Tag: Trump campaign

Did Hillary Clinton collude with the Russians to get ‘dirt’ on Trump to feed it to the FBI?

The following article by Glenn Kessler was posted on the Washington Post website February 9, 2018:

Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) makes a startling claim about the Russian investigation. But there’s no evidence to back it up. (Meg Kelly/The Washington Post)

“The truth is that they [Democrats] are covering up that Hillary Clinton colluded with the Russians to get dirt on Trump to feed it to the FBI to open up an investigation into the other campaign.”
—Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, in an interview on the Hugh Hewitt Show, Feb. 7, 2018

During the probe of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election — and possible collusion by members of the Trump campaign — defenders of the president have often sought to turn the tables on Democrats. A perfect summing-up of this approach can be found in the statement above by Nunes, who described it as “a massive coverup of a major scandal that reached the highest levels of our government.” Continue reading “Did Hillary Clinton collude with the Russians to get ‘dirt’ on Trump to feed it to the FBI?”

Lawyers for Rick Gates ask to leave Mueller-probe case, citing ‘irreconcilable differences’ with their client

The following article by Spencer S. Hsu was posted on the Washington Post website February 7, 2018:

Rick Gates, center, arrives at the Prettyman Federal Courthouse on Jan. 16. Credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Lawyers for Rick Gates, the co-defendant of former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort, cited unspecified “irreconcilable differences” with their client in asking to leave the case, but a federal judge did not immediately rule on their request after a sealed hearing Wednesday.

U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson of Washington took the matter under advisement after a nearly 90-minute hearing, held behind closed doors to preserve the secrecy of attorney-client communications.

Gates’s attorneys Shanlon Wu of Washington and Walter Mack and Annemarie McAvoy of New York moved Feb. 1 to withdraw as counsel in a shake-up in the pending prosecution by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III. Continue reading “Lawyers for Rick Gates ask to leave Mueller-probe case, citing ‘irreconcilable differences’ with their client”

George Papadopoulos, his bride-to-be, and the Russia-linked ‘professor’ who brought them together

The following article by Eli Rosenberg was posted on the Washington Post website February 7, 2018:

George Papadopoulos with his fiancee, Simona Mangiante. Credit: Simona Mangiante

Simona Mangiante, the fiancee of former Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos, describes the moment she decided to speak out on behalf of her partner.

A day after the bombshell announcement that Papadopoulos had pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about contact with the Russians — an indication that he was likely cooperating — Michael Caputo, another adviser on the campaign, said on television that Papadopoulos was nothing more than “the coffee boy.”

With those few words, Mangiante decided to stop turning down the interview requests that had been pouring in for weeks. Continue reading “George Papadopoulos, his bride-to-be, and the Russia-linked ‘professor’ who brought them together”

Biden: If I were Trump’s lawyer, I would advise against Mueller interview

The following article by Rebecca Morin was posted on the Politico website February 6, 2018:

Former Vice President Joe Biden on Tuesday said President Donald Trump has “some difficulty with precision” and that he would tell him to not consent to an interview with special counsel Robert Mueller.

“You are in a situation where the President has some difficulty with precision,” Biden told Chris Cuomo on CNN. “One of the things I would worry about if I were his lawyer is him saying something that was simply not true without him even planning to be disingenuous.” Continue reading “Biden: If I were Trump’s lawyer, I would advise against Mueller interview”

The sketchy past of the man at the center of the Republicans’ memo obsession

The following article by Judd Legum was posted on the ThinkProgress website February 1, 2018:

Carter Page, an unlikely choice for American hero.

Moscow, Russia – Dec 12, 2016: Page makes a presentation during his visit to Moscow. Credit: Artyom Korotayev,TASS /Getty Images

The infamous Republican House Intelligence Committee memo, which alleges abuses by the FBI in its investigation of the Trump campaign, is expected to be released very soon.

To regular viewers of Hannity, this is the most monumental event since the moon landing. The rest of America, meanwhile, may be wondering what this is all about. It really comes down to one question: Was an obscure Trump adviser named Carter Page a legitimate subject of FBI surveillance, or was he targeted improperly? Continue reading “The sketchy past of the man at the center of the Republicans’ memo obsession”

Hero or hired gun? How a British former spy became a flash point in the Russia investigation.

