Why Trump has denied Russian interference

[NastyRiffraff]

Trump has insisted, again and again, that not only was there "no collusion," but there was no Russian interference in the election. Clearly, he thought any hint of interference would diminish his "victory."

Now, of course, he's crowing because the Mueller report supposedly "exonerates" him. But that report says something quite different. From the Washington Post:

The special counsel’s report on possible coordination between the Trump campaign and Russians to interfere in the 2016 election is extremely detailed with only modest redactions — painting a far less flattering picture for Trump than the attorney general has offered and revealing new details about interactions between Russians and Trump associates. Mueller’s team wrote that though their investigation “did not establish that the Trump Campaign coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities,” that assertion was informed by the fact that coordination requires more than two parties “taking actions that were informed by or responsive to the other’s actions or interests.”

And Mueller made abundantly clear: Russia wanted to help the Trump campaign, and the Trump campaign was willing to take it.

“Although the investigation established that the Russian government perceived it would benefit from a Trump presidency and worked to secure that outcome, and that the Campaign expected it would benefit electorally from information stolen and released through Russian efforts, the investigation did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities,” Mueller’s team wrote.
Washington Post

I haven't yet read the report, but it looks like Mueller's conclusions were a lot more nuanced, and much less exculpatory, than Barr's stunt today acting as Trump's personal attorney indicated.

"Russia wanted to help the Trump campaign, and the Trump campaign was willing to take it." There we have it.