Wikipedia

User:Louis P. Boog/sandbox/Russia collusion hoax

< User:Louis P. Boog | sandbox

2016 U.S. presidential election
Republican Party
Democratic Party
Third parties
Related races
← 2012 2016 2020 →


U.S. government investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 elections, and the links between Russian intelligence and Trump associates,[1][2] started with the FBI's Crossfire Hurricane investigation (July 31, 2016, to May 17, 2017),[3][4][5] and continued with the "Mueller investigation" (or Special Counsel investigation, 2017–2019) which was established after President Trump fired the director of the FBI James Comey, (raising suspicions of obstruction of justice).[6] The Mueller investigation concluded that Russian interference was "sweeping and systematic" and "violated U.S. criminal law", and indicted Russian citizens and Russian organizations. The investigation "identified numerous links between the Russian government and the Trump campaign".[7][8] The investigation resulted in charges against 34 individuals and 3 companies, 8 guilty pleas, and a conviction at trial.[9][10] However it concluded that though the Trump campaign welcomed the Russian activities and expected to benefit from them, there was insufficient evidence to bring any conspiracy or coordination charges against Trump or his associates,[11][7][8][12][13][14][15][16] and that they were prevented from reaching a conclusion on whether Trump had obstructed justice by a Justice Department guideline prohibiting the federal indictment of a sitting president.[17][18][19]

The Russia investigation origins counter-narrative, or Russia counter-narrative,[20] is a narrative, or a conspiracy theory[21][22] embraced by Donald Trump, Republican Party leaders, and right-wing[23][2] conservatives[21] attacking the legitimacy and conclusions of the investigations. The narrative includes conspiracy theories such as Spygate, accusations of a secretive, all-powerful elite "deep state" network,[21][22] and other false and debunked claims. Trump in particular has attacked not only the origins but the conclusions of the investigation, and ordered a review of the Mueller report,[24][25][26] which was conducted by attorney general William Barr[27][5] – alleging there was a "deep state plot" to undermine him.[27] He has claimed the investigations were an "illegal hoax", (they have been dubbed the Russia Collusion Hoax), and that the "real collusion" was between the Democrats and Russia – and later, Ukraine.

However, a further investigation by the Republican-controlled Senate Intelligence Committee confirmed the intelligence community's claim that Putin's "interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election" in favor of Trump was unprecedented in its "manner and aggressiveness",[28][29] and an investigation of the investigations by the United States Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General found the origin of the FBI investigation was properly predicated on a legal and factual basis, and found no support for several conspiracy theories about the origin promoted by conservatives.[21]


The Russia investigation origins counter-narrative, or Russia counter-narrative,[20] is identified as a conspiracy theory[21][22] of false and debunked claims and attacks by Donald Trump, Republican Party leaders, and right-wing[23][2] conservatives[21] designed to undermine the legitimacy and conclusions of the FBI's Crossfire Hurricane investigation,[3][4][5] as well as the subsequent Special Counsel investigation into the myriad secretive links between Russian intelligence agents and officials and Trump associates and the 2016 Russian interference in U.S. elections.[30][2] Both of those investigations, as well as one by the Republican-controlled Senate Intelligence Committee, concluded that the Russian government interfered in the election for the purpose of benefiting Trump and that he welcomed the Russian help.[31][32] The United States Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General report found the origin of the FBI investigation was properly predicated on a legal and factual basis, and the report did not support several conservative conspiracy theories about the origin.[21]

Trump rejected the conclusions of US intelligence agencies and both investigations that found that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to benefit him,[24] instead alleging a "deep state" plot to undermine him.[27] He claimed the whole investigation was an "illegal hoax", and that the "real collusion" was between the Democrats and Russia – and later, Ukraine.

The Special Counsel investigation did not evaluate the question of "collusion", but rather "whether the evidence was sufficient to charge any member of the campaign with taking part in a criminal conspiracy."[12][33][34] It did not establish that the Trump campaign had "conspired or coordinated" with the Russian government.[35][16]

Russia counter-narrative

edit

According to the Trump administration, the Russia investigation should never have happened in the first place[36] as it was a plot by law enforcement and intelligence officials to prevent Trump from winning the 2016 election, and then, once he won the election, to frustrate his "America First" agenda.[37][38] Trump rejects the conclusion of US intelligence agencies that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to benefit candidate Trump, suggesting without evidence instead that hostile American officials may have planted false information that led to the Russia inquiry.[24]

Trump frequently expressed the concern that those findings called into question the legitimacy of his presidency. He attacked the Russia investigation over 1,100 times by February 2019, claiming that it was fabricated as an excuse for Hillary Clinton losing the Electoral College in 2016, that it was an "illegal hoax", and that the FBI had refused to investigate the "real collusion" between the Democrats and Russia – and later, Ukraine.[39] However, three years after the election the FBI Director appointed by Trump, Christopher A. Wray, stated: "We have no information that indicates that Ukraine interfered with the 2016 presidential election. ... [A]s far as the [2020] election itself goes, we think Russia represents the most significant threat."[40]

From the outset, conservatives tried to delegitimize the Mueller investigation.[5] Republican Party leaders suggested that Robert Mueller's inquiry stemmed from a plot by members of the Obama Administration and career intelligence officials—an alleged "deep state"—to undermine Trump.[27]

On April 2, 2019, Trump personally urged investigation into the origins of the Mueller investigation.[26][25] In response, Democrats and some former law enforcement officials expressed concern that Attorney General William Barr was "using the justice department to chase unsubstantiated conspiracy theories" that could cast doubt on the Mueller report's findings.[41][42]

On November 22, 2019, The Washington Post reported that a forthcoming United States Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General report found the origin of the FBI investigation was properly predicated on a legal and factual basis, and the report did not support several conservative conspiracy theories about the origin.[21] On December 9, 2019, US Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz testified to Congress that the FBI showed no political bias at the initiation of the investigation into Trump and possible connections with Russia;[43][44][45] In a Senate hearing on December 11, 2019,[46] he stated that he "could not rule out political bias as a possible motivation for the 17 errors the FBI made in applications for the Carter Page surveillance."[47][48][49] In a subsequent analysis of 25 unrelated FISA warrant requests, Horowitz found a pattern of similar errors that suggested systemic sloppiness by the FBI, rather than an effort to single-out Page.[50]

False claims about origins

edit
Trump–Ukraine scandal
 
A request by U.S. President Donald Trump (right) to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (left) to investigate Joe Biden and his son sparked the scandal.
Events
List
People
White House
Justice Department
State Department
Defense Department
National Security Council
Intelligence
Congress
Ukrainians
Surrogates
Scholars
Related
Companies
List
Conspiracy theories
List

Core elements of the theory include these false claims:[51]

