In 2019, Special Counsel Robert Mueller released a report detailing his investigation into then-President Donald Trump's purported collusion with Russia.
It discusses two Russian plots to influence the 2016 election: a social media influence operation as well as a hacking and releasing of hacked emails. Another section of the study discusses whether members of the Trump campaign intentionally made a deal with Russia to participate in those plots.
“99% of the population never read the Mueller report, I did,” human rights activist and financier Bill Browder said in an appearance on independent Russian news channel TV Rain.
Browder, who has invested in Russian companies, says the report shows that the Trump campaign was "desperately trying to find people in the Russian government to collude with, and there were people in the Russian government that were desperately trying to find people in the Trump campaign to collude with.” See below:
While the report found that there was not enough evidence to prove collusion, “[that] doesn’t mean that there wasn’t collusion going on,” Browder said.
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Despite Russia's hostile national interests toward the U.S. and its global human rights abuses, Trump and his staff had both direct and indirect ties to Russia.
“He’s a horrifying man,” Browder said, “if he were to be elected in 2024, Putin’s dreams may come true.”
Trump has not only refrained from attacking Russian President Vladimir Putin, but has expressed admiration and respect. Trump has also surrounded himself with individuals who support and do business with Russia.
Senior Russian intelligence officers have often communicated with members of Trump's 2016 campaign and other Trump allies throughout the campaign.
Ukraine
Browder also cited how Trump's administration delayed congressionally approved military aid to Ukraine in 2020 for a political reason.
Trump "wanted Ukraine to give dirt on his political opponent (Biden)," he added. This was confirmed during Trump's 2020 impeachment trials.
In order to put pressure on Ukraine to provide information regarding President Biden's son Hunter, who had sat on the board of a Ukrainian gas business, the Trump administration withheld approved aid to Ukraine at that time.
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The funds were released after the hold on the aid became public, which prompted a legislative investigation and the Republican president's impeachment by the Democratic-controlled House.
Putin's war in Ukraine is now entering its eighth month.
