Letters | Trump and Russia: why can’t deluded Democrats simply face the proof?

Trump’s campaign is guilty of nothing but seeking opposition research – which isn’t illegal

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President Donald Trump has claimed vindication since the Mueller Report’s results were made public. Photo: AP

Published: 1:30am, 9 May 2019Updated: 1:30am, 9 May 2019

In reply to George Cassidy Payne’s letter, “The Mueller Report: or how Trump was let off the hook” (May 5), there was nothing illegal about setting up the Trump Tower meeting unless it involved information gathering via illegal methods, such as illegal wiretapping.

And there is no evidence that anyone knew the information (which turned out to be nonexistent) was procured through illegal means. If opposition research is illegal, nearly every member of Congress would be behind bars.

Trump didn’t invent the “I don’t recall” or “I don’t remember” defence. Luminaries such as Hillary Clinton have used and/or urged political allies to use the same line of defence.

Mr Payne knows full well the whole investigation was based on bogus information supplied to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, which was not told that the “information” was supplied by Hillary Clinton. So spare me the phoney outrage.

John Chiu, Chai Wan

The end of Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, and its inconclusive findings on whether Donald Trump obstructed justice, have done little to dampen the enthusiasm of his critics for impeachment. Photo: EPA

If Trump-hating Mueller found no crime, there was no crime