  • The claim that the Steele dossier had a role in triggering the overall Russian interference investigation. Arguments against the dossier are irrelevant to this claim as the FBI did not possess or use the dossier when they opened the investigation. The Inspector General concluded that it did not play any role in the initiation of the Crossfire Hurricane Investigation;[52][53] the accusation that it was fraudulent,[54] and that "the dossier's partisan associations" were "obscured" from the FISA court in the application for surveillance Carter Page. In fact, the first FISA application did contain a footnote added at the insistence of Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart Evans about the potential political bias of the Steele material.[55] Conservatives also question the FBI's assessment of the credibility of Christopher Steele, a former British intelligence officer who ran the MI6 Russia desk from 2006 to 2009. This concern was irrelevant to the question of the origins of the investigation.[37]
  • Claims that the investigations and surveillance were illegal and treasonous "spying"[56] (the spygate conspiracy theory)[57] – a "FISA abuse" narrative,[58] notably involving Susan Rice.[20] The use of the term "spying" in this context is disputed.[59][60][61][62] James Comey[63] and James A. Baker have described the investigations as necessary, appropriate, legal, and apolitical,[51][64] and FBI Director Christopher A. Wray testified that he saw "no evidence the FBI illegally monitored President Donald Trump's campaign during the 2016 election."[62]
  • That the FBI and other institutions are "dangerously biased" against Trump (the deep state conspiracy theory),[65] that Robert S. Mueller III's investigation was run by "13 [or 18] angry Democrats" and that Mueller was "highly conflicted", a claim debunked by Trump's own aides,[36] and the investigation was part of a failed "attempted coup", based on private texts sent by Peter Strzok expressing opposition to a Trump presidency and speculation over removal of Trump under the 25th Amendment following his firing of James Comey.[51]
  • That anti-Trump forces inside the FBI actually entrapped his advisers, such as Michael Flynn[66] and may have even planted evidence of Russian collusion.[67]
  • That Russian interference was not directed by Putin, was not as significant as the president's opponents insisted, or even decisive in the outcome of the election. Proponents point to the discrepancy in the intelligence community's report on Russian interference between the FBI and CIA's high confidence and the National Security Agency's moderate confidence.[68][failed verification]

More recently, the narrative has expanded to include the claim that Joseph Mifsud was not a Russian asset, but was a Western intelligence agent used as a counterintelligence trap for the Trump campaign,[69] and elements of the conspiracy theories related to the Trump–Ukraine scandal; it posits that Ukraine, not Russia, was responsible for election interference. The theory further claimed that Ukraine had interfered in the elections at the behest of the Democratic Party to benefit Hillary Clinton's election campaign, and that they had planted evidence that Russia was responsible and had sought to help Trump.[70] US Attorney General William Barr has reportedly traveled in person to Italy (twice) and to the United Kingdom to try to build support for this claim.[71][55] Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte contradicted this, stating that Italy had "played no role in the events leading to the Russia investigation".[24]

On February 19, 2020, numerous sources revealed that lawyers for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange told Westminster Magistrates' Court that Trump had Dana Rohrabacher visit Assange at the Ecuadoran Embassy in London on August 16, 2017. Assange had been in court fighting extradition to the United States on charges of computer intrusion as WikiLeaks had posted sensitive documents provided by whistleblower Chelsea Manning. During the August 16 meeting, Assange stated that Rohrabacher had made a quid pro quo offer of a presidential pardon to him, in exchange for Assange covering up Russian involvement by declaring that "Russia had nothing to do with the DNC leaks". Assange's lawyer said that he had evidence "that a quid pro quo was put to Assange by Rohrabacher, who was known as Putin's favorite congressman."[72][73][74] White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham stated that Assange's claims were "a complete fabrication and a lie" and added that "the president barely knows Dana Rohrabacher other than he's an ex-congressman."[75] Rohrabacher had previously confirmed the August 16 meeting, saying he and Assange talked about "what might be necessary to get him out" and discussed a presidential pardon in exchange for information on the theft of DNC emails that were published by WikiLeaks before the 2016 presidential election.[76]

Notable proponents

edit

The most notable proponent is Donald Trump himself. Following the May 2018 disclosure that FBI informant Stefan Halper had spoken with Trump campaign aides Carter Page, George Papadopoulos, and Sam Clovis, Trump advanced a conspiracy theory dubbed as Spygate, which claimed that the previous administration under Barack Obama paid to plant a spy inside Trump's 2016 presidential campaign to assist his rival, Hillary Clinton, win the 2016 US presidential election.[77][78] With no actual supporting evidence produced, Trump's allegations were widely described as blatantly false.[77][22][79][80] Trump's allegations prompted the US Justice Department (DOJ) and the FBI to provide a classified briefing regarding Halper to several Congressmen, including Republicans Trey Gowdy and Paul Ryan, who concluded that the FBI did not do anything improper, and that Russia, not Trump, was the target of the FBI.[81][82]

In June 2018, Trump claimed that a report by DOJ Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz "totally exonerates" him and that "the Mueller investigation has been totally discredited", despite the report having nothing to do with the special counsel investigation, the Trump campaign or Russia. The report was instead focused on the FBI's 2016 investigation of the Hillary Clinton email controversy.[83][84][85][86]

Sean Hannity, a strong supporter of Trump, a vocal and persistent critic of the Mueller investigation on his Fox News television show and syndicated radio program, described Mueller as "corrupt, abusively biased and political."[87] Hannity had asserted that the investigation arose from an elaborate, corrupt scheme involving Hillary Clinton; the Steele dossier, which he asserts is completely false although parts of it have been reported as verified;[88] former DOJ officials James Comey, Andrew McCabe, Bruce Ohr, and others; and a wiretap on former Trump aide Carter Page that Hannity asserted was obtained by misrepresentations to the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, characterizing the wiretap as an abuse of power that is "far bigger than Watergate" and "the weaponizing of those powerful tools of intelligence and the shredding of our Fourth Amendment, constitutional rights."[87]

Jeanine Pirro, a long-time friend of Trump,[89] described Mueller, current FBI Director Christopher Wray (a Trump appointee), former FBI Director James Comey and other current/former FBI officials as a "criminal cabal,"[90] saying "There is a cleansing needed in our FBI and Department of Justice – it needs to be cleansed of individuals who should not just be fired, but who need to be taken out in cuffs."[91]

Inspector General testimony

edit

On December 9, 2019, Horowitz testified before the House Judiciary Committee that the FBI had an “authorized purpose” when it initiated its investigation, known as Crossfire Hurricane, into the Trump campaign.[92] Horowitz asserted, though, that as the probe went on, FBI officials repeatedly decided to emphasize damaging information they heard about Trump associates and play down exculpatory evidence they found.[93] In response to this, the FBI promptly indicated it would implement dozens of corrective measures in response to Horowitz’s report. Wray said the bureau accepts the findings and plans to make a host of changes, including to how they gather and submit information for surveillance applications.[92] Horowitz was particularly critical of applications the FBI made to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to monitor former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page, asserting those applications contained “significant inaccuracies and omissions” and that agents “failed to meet the basic obligation” to ensure the applications were “scrupulously accurate.”[93][94][92] [95]

Durham investigation

edit
"Durham Investigation" redirects here. For the 1839 Canadian investigation, see Durham Report.
 
