual indictment; can’t do that with them -— they’ve turned it into “fake news”.

The Russians’ purpose or goal is very concisely stated in the indictment: “Defendant ORGANIZATION had a strategic goal to sow discord in the U.S. political system, including the 2016 U.S. presidential election...”

This doesn’t mean favoring any candidate; and, in fact, they had pro and con activities/statements across the spectrum of candidates -— the idea being that no matter who won there’d be a bunch of PO’d people thus maximizing “discord”. That the indictment lists more incidents of pro-Trump activities than no-Trump activities would indicate to me that the Ruskies thought Trump would certainly lose and was not believed to lead to a Trump victory (and, indeed, the indictment does NOT say their activity had any impact on the outcome).