(These photos of Donald Trump Jr. [by Gage Skidmore] and Jared Kushner [by Lori Berkowitz] are from Wikipedia.)Donald Trump has repeatedly denied that his campaign colluded with the Russian government to affect the outcome of the 2016 presidential election. There is now proof that Trump's statements are lies.
Shortly after Trump received the Republican nomination, his son (Donald Trump Jr.), his son-in-law (Jared Kushner), and his campaign manager at that time (Paul Manafort) held a meeting with a Russian lawyer (who they believed to be a high level representative of the Russian government) for the express purpose of receiving "incriminating" about Hillary Clinton from the Russian government. This is not guesswork, but fact -- verified by e-mails received and sent by Trump Jr., Manafort, and Kushner.
The meeting did happen, for the stated purpose, and was attended by all three members of the Trump campaign. They are now claiming that no information was received at that meeting, but that doesn't really matter at this point -- they at least attempted to collude with the Russian government to subvert the presidential election. And they knew it was wrong to do so (at least unethical, and possibly illegal or treasonous). That's why they all refused initially to acknowledge that the meeting even happened when applying for security clearances, or when questioned by the media about possible meetings with Russians.
So, we now have proof that the Trump campaign colluded with Russia to subvert our democracy by affecting the 2016 presidential election. The only questions remaining is -- Did Donald Trump know about the collusion, and was it done with his permission? It is known that Trump was present in Trump Tower that day -- one floor above where the meeting with the Russian lawyer was taking place.
We know that Trump had absolute control over his business, his family, and his campaign -- and that he loves to micromanage all three. I find it highly unlikely (really unbelievable) that Trump Jr., Kushner, and Manafort would arrange or attend this meeting without both the knowledge and permission of Donald Trump.
It's now time to seriously consider starting impeachment proceedings to oust Donald Trump. And Jared Kushner's security clearance should be immediately revoked.