U.S. Attorney John Durham

Review of origins of FBI's investigation

edit

In April 2019, U.S. Attorney General William Barr told members of Congress that he believed the Trump campaign had been spied upon in 2016.[96] John Durham, the U.S. attorney in the District of Connecticut, had already been conducting an investigation in the Department of Justice into leaks, allegedly by FBI Director James Comey, to the Washington Post about Michael Flynn that resulted in Flynn's departure from the White House.[97]

In May 2019, Barr appointed Durham to oversee a DOJ probe into the origins of the FBI investigation into Russian interference.[96] Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney tied the Durham investigation to the Ukraine scandal, as Durham sought help from Ukraine and interviewed Ukrainian citizens.[37]

On May 23, 2019, Trump ordered the intelligence community to cooperate with the inquiry and granted Barr unprecedented full authority to declassify any intelligence information related to the matter.[98][99][100][101] DOJ investigators, led by Durham, planned to interview senior Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officers to determine how they concluded in 2016 that Russian president Vladimir Putin had personally authorized election interference to benefit candidate Trump.[102] Politico reported in July 2019 that after becoming CIA director in 2017, Trump loyalist Mike Pompeo vigorously challenged the findings of CIA analysts that Russian interference was designed to help Trump, but he found no evidence to dispute it.[103][104] The New York Times reported in July 2018 that the CIA had long nurtured a Russian source who eventually rose to a position close to Putin, allowing the source to pass key information in 2016 about Putin's direct involvement.[105] In parallel, Trump and his allies – most notably Trump's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani – promoted an alternative narrative, alleging the Russian government had been framed, and that it was the Ukrainian government had interfered to benefit Hillary Clinton, in coordination with Democrats, the digital forensics company CrowdStrike and the FBI.[106] Trump falsely asserted that CrowdStrike, an American company, was actually owned by a wealthy Ukrainian oligarch. In reality, Dmitri Alperovitch, a co-founder of Crowdstrike, and the likely reference, is a naturalized United States citizen who was born in Russia, not Ukraine.[16]

Barr and Department of Justice contacts with foreign governments

edit

In the fall of 2019, news reports publicized that Barr and the Department of Justice had contacted foreign governments to ask for help in this inquiry, and that this reportedly upset the normal practice of U.S. officials speaking with foreign politicians. Barr personally traveled to the United Kingdom and Italy to seek information, and at Barr's request Trump phoned the prime minister of Australia to request his cooperation.[107][108] One British official with knowledge of Barr's requests observed, "it is like nothing we have come across before, they are basically asking, in quite robust terms, for help in doing a hatchet job on their own intelligence services."[109] Barr sought information that Joseph Mifsud was a Western intelligence operative charged with entrapping Trump campaign advisor George Papadopoulos in order to establish a false predicate for the FBI to open an investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections.

That FBI investigation was initiated after the Australian government notified American authorities that its diplomat Alexander Downer had a chance encounter with Papadopoulos, who boasted about possible access to Hillary Clinton emails supposedly held by the Russian government.[110] On October 2, 2019, Senator Lindsey Graham, a staunch Trump supporter and chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, wrote a letter to the leaders of Britain, Australia and Italy, asserting as fact that both Mifsud and Downer had been directed to contact Papadopoulos. Joe Hockey, the Australian ambassador to the United States, sharply rejected Graham's characterization of Downer.[111][112] A former Italian government official told The Washington Post in October 2019 that during a meeting the previous month, Italian intelligence services told Barr they had "no connections, no activities, no interference" in the matter; Italian prime minister Giuseppe Conte later affirmed this.[5][24] The Justice Department inspector general aggressively investigated the allegation that Mifsud had been directed to entrap Papadopoulos, but found no information that Mifsud was part of an FBI operation. The New York Times reported that its sources claimed Mifsud was a Russian agent.[113][21] American law enforcement believes Mifsud is connected to Russian intelligence.[110][114][3][115][116][117]

By October 2019, it was reported that Barr and Durham's investigators were, in addition to pressing foreign intelligence officials for help in discrediting the 2016 inquiry,[118][2][119] also asking about the route by which information had reached the FBI, and interviewing agents involved in the 2016 inquiry.[37][120][27] Durham also inquired about whether CIA officials had tricked the FBI into opening its 2016 investigation. Politico quoted FBI officials who were dismissive of such an assertion.[121] Although the CIA and FBI directors shared intelligence about the matters in August 2016, former government officials said the FBI did not use CIA information to open its investigation the previous month.[42] The Justice Department inspector general later confirmed this.[122] Papadopoulos had previously asserted that Mifsud was "an Italian intelligence asset who the CIA weaponized" against him. Former CIA director John Brennan, a frequent Trump critic, had been singled out for suspicion by Trump and his allies, as well as former director of national intelligence James Clapper, as supposed members of a "deep state" that allegedly sought to undermine Trump.[42][117]

Conviction of FBI attorney Kevin Clinesmith

edit

On October 24, 2019, The New York Times and The Washington Post reported that Durham's inquiry had been elevated to a criminal investigation, raising concerns of politicization of the Justice Department to pursue political enemies of the President.[42][123] The Times reported on November 22 that the Justice Department inspector general had made a criminal referral to Durham regarding Kevin Clinesmith, a low-level FBI attorney assigned to the Mueller probe who had resigned in February 2018. Clinesmith was accused of altering an email during the process of renewing a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) wiretap warrant against former Trump campaign advisor Carter Page.[122] Clinesmith pleaded guilty to a felony violation in August 2020 for adding the phrase "and not a source" to a statement by a CIA liaison saying that Carter Page had a prior "contact" relationship with the CIA from 2008 to 2013.[124][125] On January 29, 2021, Clinesmith was sentenced to 12 months federal probation and 400 hours of community service. The judge stated that Clinesmith "likely believed that what he said about Mr. Page was true" and that he had taken "an inappropriate shortcut." He also said the IG inspection did not establish that "political considerations played a role in Clinesmith's actions."[126]

Disagreement with DoJ Inspector General report

edit

On December 9, following the release of Justice Department inspector general Michael Horowitz's report, Durham issued a statement saying, "we do not agree with some of the report’s conclusions as to predication and how the FBI case was opened."[127][128] Many observers inside and outside the Justice Department, including the inspector general, expressed surprise that Durham would issue such a statement, as federal investigators typically do not publicly comment on their ongoing investigations.[129] Barr also released a statement challenging the findings of the report.[130] Horowitz later testified to the Senate that prior to release of the report he had asked Durham for any information he had that might change the report's findings, but "none of the discussions changed our findings."[131] The Washington Post reported that Durham could not provide evidence of any setup by American intelligence.[23]

Investigation of former CIA director John Brennan

edit

The New York Times reported in December 2019 that Durham was examining the role of former CIA director John Brennan in assessing Russian interference in 2016, requesting emails, call logs and other documents. Brennan had been a vocal critic of Trump and a target of the president's accusations of improper activities toward him. The Times reported Durham was specifically examining Brennan's views of the Steele dossier and what he said about it to the FBI and other intelligence agencies. Brennan and former director of national intelligence James Clapper had testified to Congress that the CIA and other intelligence agencies did not rely on the dossier in preparing the January 2017 intelligence community assessment of Russian interference, and allies of Brennan said he disagreed with the FBI view that the dossier should be given significant weight, as the CIA characterized it as "internet rumor."[132]

