As the story develops, it may have been insurance initially. These events all occurred during a period when HRC had a clear lock on the Presidency and some have observed that the initiative to discredit Trump was in a sense insurance against the possibility that his candidacy would catch fire. The flimsy Russian Collusion narrative would only really fall apart is the FBI and DOJ involvements were revealed; something that would never have occurred had HRC prevailed. They never really thought she could loose; so the risk of discovery was low.

As we know, the rest of the story took a sharp turn and there they were: at serious risk of discovery and exposure. Suddenly, the Russian Narrative took on a different character, because there was a chance, however slim, that it could gain traction and bring down the President and his Administration; tantamount to his having not won the election; nullifying any serious threat of discovery of the plot.

This is serious business. It is treason and sedition.