What Exactly Is Collusion If youve even glanced at the news lately, youve probably seen or heard the term collusion when referring to President Trumps senior staff being accused of shady dealings with Russia. But what is collusion
Kilauea Mount Etna Mount Yasur Mount Nyiragongo and Nyamuragira Piton de la Fournaise Erta Ale. American government agencies are now banned from using software created by the Russian cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab and will have to begin removing Kaspersky. And is it actually a crime Paul Manafort, a former Trump advisor, is being investigated for money laundering, the Wall StreetRead more Read. Today, Jared Kushner, President Trumps senior adviser and son in law, stood before Senate investigators and denied any collusion with foreign agents before or after the 2. His statement is, of course, referring to the news that a meeting between a Russian national who claimed to have damaging material on Hillary Clinton and Trumps inner circle did in fact occur in June of 2. The term collusion has been a political buzzword ever since, but its largely being used as a blanket statement and doesnt hold as much weight under U. S. law as you might think. The literal definition of the word is secret agreement or cooperation especially for an illegal or deceitful purpose. When it comes to competition and antitrust law, it is illegal here in the U. S. Outside of that, however, collusion itself is not a specific federal crime. You can technically collude with a foreign government any time you want, as there is no such statute that says otherwise. The term is vague, and is being improperly used as short hand for a wide gamut of possible criminality. Bible Works 7 Download. Humans are biased. We remember things that confirm our beliefs more than things that dont. AndRead more Read. Still, just because federal law does not criminalize collusion specifically that doesnt mean other crimes didnt occur. As Paul Rosenzweig, former deputy assistant secretary for policy at the Department of Homeland Security, explains at Politico, Trumps staff could be charged with conspiracy 1. U. S. Code 3. 71 to violate election laws of the United States. In this case, U. S. Hilary Clinton may fall under that loose terminology. According to John W. Dean, former White House counsel for Richard Nixon, other possible infractions include aiding and abetting 1. U. S. Code 2, fraud and related activity in connection with computers 1. U. S. Code 1. 03. U. S. Code 1. 34. U. S. Code 3. 01. When it comes to talk of collusion, Carrie Cordero, attorney, adjunct professor at Georgetown Law, and former counsel to the assistant attorney general for national security, notes that its important to distinguish between the political and the legal discussion. The term itself will continue to get tossed around, but its good to know that it doesnt have any specific legal meaning. There is no law that says Trumps senior staff cant work with Russians. For there to be repercussions, there must be evidence that they worked together to commit a specific crime, aided one another in committing a specific crime, or helped each other cover up a specific crime. For now, well have to let the investigation run its course and see what turns up. It is likely that for the rest of my life I will not go a single day without thinking about Donald Read more Read.