Explain like I'm 5: If the dossier is proven completely accurate, is Trump headed to prison?

[butdiduvote]

My understanding is that the dossier claims, in addition to the famous golden showers stuff, that the Russians have information on his finances that could be used against him and that they had been cultivating him as a candidate for years. Does it explicitly state that he cooperated with them in this cultivation, however? With reports that the dossier is gaining credibility and has been corroborated to a tiny degree, I'm wondering just how explosive it would be if the entire thing, or most of it to whatever extent is possible, were verified. Would it alone be enough to take him down? Or would it just damage his credibility a great deal?

[Spider Jerusalem]

1. If the dossier turns out to be accurate

and Trump and associates were given 19% of Rosneft (Russian oil company) in exchange for lifting sanctions on Russia? (This is an allegation made in the dossier, by the way.) Then yeah, he's going to prison. He'll be impeached for collusion with a foreign power and receiving bribes. (President Pence will probably pardon him though!)

[butdiduvote]

4. Thanks for explaining!

I'm not really knowledgeable on foreign relations-type topics, and this entire Russian meddling mess is making me long for simpler times when the focus was on topics I actually understood.

[LeftInTX]

7. Trump will only go to prison or be impeached

if someone has the balls to bring charges against him. I don't know much about constitutional law, but I believe he would have to be impeached. ( Presidents are immune from many traditional prosecutions) Impeachment is very political.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

13. Hmmm. Are Presidents immune from traditional prosecution?

I seem to remember looking this up once.

I think impeachment only deals with removal but a president can still be prosecuted.

[zentrum]

21. But not by a DOJ

...headed up by Sessions.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

23. No doubt. But that's a separate issue.

The question is if he CAN be prosecuted. I think he can but he won't .

He won't be impeached either.

[Rhiannon12866]

8. Me, either!

And these all these allegations, accusations and transgressions are coming so thick and fast that it's hard to keep track...

Welcome to DU, butdiduvote! It's great to have you with us!

[pbmus]

6. Not if pence knew also...which they are trying to prove now..

[Squinch]

30. The receipt of Rosneft stock by people around Trump seems to be one of the things that have been

confirmed about the dossier. I don't think Trump has been implicated in this yet, but transfers did happen at the right time to Trump associates. I'll see if I can find the link where I saw that.

[tparrett62]

38. Is that right???

Who in particular has been confirmed to have gotten that stock? That is a HUGE smoking gun!! Please link if you find it.

[Dorian Gray]

31. From your lips

to god's ears.

[kiranerys]

39. It's not that that they'd be given the stock, but..

The deal was, allegedly, that Carter Page (Trump associate) would be allowed to *broker the sale* of the stock, which would earn him, basically, a huge commission.

In exchange, Page would 1) make sure that Trump won, and 2) make sure Trump lifted the sanctions on Russia.

Then, when the "grab 'em" video was leaked and Trump's poll numbers tanked, Russia decided to have a different company handle the sale. So the bribery plot feel through. Allegedly.

But, essentially, this story tells us a couple things:

1) the sanctions are hurting the Russian government so much that they needed to sell off 19% of their oil company to raise cash, and

2) the Russian government *were* going to bribe one of Trump's associates to influence his foreign policy, and only Trump's bad poll numbers stopped them

If this is all true, than Carter Page should be in jail. I think if that happens, the heat may get turned up on the investigation into Trump. Or, the Republicans may try to blame all illegal action on Page and throw him under the bus (see; Scooter Libby during the Bush administration).

[leftstreet]

46. So, no one ever took a bribe?

Is that how I'm reading your post?

[Occulus]

42. Do not forget that impeachment is a political process, as is removal

There is absolutely zero guarantee that Trump would go to prison if the dossier is proven to be accurate. The Republicans will do any old damn thing at all to prevent a sitting President from their party being sent to the clink. Before that happens, he'd have to be impeached or the entire investigation would be easily quashed. Republicans won't impeach any time soon, particularly over a payment that's a 'bit shady, but not uncommon among deals with nationally-owned companies' (I swear I can hear that talking point churning even now) even if the dossier is proven true.

The dossier, however accurate and however damning under normal circumstances, will do no damage whatever because the Republican Party will not allow it to do damage. "See? Even Russia tried to hurt Trump directly and failed because it's fake news."

That's what the cynic in me thinks, anyway, and he's been more correct than not as the years have passed.

