Tag: Russian interference

FBI’s McCabe and UK spy chief feared Russian link between Trump and Brexit: report

AlterNet logoThe former FBI deputy director and his counterpart at the U.K.’s MI5 intelligence agency privately shared concerns about the possible connections between the Brexit vote and Russia’s efforts to promote Donald Trump’s campaign.

Andrew McCabe, then the second-ranking FBI official, and Jeremy Fleming, the second-ranking British intelligence agency official at the time, exchanged text messages revealing their mutual surprise at the result of the EU referendum that U.S. officials saw as a “wake-up call,” reported The Guardian.

A person familiar with the matter told the newspaper that American officials were wary of Russian interference in western elections, but some within the FBI saw the Brexit vote as confirmation that those efforts had been successful.

View the complete July 30 article vey Travis Gettys from Raw Story on the AlterNet website here.

Jared Kushner doesn’t know whether he’ll alert the FBI if Russian officials offer political help in 2020

Jared Kushner was among the Trump campaign officials who was present at the infamous Trump Tower meeting of June 9, 2016, which was also attended by Russian attorney Natalia Veselnitskaya (Trump’s campaign had been promised some dirt on Democrat Hillary Clinton by people in the Russian government). Journalist Jonathan Swan, during an interview with the White House senior adviser three years later for “Axios on HBO,” brought up that meeting — and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law was unsure whether or not he would notify the FBI if the same thing happened again.

Swan noted that three years ago, Kushner received an e-mail explaining that people in the Russian government wanted to help the Trump campaign. “Why didn’t you pick up the phone and call the FBI?,” Swan asked.

Kushner became testy, responding, “Jonathan, we’re in a place now where people are playing Monday morning quarterback, and they’re being so self-righteous. Let me put you in my shoes at that time. I’m running three companies, I’m helping run the campaign.”

View the complete June 3 article by Alex Henderson on the AlterNet website here.

Trump says he accepts US intel on Russia — then adds it ‘could be other people also’

The following article by Jordan Fabian was posted on the Hill website July 17, 2018:

Video from Meet the Press, NBC News

President Trump on Tuesday sought to walk back his widely-criticized remarks at a press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin a day earlier, saying he accepts the U.S. intelligence community’s assessment that Russia interfered in the 2016 election.

But Trump muddled the walk-back by saying that “other people” also could have been involved, a statement similar to remarks he’s made in the past casting doubt on Russia’s involvement.

“I accept our intelligence community’s conclusion that Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election took place,” Trump said, reading from a prepared statement in front of reporters at the White House.

View the complete article on the Hill website here.

Democratic Party sues Russia, Trump campaign and WikiLeaks alleging 2016 campaign conspiracy

NOTE:  If you were wondering why this was done, this was a way the Democratic Party kept public awareness during the Watergate investigation.

The following article by Tom Hamburger, Rosalind S. Helderman and Ellen Nakashima was posted on the Washington Post website April 20, 2018:

The Democratic National Committee on April 20 filed a lawsuit against the Russian government, the Trump campaign and WikiLeaks. (Bastien Inzaurralde/The Washington Post)

The Democratic National Committee filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit Friday against the Russian government, the Trump campaign and the WikiLeaks organization alleging a far-reaching conspiracy to disrupt the 2016 campaign and tilt the election to Donald Trump.

The complaint, filed in federal district court in Manhattan, alleges that top Trump campaign officials conspired with the Russian government and its military spy agency to hurt Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and help Trump by hacking the computer networks of the Democratic Party and disseminating stolen material found there. Continue reading “Democratic Party sues Russia, Trump campaign and WikiLeaks alleging 2016 campaign conspiracy”

Inside the Russian effort to fuel American secessionists

The following article by Casey Michel was posted on the ThinkProgress website February 26, 2018:

Flights to Russia, embassies in Moscow, fake social media accounts galore. But for what?

Credit: Getty Images / DianaI Ofosu

Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s major indictment of the people and organizations behind Russia’s social media interference operations brought a wave of revelations. Its reference to a “real U.S. person affiliated with a Texas-based grassroots organization” who was in communication with the Russians, however, prompts a whole new set of questions.

