Are Donald Trump Jr. Russian Meeting Emails Evidence Of Criminality? | MTP Daily

KASIE HUNT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. JOINING ME NOW FROM CAPITOL
HILL. AND JOINING ME NOW HERE ON SET
FOR A LOOK AT THIS FROM THE LEGAL ANGLE IS ELECTION LAW
EXPERT NATHANIEL PROSILLI. HE'S A PROFESSOR AT STANFORD LAW
SCHOOL. HE WAS THE RESEARCH DIRECTOR FOR
AN ELECTION INTEGRITY COMMISSION UNDER PRESIDENT OBAMA, ALTHOUGH
HE IS NOT A MEMBER OF EITHER POLITICAL PARTY.
WANT TO MAKE THAT POINT PRETTY CLEAR.

JOINING US. I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THIS IN
TERMS OF A LEGAL MATTER. ARE THERE ANY LEGAL ISSUES HERE,
AND DO YOU SEE EVIDENCE -- HARD EVIDENCE OF COLLUSION FROM THIS
E-MAIL CHANGE DON JR. RELEASED EARLIER TODAY?
>> THERE'S NO QUESTION THERE WERE LAWS THAT WERE BROKEN BY
THE RUSSIANS. THE QUESTION IS WHETHER THE
TRUMP CAMPAIGN OR ANY INDIVIDUAL WITHIN IT EITHER SOLICITED OR
CONTRIBUTED TO THIS BREAKING OF THE LAW OR COORDINATED AS YOU
SAID BEFORE, BECAUSE THOSE ARE THE LANGUAGES THAT WE SEE IN THE
LAW. DID THEY ACT IN CONCERT WITH THE
RUSSIANS IN ORDER TO BREAK THE LAW?
DO YOU SEE ANY SOLICITATION HERE FROM THESE E-MAILS?
>> EVEN BEFORE THESE E-MAILS YOU COULD SEE SOME ACTIONS IN WHICH
THEY WERE ENCOURAGING RUSSIAN INVOLVEMENT IN THE ELECTION.
THAT IN AND OF ITSELF COULD BE BREAKING OF THE CAMPAIGN
FINANCE -- >> THAT JULY 27th PRESS
CONFERENCE WHERE HE SAID RUSSIA IF YOU HAVE HILLARY CLINTON'S
E-MAILS I WANT TO SEE THEM? >> THAT WOULD BE ONE EXAMPLE.
THERE ARE OTHERS AFTER THAT. BUT THE QUESTION, AGAIN, IS
WHETHER SOMETHING OF VALUE WAS GIVEN TO THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN OR
THEY SOUGHT SOMETHING OF VALUE THAT WOULD HELP THEM IN THEIR
ELECTION. >> COULD THIS INFORMATION BE
CONSIDERED SOMETHING OF VALUE? >> IT COULD.
AS YOU KNOW, CAMPAIGNS DO OPPOSITION RESEARCH ALL THE
TIME. CERTAINLY IF THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN
HIRED RUSSIAN OPERATIVES IN ORDER TO DO OPPOSITION RESEARCH,
THAT WOULD BE ILLEGAL. THAT'S NOT WHAT IS BEING ALLEGED
HERE OF COURSE. BUT THE QUESTION IS DOES IT PUSH
UP TO THE EDGE? WAS THERE COORDINATION, WAS
THERE SOLICITATION, WAS THERE AIDING AND ABETTING IN VIOLATION
OF THE CAMPAIGN FINANCE LAWS? >> WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN COORDINATION AND COLLUSION?
BECAUSE WE HEAR THOSE WORDS USED INTERCHANGEABLY.
>> SO COLLUSION IS NOW BECOMING SORT OF THE GENERIC TERM YOU'RE
USING TO DESCRIBE THIS SORT OF AFFAIR.
COORDINATION IS A TERM OF ART IN THE CAMPAIGN FINANCE REALM.
WAS THERE SORT OF AN AGREEMENT OR ACTION BETWEEN THE RUSSIANS
AND THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN IN ORDER TO BREAK THE LAW THAT BANS
FOREIGN CONTRIBUTIONS OR EXPENDITURES RELATED TO A
FEDERAL ELECTION? >> SO WHAT YOU'RE SEEING IN
THESE E-MAILS IS THE RUSSIANS HAVE INFORMATION ON HILLARY
CLINTON THAT COULD BE USED TO HELP YOUR FATHER.
