I'm not entirely convinced the collusion question is a mirage. There's a lot of noise from each camp and in the face of a remarkably hushed investigative effort. Considering how Trump micromanaged his own campaign, I find it highly unlikely that he didn't know or wasn't aware of any meetings with Russian officials, appropriate or not. For me, the question will mostly likely become whether the collusion was premeditated or covered up.

As for this mess of an OpEd… it's disgusting. The author wrote nothing substantial and as you suspect - it's purpose from authorship to publication is designed for nothing more than to tantalize and entrench. The NYT should be ashamed of themselves.