Alleged Trump pressure to finish the investigation before the 2020 election

edit

In February 2020, The Washington Post reported that Trump was pressing the Justice Department for Durham to finish his investigation before the election.[133] Barr hinted in June that the Durham investigation would produce results regarding the "complete collapse of the Russiagate scandal" before the end of the summer.[134] In July Barr told a Congressional committee that the review might be released before the election despite an informal Justice Department rule limiting release of such information.[135] In public statements in August, Trump again insisted that investigation produce more prosecutions and suggested that his opinion of Barr would be negatively influenced if it did not.[135]

As summer ended there were reports that Barr himself was pressing for the Durham investigation to release its report. The Hartford Courant reported that unnamed colleagues of Nora Dannehy, Durham's top aide in the investigation who quietly resigned on September 10, had said she was concerned about pressure from Barr to deliver results before the election.[136][137] In October, Trump ordered the declassification of all documents relating to the 2016 investigation, characterizing it as the "greatest political CRIME in American History." John Ratcliffe, the Director of National Intelligence and a Trump loyalist, released declassified Russian disinformation about Hillary Clinton to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham. Some critics characterized the actions as a politicization of intelligence.[138][139][140]

Appointment as Special Counsel

edit

On November 2, 2020, the day before the presidential election, New York magazine reported that the Durham probe had uncovered no evidence of wrongdoing by former Vice President Joseph Biden or former President Barack Obama.[141]

On December 1, 2020, Attorney General Barr revealed to the Associated Press that on October 19, 2020, he had appointed Durham to be a Special Counsel pursuant to the federal statute that governed such appointments. Durham's investigation, according to Barr's statement to the Associated Press and the Attorney General's order appointing Durham as special counsel, was to examine whether "any federal official, employee, or any other person or entity violated the law in connection with the intelligence, counter-intelligence, or law-enforcement activities directed at the 2016 presidential campaigns, individuals associated with those campaigns, and individuals associated with the administration of President Donald J. Trump, including but not limited to Crossfire Hurricane and the investigation of Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III."[142][143]

Michael Sussmann trial and acquittal

edit

On September 16, 2021, Durham indicted Michael Sussmann, a partner for the law firm Perkins Coie, alleging he falsely told FBI general counsel James Baker during a September 2016 meeting that he was not representing a client for their discussion. The indictment alleged Sussman was actually representing "a U.S. Technology Industry Executive, a U.S. Internet Company and the Hillary Clinton Presidential Campaign" and that he was involved with a project in which "researchers were tasked to mine... internet data to establish 'an inference' and 'narrative' that would tie then-presidential candidate Donald Trump to Russia."[144][145][146]

Sussmann, who focuses on privacy and cybersecurity law, approached Baker to discuss what he claimed to be suspicious communications between computer servers at the Russian Alfa-Bank and the Trump Organization. After Trump became president, the FBI found Sussmann's claims to be meritless, and the Mueller Investigation's report ignored them. Sussmann had represented the Democratic National Committee regarding the Russian hacking of its computer network. Sussmann's attorneys have denied he was representing the Clinton campaign. Perkins Coie represented the Clinton presidential campaign, and one of its partners, Marc Elias, commissioned Fusion GPS to conduct opposition research on Trump, which led to the production of the controversial Steele dossier. Sussmann, a former federal prosecutor, characterized the allegations against him as politically motivated and pleaded not guilty the day after his indictment.[147][144][148][149]

On December 6, 2021, Sussman's lawyers asked for an earlier trial date than July 25, 2022, the date proposed by Durham. The lawyers stated that evidence turned over to them by the prosecution, "partly redacted records of two of Mr. Baker's interviews with the Justice Department", contradicted the charge.[144] The trial took place in May 2022, and the jury found Sussman not guilty. During the trial, it was revealed by Robby Mook that, even though campaign members "weren't totally confident" in the veracity of the information, in light of Trump's favorable actions toward Russian interests, leaking the suspicions of a secret backchannel to the press seemed to be justified, and Hillary Clinton agreed with that decision. Mook believed journalists would verify the story before publication.[150][151]

On June 1, 2022, former Attorney General William Barr was interviewed on Fox News about the verdict in the failed prosecution of Michael Sussman. According to Ja'han Jones of MSNBC's The ReidOut Blog, Barr continued to defend Trump by repeating debunked "Russiagate" conspiracy theories about the origins of the Russia investigation by stating that the case against Sussmann "crystallized the central role played by the Hillary campaign in launching, as a dirty trick, the whole Russiagate collusion narrative."[152] Following Sussman's acquittal, Charlie Savage wrote in The New York Times that "Mr. Barr's mandate to Mr. Durham appears to have been to investigate a series of conspiracy theories."[153]

Alfa Bank investigation

edit

CNN reported in September 2021 that the Durham grand jury had subpoenaed documents from Perkins Coie. CNN had viewed emails between Sussmann and others who were researching the server communications, including the "Technology Industry Executive" who was identified as Rodney Joffe, showing that Durham's indictment of Sussmann cited only portions of the emails. The indictment included an unidentified researcher stating in an email, "The only thing that drive[s] us at this point is that we just do not like [Trump]." CNN's review of other emails indicated the researchers later broadened the scope of their examination for presentation to the FBI. Joffe's attorney asserted the indictment contained cherry-picked information to misrepresent what had transpired.[154] Defense lawyers for the scientists who researched the Alfa Bank-Trump internet traffic said that Durham's indictment is misleading and that their clients stand by their findings.[155] DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz wrote in his December 2019 report that “the FBI investigated whether there were cyber links between the Trump Organization and Alfa Bank but had concluded by early February 2017 that there were no such links.” The Senate Intelligence Committee’s August 2020 report concluded, “Based on the FBI's assessment, the Committee did not find that the DNS activity reflected the existence of substantive or covert communications between Alfa Bank and Trump Organization personnel."[156][157]

Igor Danchenko trial and acquittal

edit

In November 2021, Washington-based Russian analyst Igor Danchenko was arrested in connection with the Durham investigation and was charged with five counts of making false statements to the FBI on five different occasions (between March 2017 and November 2017) regarding the sources of material he provided for the Steele dossier.[158][159] Danchenko pleaded not guilty and was released on bail.[160][161][162] In an order at the beginning of October 2022, the court "excluded from the trial large amounts of information that Mr. Durham had wanted to showcase" as not being evidence for the charges of making false statements.[163] Danchenko was tried on four counts of lying to the FBI about one of his sources and, on October 18, acquitted by the jury on all four. The week before, the trial judge had acquitted Danchenko of a fifth count, stating that "[t]he prosecution had failed to produce sufficient evidence for that charge to even go to the jury."[164][165][166]

Expenditures for the investigation

edit

The costs of the inquiry before Durham's designation as Special Counsel are unknown. He reported expenditures in the amount of approximately $1.5 million from October 19, 2020, to March 31, 2021, including $934,000 on personnel and $520,000 on Justice Department units supporting the investigation.[167] From April 1 to September 30, 2021, he reported expenditures of more than $2.3 million, including $1.9 million on personnel and $471,000 on Justice Department units supporting the investigation, "coinciding" with an uptick in activity from Durham and his team in recent months".[168] By October 2020, the inquiry had cost a total of $3.8 million.[169] Durham reported expenditures of $2 million for the period of October 2021 to March 2022, which did not include the costs of Sussman's trial and acquittal in May 2022.[170] Following Danchenko's acquittal, it was reported $5.8 million had been spent on expenditures between October 2020 and March 2022, according to the Department of Justice records.[171]

See also

edit

Further reading

edit
  • Benkler, Yochai; Faris, Robert; Roberts, Hal (October 15, 2018). Network Propaganda: Manipulation, Disinformation and Radicalization in American Politics. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/oso/9780190923624.001.0001. ISBN 978-0190923631.

