Why does everyone believe Jr didn't get useful info from the lawyer?

[Kablooie]

Sure he said the lawyer had no real info but he lied about every other aspect of the meeting, why is this, the key to the whole thing, assumed to be true?
Why would a high level lawyer meet with the son, who has no political decision making power, using an inflammatory lie as a pretext? It's just bizarre.

It's much, much more likely that actual, illegal info was passed and Jr lied about it, especially since the Russians actually did influence the election as Jr was told they would.

[madaboutharry]

1. I don't think everyone believes that.

I think most people think it's just another lie.

[MineralMan]

2. Everyone doesn't believe that. I don't.

[flor-de-jasmim]

3. Keith Olbermann has a recent video out showing that later the same day Trump Sr. tweeted about the

30,000 emails - his first mention. Coincidence?

And, yes, lying is not second-nature to them, but first-nature!

[annabanana]

4. Of course the DNC hack was discussed. Also the timing of data release,

also the quid pro quo.. (Which was probably bigger than just the lifting of sanctions and involves 2018)

[FakeNoose]

5. If he had received any real dirt on Hillary

... they would have certainly used it in the campaign.

Did they ever use anything? No because there was nothing.
They kept saying "But her emails" and they never found a thing.
How long did Comey spend looking for a bombshell in her emails? At least 6 months that we know of.

The reason for the meeting was to get a conversation going where the quid pro quo would be promised if Trump became president. They got the quid pro quo, as a matter of fact they got at least 2 "favors". I'm sure Donny Two Scoops would love to do more for them.

[unblock]

7. that doesn't mean they didn't discuss hacked emails.

only that they didn't find anything particularly juicy in those emails.

junior probably wasn't lying when he said he was "disappointed"; but he wasn't disappointed that the russians didn't have espionage contraband -- he was disappointed that that contraband didn't yield anything particularly useful for him politically.

[FakeNoose]

9. Sure

He was getting played and he was too stupid to realize it.

Doesn't mean he wasn't willing to collude against the USA - he was certainly willing.

[annabanana]

11. uh. they did

DC leaks, then Wiki

[True Dough]

6. Let's say Donnie Jr. was telling the truth for once

and there was no useful info from the Russian lawyer (highly unlikely, but play along).

If the journalist was even halfway decent -- but the interviewer yesterday was with Trump-friendly Fox News, so that went out the window -- then the questions to Donnie Jr. would have been:

1) Why did you lie repeatedly about the nature of the meeting before proof of the meeting's intent became public knowledge?

2) Even if, as you say, the meeting produced nothing of value, you went into it looking for damaging material being offered by a foreign government against an American political opponent. That's against the law, but you wrote that you "love it" in the email reply. Why were you even willing to take part in that meeting instead of alerting the authorities?

3) Are we really supposed to believe that your father, one floor above, was completely unaware of the subject matter of your meeting with the Russians when the pretext was that they would deliver harmful info on Hillary Clinton?

[yardwork]

8. I don't think that anyone believes that - except the people who believe Trump already.

I doubt even the so-called journalists pretending to believe this actually do. They're getting paid to pretend.

[TexasProgresive]

10. I'm with FakeNoose on this.

Donny thought he was going to get something but he got nothing. So what do I think the Ruskies got out of it? leverage on tRump Junior, therefore more leverage on Senior. A subtle modification of the honey trap. In this case the honey was possible dirt on Sec Clinton, but the honey turned out to be sour.

[MichMary]

12. What "dirt" do you think

there was to "get" on Secretary Clinton??

[mercuryblues]

13. I don't believe it

for a second. He has lied about everything else about this meeting, he is lying about this.


What I believe really happened. What was discussed was how to get the emails out their, so the campaign can claim clean hands. They knew the emails did not have damaging info, just the idea of being able to say Clinton's leaked emails consistently was enough. I am pretty sure the Russians altered some to make them seem worse than they were and tossed in a few fake ones. IOW they threw in just enough fake info to keep the topic of hacked Hillary's emails on every news outlet's front page.

I have encountered people who believe these were the emails hacked off her private server, not the DNC. So when Comey made his statement days before the election about new Clinton emails being found it was all conflated into one event and Clinton was going to jail.

[cyclonefence]

14. Don Jr. keeps referring to Russian adoptions

as if that's an innocent topic. Putin stopped adoptions from Russia in response to Obama's sanctions. Discussing Russian adoptions can have no other meaning than that the lawyer was sent there to feel out Trump on removing sanctions, which leads to as much as if not more trouble for the Trumps.

[Demsrule86]

15. Jr is claiming that this is the case...I don't believe him.

[Orrex]

16. Because no Trump would ever lie to us!

FAKE LIES!

[spanone]

17. i don't believe him for one second. it's the only defense he has....i guess

[ok_cpu]

18. I actually believe him. But only re: this particular meeting

I think this meeting served two purposes, both stated by others, and that the lawyer did not have any meaningful info.

First, it was the dangle to let Russia know the campaign was open to a quid pro quo relationship.

And, it was the foundation for the leverage that they now hold over the pResident.

[GeorgeGist]

19. I have it on the highest authority ...

that everyone doesn't believe what you said.

[eleny]

20. He's been trying to put over the idea that he didn't get anything of value

Of course he's deflecting from the fact that he sought something of value. But if he pushes that he got nothing of value and the Republicans say they believe him then he might get away with being crosswise with that part of our election laws. He skates on that area.

I believe that he's lying given how soon after the meeting Don Sr., at a rally, expressed hope that the Russians would find Clinton emails. I conclude that this is what Veselnitskaya offered. She's denying it thus backing up his lie.