• Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world
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    6 months ago

    Can you expand more on the election interference part?

    Totally understand inciting an insurrection to be interference, but using campaign funds to manage public relations problems seems a legitimate use.

    • villainy@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      using campaign funds to manage public relations problems seems a legitimate use

      It is.

      What he did was try to hide payments made to benefit his campaign. Would you consider illegally financing a campaign to be election interference?

      • spongebue@lemmy.world
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        6 months ago

        Not just the financing, but hiding the Stormy Daniels story during the election. They were using the National Enquirer (yes, I know) to promote Trump, make up stories to bring down his opponents, and hide the Stormy Daniels story (which was needed when the “grab them by the pussy” video leak caused chaos and arguably almost sunk the campaign). THAT’S where the election interference came into play.

        • Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world
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          6 months ago

          They were using the National Enquirer (yes, I know) to promote Trump, make up stories to bring down his opponents, and hide the Stormy Daniels story (which was needed when the “grab them by the pussy” video leak caused chaos and arguably almost sunk the campaign)

          Isn’t this part a normal election strategy in the US? And not illegal itself?

          • spongebue@lemmy.world
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            6 months ago

            Honestly, I’m not sure how exactly the law is written. I believe that was a factor out of several that raised the misdemeanor of falsification into a felony (by doing so to conceal a crime). The judge’s instructions to the jury was that they needed to be unanimous that a crime was being concealed, but they didn’t have to agree on which one(s). Unless some members of the jury go to the media (for their sake, I sure hope they don’t) and that gets brought up, we’ll probably never know which way that wind was blowing.

            • Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world
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              6 months ago

              Thanks.

              In the future I’m sure politicians on all sides will be paying people to keep certain facts quiet. I was just trying to confirm what is legal and what is illegal.

    • krakenfury@lemmy.sdf.org
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      6 months ago

      That was not the legal issue of the case, though. Campaigns have to be very transparent with how they spend contributions, for obvious reasons, and it was easy to prove that this appropriation was obfuscated.