References

edit
  1. ^ Timm, Jane C. (September 25, 2019). "Trump promotes conspiracy theory: Clinton's deleted emails are in Ukraine". NBC News. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d e Ward, Alex (September 30, 2019). "The right-wing conspiracy theories behind Trump and Barr's outreach to foreign leaders". Vox. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
  3. ^ a b c Lutz, Eric (July 24, 2019). "Republicans Use Mueller's Silence to Push Conspiracy Theories". Vanity Fair. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
  4. ^ a b Sullivan, Andy (October 2, 2019). "Explainer: Barr gives top priority to investigating the investigators of Russian meddling". Reuters. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
  5. ^ a b c d e Zapotosky, Matt; Dawsey, Josh; Harris, Shane; Helderman, Rosalind S. (October 6, 2019). "Barr's review of Russia investigation wins Trump's favor. Those facing scrutiny suspect he's chasing conspiracy theories". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  6. ^ "AP FACT CHECK: Trump defense wrong about FBI investigation". AP NEWS. January 28, 2020.
  7. ^ a b Ostriker, Rebecca; Puzzanghera, Jim; Finucane, Martin; Datar, Saurabh; Uraizee, Irfan; Garvin, Patrick. "What the Mueller report says about Trump and more". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on April 19, 2019. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  8. ^ a b Law, Tara. "Here Are the Biggest Takeaways From the Mueller Report". Time. Archived from the original on April 22, 2019. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  9. ^ Breslow, Jason (December 9, 2018). "All The Criminal Charges To Emerge From Robert Mueller's Investigation". NPR.org. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
  10. ^ "Here Are All of the Indictments, Guilty Pleas and Convictions From Robert Mueller's Investigation". Time. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
  11. ^ Megerian, Chris (April 18, 2019). "Mueller finds no conspiracy, but report shows Trump welcomed Russian help". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  12. ^ a b Desiderio, Andrew; Cheney, Kyle (July 24, 2019). "Mueller refutes Trump's 'no collusion, no obstruction' line". Politico. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
  13. ^ Morais, Betsy (April 18, 2019). "Collusion by any other name". Columbia Journalism Review. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  14. ^ Mueller Report, vol. I, p. 2: In evaluating whether evidence about collective action of multiple individuals constituted a crime, we applied the framework of conspiracy law, not the concept of "collusion." In so doing, the Office recognized that the word "collud[e]" was used in communications with the Acting Attorney General confirming certain aspects of the investigation's scope and that the term has frequently been invoked in public reporting about the investigation. But collusion is not a specific offense or theory of liability found in the United States Code, nor is it a term of art in federal criminal law. For those reasons, the Office's focus in analyzing questions of joint criminal liability was on conspiracy as defined in federal law.
  15. ^ Megerian, Chris (April 18, 2019). "Mueller finds no conspiracy, but report shows Trump welcomed Russian help". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
  16. ^ a b c Shane, Scott (October 3, 2019). "How a Fringe Theory About Ukraine Took Root in the White House". The New York Times. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  17. ^ Phillips, Kristine. "Trump's aides were eager to take Russian dirt on Clinton. But it wasn't a conspiracy, Mueller report said". USA TODAY.
  18. ^ Mazzetti, Mark; Benner, Katie (March 24, 2019). "Mueller Finds No Trump-Russia Conspiracy, but Stops Short of Exonerating President on Obstruction". The New York Times.
  19. ^ Mueller Report, Vol. II, p. 1.
  20. ^ a b c Kilgore, Ed (April 4, 2017). "Susan Rice Becomes the Face of the Trump Counter-Narrative on Russia". Intelligencer. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
  21. ^ a b c d e f g h i Nakashima, Ellen; Zapotosky, Matt (November 22, 2019). "Justice Dept. watchdog finds political bias did not taint top officials running the FBI's Russia probe but documents errors". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
  22. ^ a b c d Davis, Julie; Haberman, Maggie (May 28, 2018). "With 'Spygate,' Trump Shows How He Uses Conspiracy Theories to Erode Trust". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 28, 2018. Retrieved May 29, 2018.
  23. ^ a b c Zapotosky, Matt (December 4, 2019). "Barr's handpicked prosecutor tells inspector general he can't back right-wing theory that Russia case was U.S. intelligence setup". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  24. ^ a b c d e Momigliano, Anna (October 23, 2019). "Italy Did Not Fuel U.S. Suspicion of Russian Meddling, Prime Minister Says". The New York Times. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
  25. ^ a b "Trump asks journalists to look into the 'oranges' of the Mueller investigation – video". The Guardian. April 3, 2019. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
  26. ^ a b Embury-Dennis, Tom (April 3, 2019). "Trump repeatedly fails in attempt to say 'origins' then claims noise from wind farms causes cancer". The Independent. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
  27. ^ a b c d e Dilanian, Ken; Ainsley, Julia; Winter, Tom (October 19, 2019). "AG Barr expands mysterious review into origin of Russia investigation". NBC News. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
  28. ^ Johnson, Kevin; Phillips, Kristine (April 21, 2020). "Senate committee backs intelligence agencies' findings that Russia meddled in 2016 election". USA Today. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
  29. ^ Knutson, Jacob (April 21, 2020). "Senate Intel affirms that Russia interfered to help Trump in 2016". Axios. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
  30. ^ Timm, Jane C. (September 25, 2019). "Trump promotes conspiracy theory: Clinton's deleted emails are in Ukraine". NBC News. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
  31. ^ Fandos, Nicholas; Barnes, Julian E. (April 21, 2020). "Republican-Led Review Backs Intelligence Findings on Russian Interference". The New York Times. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  32. ^ Mazzetti, Mark (August 18, 2020). "G.O.P.-Led Senate Panel Details Ties Between 2016 Trump Campaign and Russia". The New York Times. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  33. ^ Morais, Betsy (April 18, 2019). "Collusion by any other name". Columbia Journalism Review. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  34. ^ Mueller Report, vol. I, p. 2: In evaluating whether evidence about collective action of multiple individuals constituted a crime, we applied the framework of conspiracy law, not the concept of "collusion." In so doing, the Office recognized that the word "collud[e]" was used in communications with the Acting Attorney General confirming certain aspects of the investigation's scope and that the term has frequently been invoked in public reporting about the investigation. But collusion is not a specific offense or theory of liability found in the United States Code, nor is it a term of art in federal criminal law. For those reasons, the Office's focus in analyzing questions of joint criminal liability was on conspiracy as defined in federal law.
  35. ^ Megerian, Chris (April 18, 2019). "Mueller finds no conspiracy, but report shows Trump welcomed Russian help". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
  36. ^ a b Yen, Hope; Woodward, Calvin (April 22, 2019). "AP FACT CHECK: Trump, AG spread untruths on Mueller Report". Associated Press. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