The following article by Tom Hamburger and Rosalind S. Helderman was posted on the Washington Post website February 6, 2018:

The Russia probe got its start with a drunken conversation, an ex-spy, WikiLeaks and a distracted FBI. (Meg Kelly/The Washington Post)

In the fall of 2016, a little more than a month before Donald Trump was elected president, Christopher Steele had theundivided attention of the FBI.

For months, the British former spy had been working to alert the Americans to what he believed were disturbing ties Trump had to Russia. He had grown so worried about what he had learned from his Russia network about the Kremlin’s plans that he told colleagues it was like “sitting on a nuclear weapon.” Continue reading “Hero or hired gun? How a British former spy became a flash point in the Russia investigation.”

Carter Page Touted Kremlin Contacts in 2013 Letter

The following article by Massimo Calabresi and Alana Abramson was posted on the Time website February 4, 2018:

Former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page bragged that he was an adviser to the Kremlin in a letter obtained by TIME that raises new questions about the extent of Page’s contacts with the Russian government over the years.

The letter, dated Aug. 25, 2013, was sent by Page to an academic press during a dispute over edits to an unpublished manuscript he had submitted for publication, according to an editor who worked with Page. Continue reading “Carter Page Touted Kremlin Contacts in 2013 Letter”

Who is Carter Page? Subject Of Nunes Memo Has Ties To Russia — And Spies

The following article by Nicole Goodkind of Newsweek was posted on the National Memo website February 1, 2018:

Carter Page started out as an unknown foreign policy adviser to Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. Now he’s at the center of a national scandal about Russia, secret courts, and surveillance of U.S. citizens.

That’s because a controversial Republican memo, created by GOP Congressman Devin Nunes, apparently alleges that the FBI and the Department of Justice used misleading evidence for a surveillance warrant against Page in the fall of 2016.

Though he was not well known in Russian policy circles, Page had spent years working in the region before signing up with the Trump campaign.  An ex-Moscow-based investment banker, he attracted the attention of the FBI in 2013 when a Russian spy tried to recruit him. Page is one of the Trump administration’s many friendly links to the government of Vladimir Putin—ties that have fueled speculation and questions about the Trump campaign and Russia’s efforts to influence the U.S. presidential election. Continue reading “Who is Carter Page? Subject Of Nunes Memo Has Ties To Russia — And Spies”

The sketchy past of the man at the center of the Republicans’ memo obsession

The following article by Judd Legum was posted on the ThinkProgress website February 1, 2018:

Carter Page, an unlikely choice for American hero.

Moscow, Russia-Dec. 12, 2016: Pagemakes a presentation titled ” Departing from Hypocrisy: Potential Strategies in the Era of Global Economic Stagnation, Security Threats and Fake News” during his visit to Moscow. Credit: Artyom Korotayev/TASS via Getty Images

The infamous Republican House Intelligence Committee memo, which alleges abuses by the FBI in its investigation of the Trump campaign, is expected to be released very soon.

To regular viewers of Hannity, this is the most monumental event since the moon landing. The rest of America, meanwhile, may be wondering what this is all about. It really comes down to one question: Was an obscure Trump adviser named Carter Page a legitimate subject of FBI surveillance, or was he targeted improperly?

For many, Americans the answer to this question is: I don’t really care. For everyone else, please read on. Continue reading “The sketchy past of the man at the center of the Republicans’ memo obsession”

About 25% of Trump’s Re-election Spending Continues to Go to Lawyers

The following article by Kenneth P. Vogel and Rachel Shorey was posted on the New York Times website February 1, 2018:

A Trump rally in December in Pensacola, Fla. The president’s re-election campaign entered the year with $32.3 million in the bank, reflecting an aggressive start to re-election fund-raising. Credit Tom Brenner/The New York Times

WASHINGTON — President Trump’s re-election campaign raised $15.2 million in the last three months of last year, and spent $1.2 million on legal fees — with much of the cash going to law firms responding to investigations of Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election — according to campaign finance reports.

The reports, filed with the Federal Election Commission on Wednesday evening, indicate that Mr. Trump’s campaign and two fund-raising committees it formed with the Republican National Committee — Trump Victory and Trump Make America Great Again — entered this year with $32.3 million in the bank. Continue reading “About 25% of Trump’s Re-election Spending Continues to Go to Lawyers”