THEY'RE ON YOUR FATHER'S SIDE. DON JR. SAYS, "YEAH, I'D LOVE TO
SEE IT, AND I THINK I'M GOING TO USE IT LATER THIS SUMMER IF IT
IS WHAT YOU SAY IT IS." WHAT DOES THAT AMOUNT TO?
ANY ONE OF THOSE THINGS COORDINATION, COLLUSION?
WHAT WAS THE OTHER -- >> AIDING AND ABETTING.
>> AIDING AND ABETTING. SOLICITATION.
>> RIGHT. SO LET ME JUST BE CLEAR THAT WE
ARE WALKING IN COMPLETELY NEW SNOW HERE.
THIS HAS NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE. THIS SET OF FACTS IS REALLY NEW
FOR CAMPAIGN FINANCE EXPERTS TO WRESTLE WITH.
THERE'S NO SET OF FACTS PREVIOUSLY THAT'S COMPARABLE.
NEVERTHELESS, IF YOU LOOK -- REASON BY ANALOGY TO OTHER TYPES
OF SITUATIONS YOU'VE DEALT-W YES, IF YOU HAVE A PLAN IN ORDER
TO JOINTLY TRY TO DEFEAT AN OPPONENT, YES, THAT WOULD BE THE
KIND OF COORDINATION THAT WOULD RUN AFOUL OF THE CAMPAIGN
FINANCE LAWS. IF, FOR EXAMPLE, THAE, THAT YOU
TRYING TO COORDINATE THE RELEASE OF E-MAILS AT A PARTICULAR DATE,
WHICH AGAIN IS NOT ALLEGED IN THIS PARTICULAR EXCHANGE, BUT
THERE IS SOME TIMING ELEMENT WHEN THEY TALK ABOUT RELEASING
THINGS LATER IN THE SUMMER, THAT ALL OF THOSE FACTS ARE THE KINDS
OF THINGS A PROSECUTOR REVIEWS IN ORDER TO PROVE COORDINATION.
>> ON THE FACE OF IT JUST HAVE A MEETING WITH SOMEBODY WHO CLAIMS
TO BE A RUSSIAN OFFICIAL, WHO CLAIMS TO HAVE INFORMATION FROM
THE KREMLIN THAT IS DAMAGING TO YOUR POLITICAL OPPONENT, ON THE
FACE OF IT THAT MEETING ALONE ISN'T NECESSARILY ILLEGAL?
>> RIGHT. IF YOU KNEW NOTHING ELSE ABOUT
WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN THIS CONTEXT, THE --
>> IT'S UNTOWARD. >> WELL, BUT WE HAVE ALL THE
FACTS LEADING UP TO IT. SO AS WELL AS USUAL SAYING ALL
THE SOLICITATIONS OR -- >> THIS DIDN'T HAPPEN IN A
VACUUM. >> IT'S ALL OF THAT TOGETHER
THAT LEADS TO THE CIRCUMSTANTIAL CASE OF COORDINATION.
>> OKAY. SO IF YOU ARE LOOKING AT THIS
CASE, SAY, YOU'RE ROBERT MUELLER, WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING
FOR NEXT? >> WELL, I THINK YOU WANT TO
KNOW WHETHER WHAT HAPPENED IN THAT MEETING IS WHAT THEY SAY
HAPPENED, WAS IT REALLY ABOUT ADOPTIONS, WAS IT MAYBE ABOUT
E-MAILS, WAS IT ABOUT SORT OF QUID PRO QUOS THAT MIGHT GO ON
LATER IN THE SUMMER. YOU ALSO WANT TO KNOW WHETHER
THE MEETING ENDED THERE OR WERE THERE FOLLOW-UP CONVERSATIONS
AFTER THE FACT. >> THEY SAY CROWN PROSECUTOR.
IN RUSSIA THAT'S NOT QUITE A TERM OF ART, RIGHT?
>> WELL, IT DOESN'T -- WE KNOW IT'S A RUSSIAN OFFICIAL.
AND LET ME BE CLEAR ALSO. WHETHER IT WAS THE RUSSIAN
GOVERNMENT OR A RUSSIAN NATIONAL, IT IS STILL ILLEGAL
UNDER THE CAMPAIGN FINANCE LAWS BECAUSE THEY PREVENT FOREIGN
NATIONALS FROM SPENDING MONEY RELATED TO A FEDERAL ELECTION OR
CONTRIBUTING ANYTHING OF VALUE TO A CAMPAIGN.
>> DOES THIS LOOK FISHY TO YOU? >> IT'S LOOKED

Are Donald Trump Jr. Russian Meeting Emails Evidence Of Criminality? | MTP Daily | MSNBC

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