Emails between Donald Trump Jnr and Rob Goldstone suggest the two men have previously discussed interference by Russia in the US presidential election, says Professor Ted Zorn.
By Professor Ted Zorn
Ever since Donald Trump Jnr released his email conversation with Rob Goldstone last week, the focus has been on his eagerness to embrace a Russian government attempt to damage Hillary Clinton’s election campaign. But a close look at the language in his email exchange with the music promoter reveals a bigger picture that is of even greater concern.
One part of the exchange that has not received enough attention is the casual nature of the conversation, especially in relation to the Russian government’s support for Trump. I believe the language used in the emails suggests rather conclusively that the two men have previously discussed the topic, that both are aware of Russia’s active interference in the election on behalf of Trump and that both already assume the Trump campaign’s cooperation with Russia.
Nothing is more basic in communication studies than the idea that meaning is tied to context. As an obvious example, many words (“bugger”, “bitch”, “black”) take on completely different meanings depending on who’s saying them to whom, where they've said and what topic is being discussed, among other things. In conversation as in written communication, we learn subtle ways to signal how our meaning is to be taken when we are concerned it may not be obvious from the context.
Professor Ted Zorn.
Where's the shock and surprise?
So, we use words or phrases to signal that we are about to convey bad news, surprising new information, or information that might not be welcome. Usually it’s some form of a “hedge”. Think about it. If you are about to tell someone something surprising or something you think they may not want to hear, you would often use a phrase like: “You might be surprised to know…”, or “One thing I need to mention…” or “I don’t know how you’re going to take this, but…”. We insert these hedges to soften the blow, mitigate the impact, or alert the listener that we are aware that the information to follow may raise a concern.
We don’t see any of that in Goldstone’s casual mention of Russian government interference. Instead he states matter-of-factly, “This is obviously very high level and sensitive information but is part of Russia and its government's support for Mr Trump – helped along by Aras and Emin. What do you think is the best way to handle this information…?” It’s hard not to conclude that he assumes Trump Jnr is already aware of the Russian government’s active support for Trump and its interference in the election, and shows no need to prepare Trump Jnr for what most readers have seen as a shocking revelation.
Also, the language of Goldstone’s request (“What do you think is the best way to handle this information…?”) is revealing. He doesn’t question whether the Trump team would be interested in the information – he asks only what the next step should be – again clearly implying that, based on previous interactions, he knows that the Trump campaign is willing to cooperate.
Now consider Trump Jnr’s response. In such an exchange, when someone has told you something surprising or something very significant that you were not previously aware of, you’d typically signal your awareness of the surprise. For example: “Are you serious…?”, “What?” or “I can’t believe what I’m hearing…”. Again, no such reaction is apparent in Trump Jnr’s response: “Thanks Rob I appreciate that. I am on the road at the moment but perhaps I just speak to Emin first. Seems we have some time and if it's what you say I love it especially later in the summer. Could we do a call first thing next week when I am back?”
The “if it’s what you say it is I love it” portion is the closest thing to a surprising reaction. But given where it is located in the response – that is, following a mundane opening (“Thanks Rob I appreciate that. I am on the road at the moment” and stuck at the end of another sentence focused on logistics (“Seems we have some time and…”), it seems that “I love it” is a reaction to a useful addition to a set of occurrences of which he’s already well aware.
In short, the language used in the emails suggests that Trump Jnr and Goldstone are both very well aware of both Russia’s interference on behalf of Trump and the Trump campaign’s cooperation in that interference. It strongly suggests that the meeting they were setting up via their email conversation is not the first instance of collusion.
Professor Ted Zorn is the Pro Vice-Chancellor and Dean of the Massey Business School and an expert in management communication.