Collusion — or a lack of it — turns out to have been the rhetorical trap that ensnared President Trump’s pursuers. There was no need for detailed electoral collusion between the Trump campaign and Vladimir Putin’s oligarchy because they had an overarching deal: the quid of help in the campaign against Hillary Clinton for the quo of a new pro-Russian foreign policy, starting with relief from the Obama administration’s burdensome economic sanctions. The Trumpites knew about the quid and held out the prospect of the quo.
Trump’s Russia ties
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Max Frankel: The real Trump-Russia quid pro quo
US President Donald Trump (R), looks at Russia's President Vladimir Putin (L) as they take place for a family photo, during the G20 Leaders' Summit in Buenos Aires, on Nov. 30, 2018.