  37. ^ a b c d Goldman, Adam; Rashbaum, William K. (October 19, 2019). "Review of Russia Inquiry Grows as F.B.I. Witnesses Are Questioned". The New York Times. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
  38. ^ Jackman, Simon (October 2, 2019). "It's a sideshow — we both must focus on Indo-Pacific". United States Studies Centre. University of Sydney. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
  39. ^ Buchanan, Larry; Yourish, Karen (February 19, 2019). "Trump Has Publicly Attacked the Russia Investigation More Than 1,100 Times". The New York Times. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
  40. ^ Thomas, Pierre; Bruggeman, Lucien (December 9, 2019). "FBI Director Chris Wray reacts to DOJ watchdog report on Russia investigation: Exclusive". ABC News. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  41. ^ "Justice department opens criminal inquiry into origins of Russia investigation – report". The Guardian. October 25, 2019. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
  42. ^ a b c d Benner, Katie; Goldman, Adam (October 24, 2019). "Justice Dept. Is Said to Open Criminal Inquiry Into Its Own Russia Investigation". The New York Times. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
  43. ^ "Read the full text: Justice Department watchdog report into origins of Russia probe". NBC News. December 9, 2019. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
  44. ^ Barrett, Devlin (December 9, 2019). "Inspector general report says FBI had 'authorized purpose' to investigate Trump campaign's Russia ties but finds some wrongdoing". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
  45. ^ Breuninger, Kevin (December 9, 2019). "Justice Department watchdog finds Trump-Russia probe was not tainted by political bias". CNBC. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
  46. ^ Cournoyer, Caroline; Herridge, Catherine; Watson, Kathryn; Quinn, Melissa (December 11, 2019). "Horowitz defends his Trump-Russia report but is "deeply concerned" about FBI's surveillance failures". CBS News. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
  47. ^ Dilanian, Ken (December 11, 2019). "DOJ watchdog tells Senate he has deep concerns about FBI errors in Russia probe". NBC News. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
  48. ^ Lucas, Ryan; Ewing, Philip (December 9, 2019). "DOJ Watchdog On Russia Probe: No Evidence Of Bias, But Problems With Surveillance". NPR. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
  49. ^ Budryk, Zack (December 11, 2019). "Horowitz: 'We found no bias' in decision to open probe". The Hill. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
  50. ^ Savage, Charlie (March 31, 2020). "Problems in F.B.I. Wiretap Applications Go Beyond Trump Aide Surveillance, Review Finds". The New York Times. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  51. ^ a b c Bump, Philip (May 10, 2019). "The Deep State strikes back: Former FBI leaders rebut questions about the Russia investigation". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  52. ^ Kiely, Eugene; Robertson, Lori; Farley, Robert (December 10, 2019). "How Old Claims Compare to IG Report". FactCheck.org. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  53. ^ Rupar, Aaron (March 22, 2019). "Fox News has normalized a lie about the origins of the Russia investigation". Vox. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
  54. ^ Kiely, Eugene (February 27, 2018). "Trump's Spin on Democratic Memo". FactCheck.org. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  55. ^ a b Blake, Aaron (October 1, 2019). "Barr's probing of Australia, Britain and Italy suggests a conspiracy focus". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 23, 2019. [the FISA] application to surveil Page included a lengthy footnote explaining that the information was funded by political interests.)
  56. ^ Wagner, John (May 17, 2019). "Trump warns of 'long jail sentences' for those involved in 'spying' on his 2016 campaign". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 17, 2019.
  57. ^ Jalonick, Mary Clare; Lemire, Jonathan (May 24, 2018). "Seething over Russia probe, Trump tears into 'spygate'". Associated Press. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
  58. ^ Ewing, Philip (March 3, 2018). "The Russia Investigations: Is 'FISA Abuse' Out Of Steam? Intel Committees On Edge?". NPR. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
  59. ^ Crowe, Jack (April 12, 2019). "Comey on Barr's 'Spying' Claim: 'I Have No Idea What He's Talking About'". National Review. Retrieved April 14, 2019. When I hear that kind of language used, it's concerning, because the FBI and the Department of Justice conduct court-ordered electronic surveillance. I have never thought of that as spying.
  60. ^ Shortell, David (May 7, 2019). "FBI Director Wray distances himself from Barr's use of 'spying' on Trump campaign". CNN. Retrieved May 7, 2019. I believe that the FBI is engaged in investigative activity and part of investigative activity includes surveillance activity of different shapes and sizes. To me the key question is making sure that it's done by the book consistent with our lawful authorities.
  61. ^ Cheney, Kyle; Galioto, Katie (April 10, 2019). "Pelosi: Barr is 'going off the rails'". Politico. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
  62. ^ a b Tucker, Eric; Balsamo, Michael (May 7, 2019). "FBI chief: No evidence of illegal spying on Trump campaign". Associated Press. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
  63. ^ Comey, James (May 9, 2019). "Transcript: Town Hall Meeting with Former FBI Director James Comey". CNN (Interview). Interviewed by Anderson Cooper. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  64. ^ Miller, Maggie (May 10, 2019). "Former FBI lawyer defends agency's probe into Trump campaign officials". The Hill. Retrieved May 12, 2019. Baker emphasized that the FBI's investigation into Russian interference in the election did not focus on the Trump campaign officials' interactions with Russia until a 'trusted, reliable foreign partner' sent information to the agency that George Papadopoulos, a former campaign aide, was interacting with 'a person who claimed to have email dirt on Hillary Clinton... The important thing to remember...was the case was about Russia.... It was about Russia, period, full stop. That was the focus of the investigation. When the Papadopoulos information comes across our radar screen, it's coming across in the sense that we were always looking at Russia.
  65. ^ Fandos, Nicholas (December 30, 2017). "Republican Attacks on Mueller and F.B.I. Open New Rift in G.O.P." The New York Times. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
  66. ^ Editorial Board (December 12, 2018). "The Flynn Entrapment". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  67. ^ Thompson, Isobel (May 23, 2018). "Trump's Fear of a Deep State Coup Has Become Full-Blown Hysteria". Vanity Fair. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
  68. ^ Lubold, Gordon; Strobel, Warren P. (June 30, 2020). "NSA Differed from CIA, Others on Russia Bounty Intelligence". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  69. ^ Goldman, Adam (October 6, 2019). "Italy's Connection to the Russia Investigation, Explained". The New York Times. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
  70. ^ Poulsen, Kevin (September 25, 2019). "The Truth About Trump's Insane Ukraine 'Server' Conspiracy". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on October 11, 2019. Retrieved September 27, 2019.
  71. ^ Speciale, Alessandro (October 6, 2019). "Italy's Spy Chief Met Twice With Barr to Aid Inquiry: Repubblica". Bloomberg News. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