[Bucky]

2. It's past your bed time

[butdiduvote]

3. No it isn't.

[uppityperson]

5. They are not the only one seeking info, why be snarky?

[JHan]

10. "explain like I'm 5" - I took it as a light joke on that.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

14. Ah. That makes sense.

[uppityperson]

41. Ah, that makes sense, thank you

[Bucky]

49. Right.

I was just goofing.

[Squinch]

29. WTF? Why the random obnoxiousness?

[AwakeAtLast]

48. I understood you

[Moostache]

9. What credibility? (n/t)

[JHan]

11. He should face the treatment his rabid fans wished on Hillary.

but yeah, since treason, it would be LOCK HIM UP time.

I also think a lot more in that dossier will be corroborated in the fullness of time.

[Cha]

22. Yeah for the real crooked trump.. not fake new.

[butdiduvote]

32. It's my ultimate fantasy.

I was so upset with all of the LOCK HER UP stuff during the campaign. It was so disrespectful, and Secretary Clinton deserved none of it. Then those assholes were rewarded for their behavior with an electoral win. It would make my heart so happy to see them eat their own words as their candidate is marched to prison.

[JHan]

40. something got to give, Trump will self destruct.. and even I may feel sorry for him.

[Lint Head]

12. If he doesn't go to prison we need to get together a posse.

[triron]

45. Maybe so!

Maybe the people with have to force his removal. Perhaps military coup?

[Motown_Johnny]

15. We should revoke his citizenship and deport him after seizing all his assets.

See how he likes it.

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

17. 100% yes!

Treasonous cretin.

[world wide wally]

19. Maybe deport him to Syria?.... or maybe Mexico?

Some place where they will "take care of him".

[Warpy]

20. What have those folks ever done to deserve HIM?

Deport him to Russia.

[Motown_Johnny]

26. I was kinda thinking Siberia....

but my mind could be changed.

[Wash. state Desk Jet]

16. You asked the right question.

That would mean Trump did not win the election and Pence under those conditions would be no more legitimate than Trump. As to the outcome should it come down to that, apply YOUR IMAGINATION.Because your guess is as good as any for the time being.Yer in uncharted territory.

[pnwmom]

18. Then creepy ulra-right Paul Ryan would be President. Ick.

We have to get rid of DT, but there is no good alternative.

[jmowreader]

25. I somewhat doubt that either Pence or Ryan will start a war, and I think Trump really wants to

It's too bad bills of attainder are unconstitutional; one of the few ways to keep the Idiot Bastard Son from starting a war in the middle east is to pass a law over his veto calling for immediate enlistment of his children as Marine privates if he decides to go to war against any country that didn't attack us first.

[jmg257]

33. Not sure the task of the CIA is to bail out a traiterous president.

In direct opposition to national security. They take oaths too.

"CIA's primary mission is to collect, analyze, evaluate, and disseminate foreign intelligence to assist the President and senior US government policymakers in making decisions relating to national security."

[sailfla]

27. Somebody get a rope!

[HoneyBadger]

28. Dossier has Trump spying for the Russians for 8+ years

As well as as having highly placed spies in the DNC and Democratic Party during that time. I think that prison would be the result for hundreds of people.

Because of money and position, Trump would likely be the toughest one to imprison. But assuming that those hundreds of people cut deals for less prison time, it is possible.

[Vinca]

34. If Jeff Sessions wasn't the AG Trump might be headed for prison.

But how do we know Jeff Sessions wasn't aware of the Russian connection, too? The entire government has been taken over by a crime family.

[Fast Walker 52]

36. Sessions has got to be aware of the case, but it's unclear how independent he will be

I bet he would pursue his own conservative agenda more than Trump's, and if Trump is causing trouble for the GOP, than could be pushed to topple him.

[Fast Walker 52]

35. It would take him down, given a good prosecutor, which is the big problem right now

A lot of the most serious allegations in the dossier were supposedly about corrupt business behavior in China... that should be pursued too.

[madokie]

37. The time is coming

where tRump will rue the day he decided to go along with all this

[Achilleaze]

43. No. republicans wil canonize him for his treachery & traitory

Last edited Sun Feb 12, 2017, 02:55 PM - Edit history (1)

republicans have demonstrated repeatedly that they think America sucks, and that they want a "racially pure" kristo-kleptocracy smothered in latter-day korporo-kristo-fascism.