The person mentioned by Mueller has not been named — even while the identities of other Americans are revealed — but one group seems to be feeling the heat. The Texas Nationalist Movement (TNM), dedicated to breaking the state off from the rest of the U.S., issued a statement immediately following the indictment claiming they “had no knowledge of nor any involvement with the Russian-led efforts to influence the 2016 General Election.” Continue reading “Inside the Russian effort to fuel American secessionists”

Democrats go it alone on Russia probe after partisan breakdowns

The following article by Karoun Demirjian was posted on the Washington Post website January 10, 2018:

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) spoke out on Jan. 9 about the state of the congressional Russia investigations after one year of work. (Reuters)

Democrats are striking out on their own this week over all but one of the congressional investigations into Russian meddling, independently releasing reports and transcripts, and attacking Republicans they accuse of intentionally undermining active probes in deference to President Trump.

Senior Democratic officials in the Senate, frustrated by what they consider a Republican campaign to discredit the law enforcement and intelligence agencies investigating the president, cleared their members to release the interview transcript of one of the Russia investigation’s most sensitive witnesses and, separately, to publish a report detailing the disinformation and intimidation tactics the Kremlin deploys against democracies globally. Continue reading “Democrats go it alone on Russia probe after partisan breakdowns”

Upstairs at home, with the TV on, Trump fumes over Russia indictments

The following article by Robert Costa, Philip Rucker and Ashley Parker was posted on the Washington Post website October 30, 2017:

Credit: Getty/Jessica Kourkounis/Chip Somodevilla/Mireia Triguero Roura

President Trump woke before dawn on Monday and burrowed in at the White House residence to wait for the Russia bombshell he knew was coming.

Separated from most of his West Wing staff — who fretted over why he was late getting to the Oval Office — Trump clicked on the television and spent the morning playing fuming media critic, legal analyst and crisis communications strategist, according to several people close to him.

The president digested the news of the first indictments in special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s probe with exasperation and disgust, these people said. He called his lawyers repeatedly. He listened intently to cable news commentary. And, with rising irritation, he watched live footage of his onetime campaign adviser and confidant, Paul Manafort, turning himself in to the FBI. Continue reading “Upstairs at home, with the TV on, Trump fumes over Russia indictments”

At height of Russia tensions, Trump campaign chairman Manafort met with business associate from Ukraine

The following article by Rosalind S. Helderman, Tom Hamburger and Rachel Weiner was posted on the Washington Post website June 19, 2017:

Donald Trump’s campaign manager, Paul Manafort, walks the floor at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland on July 21, 2016. (Michael Robinson Chavez/The Washington Post)

In August, as tension mounted over Russia’s role in the U.S. presidential race, Donald Trump’s campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, sat down to dinner with a business associate from Ukraine who once served in the Russian army.

Konstantin Kilimnik, who learned English at a military school that some experts consider a training ground for Russian spies, had helped run the Ukraine office for Manafort’s international political consulting practice for 10 years.

At the Grand Havana Room, one of New York City’s most exclusive cigar bars, the longtime acquaintances “talked about bills unpaid by our clients, about [the] overall situation in Ukraine . . . and about the current news,” including the presidential campaign, according to a statement provided by Kilimnik, offering his most detailed account of his interactions with the former Trump adviser. Continue reading “At height of Russia tensions, Trump campaign chairman Manafort met with business associate from Ukraine”

Comey Confirms F.B.I. Investigation of Russian Election Interference, Links to Trump Campaign

High points of the intelligence briefing of Congress today, March 20, 2017, from Matthew Rosenberg, Emmarie Huetteman and Michael S. Schmidt update at 11:01 AM and posted on the New York Times website:

■ The F.B.I. director, James B. Comey, publicly confirmed an investigation into Russian interference in the presidential election and whether associates of the president were in contact with Moscow.

■ Mr. Comey also said the F.B.I. had “no information” to support President Trump’s allegation that Barack Obama wiretapped him.

■ The hearing’s featured witnesses: Mr. Comey and Adm. Michael S. Rogers, the director of the National Security Agency.