  72. ^ Booth, William; Nakashima, Ellen (February 19, 2020). "Assange lawyer claims congressman offered pardon on behalf of Trump in exchange for absolving Russia in WikiLeaks DNC case". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  73. ^ Hines, Nico (February 19, 2020). "Trump Offered Assange Pardon if He Covered Up Russian Hack, WikiLeaks Founder's Lawyer Claims". The Daily Beast. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  74. ^ Mangan, Dan (February 19, 2020). "Trump offered WikiLeaks' Julian Assange a pardon if he covered up Russian hacking of Democrats, lawyer tells court". CNBC. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  75. ^ Bowcott, Owen; Borger, Julian (February 19, 2020). "Donald Trump 'offered Julian Assange a pardon if he denied Russia link to hack'". The Guardian. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  76. ^ Mai-Duc, Christine (August 17, 2017). "Rohrabacher on meeting with WikiLeaks' Assange: We talked about 'what might be necessary to get him out'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  77. ^ a b Beauchamp, Zack (May 25, 2018). ""Spygate," the false allegation that the FBI had a spy in the Trump campaign, explained". Vox. Archived from the original on May 28, 2018. Retrieved June 2, 2018.
  78. ^ Tatum, Sophie (May 23, 2018). "Carter Page: I 'never found anything unusual' in conversations with FBI source". CNN. Archived from the original on May 23, 2018. Retrieved June 2, 2018.
  79. ^ Bump, Philip (May 23, 2018). "There is no evidence for 'Spygate' — but there is a reason Trump invented it". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on May 31, 2018. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
  80. ^ Darcy, James (May 27, 2018). "'Spygate' is just latest Trump lie: Darcy cartoon". cleveland.com. Archived from the original on May 31, 2018. Retrieved June 2, 2018.
  81. ^ Foran, Clare (May 30, 2018). "Gowdy says FBI 'did exactly what my fellow citizens would want them to do' in Russia investigation". CNN. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  82. ^ Demirjian, Karoun; DeBonis, Mike (June 6, 2018). "Paul Ryan splits with Trump, says 'no evidence' FBI spied on president's campaign". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
  83. ^ Greenberg, Jon; Jacobson, Louis; McCarthy, Bill; Sherman, Amy (June 15, 2018). "Fact-checking Donald Trump's interviews with Fox and Friends, reporters on the White House lawn". Politifact. Retrieved June 18, 2018.
  84. ^ Naylor, Brian (June 15, 2018). "Trump Weighs In On IG Report, North Korea, Immigration In Impromptu News Conference". NPR. Retrieved June 18, 2018.
  85. ^ Higgins, Tucker (June 15, 2018). "Trump says Clinton email report 'totally exonerates me' — but that's not true". CNBC. Retrieved June 18, 2018.
  86. ^ Stracqualursi, Veronica (June 16, 2018). "Trump: IG report 'destroys' ex-FBI Director Comey". CNN. Retrieved June 18, 2018.
  87. ^ a b Bowden, John (January 18, 2018). "Hannity tells Mueller: 'Your witch hunt is now over'". The Hill. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
  88. ^ Sciutto, Jim; Perez, Evan (February 10, 2017). "US investigators corroborate some aspects of the Russia dossier". CNN. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
  89. ^ Grynbaum, Michael M. (December 22, 2017). "Jeanine Pirro of Fox News Helps an Old Friend: President Trump". The New York Times. Retrieved February 25, 2018.
  90. ^ Hains, Tim (December 17, 2017). "Pirro Doubles Down: Andrew McCabe Is "Consigliere" Of The FBI "Criminal Cabal"". Real Clear Politics. Retrieved February 25, 2018.
  91. ^ Tesfaye, Sophia (December 10, 2017). ""It's time to take them out in cuffs": Fox News' Jeanine Pirro calls for a purge of the FBI". Salon. Retrieved February 25, 2018.
  92. ^ a b c "FBI was justified in opening Trump campaign probe, but case plagued by 'serious failures,' inspector general finds". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
  93. ^ a b Johnson, Kevin. "Justice Department inspector general finds 'widespread' failures in FBI surveillance requests". USA TODAY. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
  94. ^ "Justice Department audit finds widespread flaws in FBI surveillance applications". POLITICO. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
  95. ^ Lucas, Ryan (March 31, 2020). "Justice Department IG Finds Widespread Problems With FBI's FISA Applications". NPR. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
  96. ^ a b Balsamo, Michael (May 14, 2019). "AP source: Barr launches new look at origins of Russia probe". Associated Press. Retrieved September 29, 2019.
  97. ^ Schmidt, Michael S. (2020). Donald Trump v. The United States: Inside the Struggle to Stop A President. New York: Random House. p. 397. ISBN 9781984854667. Archived from the original on February 26, 2022. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  98. ^ Haberman, Maggie; Schmidt, Michael S. (May 23, 2019). "Trump Gives Attorney General Sweeping Power in Review of 2016 Campaign Inquiry". The New York Times. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
  99. ^ Riechmann, Deb (May 24, 2019). "Critics worry AG will reveal Russia probe info to help Trump". Associated Press. Retrieved September 29, 2019.
  100. ^ Bertrand, Natasha (May 24, 2019). "Trump puts DOJ on crash course with intelligence agencies". Politico. Retrieved September 29, 2019.
  101. ^ Harris, Shane (May 24, 2019). "Barr could expose secrets, politicize intelligence with review of Russia probe, current and former officials fear". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  102. ^ Barnes, Julian E.; Benner, Katie; Goldman, Adam; Schmidt, Michael S. (June 12, 2019). "Justice Dept. Seeks to Question C.I.A. in Its Own Russia Investigation". The New York Times. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  103. ^ Bertrand, Natasha (July 12, 2019). "'This wasn't just a briefing': Pompeo grilled CIA analysts on Russia findings". Politico. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  104. ^ Lambe, Jerry (December 27, 2019). "Durham's Russia Probe Reportedly Sought Former CIA Director John Brennan's Communications". lawandcrime.com. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
  105. ^ Sanger, David E.; Rosenberg, Matthew (July 18, 2018). "From the Start, Trump Has Muddied a Clear Message: Putin Interfered". The New York Times. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  106. ^ Stolberg, Sheryl Gay; Haberman, Maggie; Baker, Peter (September 29, 2019). "Trump Was Repeatedly Warned That Ukraine Conspiracy Theory Was 'Completely Debunked'". The New York Times. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  107. ^ Prokop, Andrew (September 30, 2019). "Trump and Barr have been urging foreign governments to help them investigate the Mueller probe's origins". Vox. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  108. ^ Viswanatha, Aruna; Gurman, Sadie; Legorano, Giovanni (October 6, 2019). "Barr's Requests for Foreign Help Prompt Backlash in Australia, Italy, U.K." The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
  109. ^ Sengupta, Kim (November 1, 2019). "UK intelligence officials shaken by Trump administration's requests for help with counter-impeachment inquiry". The Independent. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
  110. ^ a b Mazzetti, Mark; Benner, Katie (September 30, 2019). "Trump Pressed Australian Leader to Help Barr Investigate Mueller Inquiry's Origins". The New York Times. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  111. ^ Mazzetti, Mark; Goldman, Adam; Benner, Katie (October 6, 2019). "Barr and a Top Prosecutor Cast a Wide Net in Reviewing the Russia Inquiry". The New York Times. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
  112. ^ Graham, Lindsey (October 2, 2019). "LOG to Australia Italy UK" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 13, 2020. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
