Putin operative paid for Trump Jr.'s wedding

A Russian oligarch named Umar Kremlev, who is part of Putin's inner security circle, covered hundreds of thousands of dollars in costs for Trump Jr.'s wedding celebration in the Bahamas.

Russia tried to reach Trump Jr. in 2016

During the 2016 campaign, Trump Jr. received a message that Moscow wanted to secretly help Trump and send an emissary with dirt on Hillary Clinton. Trump Jr. replied, 'If it's what you say I love it.'

“If it's what you say I love it.”

The Trump Tower meeting happened

Trump Jr., campaign chair Paul Manafort, and Jared Kushner met with a Russian emissary tied to Russian intelligence. Trump Jr. later lied about the meeting, first denying it was campaign-related.

Trump team signaled openness to interference

The meeting showed Moscow that Trump's campaign was okay with Putin meddling in the election and made them aware the Kremlin intended to covertly help Trump win.

Trump team knowingly lied about Putin

Trump, Trump Jr., Manafort, and others loudly asserted throughout the campaign and after that Putin had not interfered in the election, despite knowing the Kremlin intended to meddle.

Trump defined collusion too narrowly

Trump's team argued there was no collusion because they weren't in the same room as Russian hackers stealing Democratic documents. No evidence of such direct collaboration emerged.

Team Trump colluded with Putin's cover-up

Trump Jr. and others deliberately lied and provided cover for Putin's interference. Their denials echoed and affirmed Putin's own denials, making them complicit in his cover-up.

Complicity matters more than collusion

For ten years, Trump has insisted Moscow did nothing while Putin attacked US elections. Trump's constant denials made him complicit in Putin's information war against America.

“In the stretch following the 2016 election, Democrats and Trump critics were too fixated on collusion. But it was the complicity, stupid.”

Senate report revealed Manafort's Russian contact

The August 2020 Senate Intelligence Committee report showed Manafort shared sensitive campaign data with Konstantin Kilimnik, a Russian intelligence officer connected to the hack-and-leak operation.

Evidence suggests possible Manafort collusion

The Senate report noted investigators found two pieces of information raising the possibility of Manafort's connection to the hack-and-leak operations targeting Clinton's campaign.

Redactions hid the full story from public

Intelligence officials redacted details about Kilimnik being a GRU agent to protect sources and methods, preventing the public from learning the complete Manafort-Kilimnik connection.

Senate report was overshadowed and ignored

The Republican-backed Senate report was released during the Covid pandemic in summer 2020 when political focus was elsewhere. Mueller's earlier report finding no criminal conspiracy had already shifted public attention away.