  113. ^ Review of Four FISA Applications and other aspects of the FBI's Crossfire Hurricane Investigation (PDF). United States Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General (Report). December 2019. p. 51; footnote 164. Retrieved February 25, 2022 – via oversight.gov.
  114. ^ Horowitz, Jason (October 2, 2019). "First Barr, Now Pompeo: Italy Is Hub of Impeachment Intrigue for Trump Officials". The New York Times. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  115. ^ Giuffrida, Angela (October 2, 2019). "US attorney general 'met Italian officials to discuss Russiagate'". The Guardian. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  116. ^ Bump, Philip (October 1, 2019). "Analysis | Government-by-conspiracy-theory rides again". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  117. ^ a b Helderman, Rosalind; Harris, Shane; Nakashima, Ellen (June 30, 2019). "'The enigma of the entire Mueller probe': Focus on origins of Russian investigation puts spotlight on Maltese professor". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
  118. ^ Sandler, Rachel (September 30, 2019). "Trump Reportedly Asked Australian Prime Minister For Help Investigating Mueller Inquiry Origins". Forbes.com. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
  119. ^ Barrett, Devlin; Harris, Shane; Zapotosky, Matt; Post, The Washington (October 1, 2019). "Barr personally asked foreign officials to aid inquiry into CIA, FBI activities in 2016". Archived from the original on October 21, 2019. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
  120. ^ Rummler, Orion (October 19, 2019). "Investigation into Trump-Russia probe continues to grow". Axios. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
  121. ^ Bertrand, Natasha; Lippman, Daniel (October 22, 2019). "Trump's quest for vengeance against John Brennan". Politico. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  122. ^ a b Goldman, Adam; Savage, Charlie (November 22, 2019). "Russia Inquiry Review Is Said to Criticize F.B.I. but Rebuff Claims of Biased Acts". The New York Times. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  123. ^ Zapotosky, Matt (October 24, 2019). "Justice Dept. investigation of Russia probe is criminal in nature, person familiar with case says". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  124. ^ Kalmbacher, Colin (August 14, 2020). "Here's What We Know About 'FBI Attorney 2' Kevin Clinesmith, the First Person Charged in Durham Probe]". Law & Crime. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  125. ^ Polantz, Katelyn; Shortell, David (August 14, 2020). "Former FBI lawyer set to plead guilty to altering email during Russia investigation". CNN. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  126. ^ Gerstein, Josh (January 29, 2021). "Ex-FBI lawyer spared prison for altering Trump-Russia probe email". Politico. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  127. ^ Savage, Charlie; Goldman, Adam; Benner, Katie (December 9, 2019). "Report on F.B.I. Russia Inquiry Finds Serious Errors but Debunks Anti-Trump Plot". The New York Times. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  128. ^ "Statement of U.S. Attorney John H. Durham". United States Department of Justice (Press release). December 9, 2019. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  129. ^ Zapotosky, Matt (December 16, 2019). "John Durham has a stellar reputation for investigating corruption. Some fear his work for Barr could tarnish it". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  130. ^ "Statement by Attorney General William P. Barr on the Inspector General's Report of the Review of Four FISA Applications and Other Aspects of the FBI's Crossfire Hurricane Investigation". United States Department of Justice (Press release). December 9, 2019. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  131. ^ Gerstein, Josh; Bertrand, Natasha (December 11, 2019). "Horowitz pushes back at Barr over basis for Trump-Russia probe". Politico. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  132. ^ Benner, Katie; Barnes, Julian E. (December 19, 2019). "Durham Is Scrutinizing Ex-C.I.A. Director's Role in Russian Interference Findings". The New York Times. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  133. ^ Barrett, Devlin; Zapotosky, Matt; Dawsey, Josh (February 13, 2020). "Barr pushes back against Trump's criticism of Justice Dept., says tweets 'make it impossible for me to do my job'". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  134. ^ Blitzer, Ronn (June 21, 2020). "Barr hints at 'developments' in Durham probe this summer, says racism not 'systemic' problem in law enforcement". Fox News. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  135. ^ a b Gerstein, Josh (July 28, 2020). "Barr won't rule out pre-election release of Durham report". Politico. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  136. ^ Mahony, Edmund H. (September 11, 2020). "Nora Dannehy, Connecticut prosecutor who was top aide to John Durham's Trump-Russia investigation, resigns amid concern about pressure from Attorney General William Barr". Hartford Courant. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  137. ^ Savage, Charlie; Benner, Katie; Goldman, Adam; Vigdor, Neil (September 11, 2021). "Top Aide in Review of Russia Inquiry Resigns From Justice Dept". The New York Times. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  138. ^ Riechmann, Deb (October 7, 2020). "AP Explains: Trump slams Russia probe; Dems cry foul". Associated Press. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  139. ^ Desiderio, Andrew; Lippman, Daniel (September 29, 2020). "Intel chief releases Russian disinfo on Hillary Clinton that was rejected by bipartisan Senate panel". Politico. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  140. ^ Sanger, David E. (October 10, 2020). "Taking Page From Authoritarians, Trump Turns Power of State Against Political Rivals". The New York Times. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  141. ^ Waas, Murray (November 2, 2020). "How Trump and Barr's October Surprise Went Bust". New York. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  142. ^ Balsamo, Michael; Tucker, Eric (December 1, 2020). "Barr Appoints Special Counsel in Russia Probe Investigation". Associated Press. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  143. ^ Barr, William P. (October 19, 2020). "Order No. 4878-2020: Appointment of Special Counsel to Investigate Matters Related to Intelligence Activities and Investigations Arising Out of the 2016 Presidential Campaign". Retrieved February 24, 2022 – via Politico.com.
  144. ^ a b c Savage, Charlie; Goldman, Adam; Schmidt, Michael S.; Rashbaum, William K. (September 15, 2021). "Durham Is Said to Seek Indictment of Lawyer at Firm With Democratic Ties". The New York Times. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  145. ^ Johnson, Kevin (September 16, 2021). "DOJ special counsel Durham secures indictment against DC cybersecurity lawyer in Russia review". USA Today. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  146. ^ "Grand Jury Indicts D.C. Attorney with Making False Statements to the FBI in 2016 Regarding Alleged Communications Between Trump Organization and Russian Bank". United States Department of Justice (Press release). September 16, 2021. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  147. ^ Dilanian, Ken; Winter, Tom (September 16, 2021). "Special counsel named by Trump DOJ charges Democratic lawyer with false statement". NBC News. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  148. ^ Polantz, Katelyn (September 17, 2021). "Michael Sussmann, lawyer charged in Durham probe, pleads not guilty". CNN. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  149. ^ Brown, Pamela; Pagliery, Jose (March 10, 2017). "Sources: FBI investigation continues into 'odd' computer link between Russian bank and Trump Organization". CNN. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  150. ^ Larson, Eric (May 20, 2022). "Hillary Clinton Approved Trump-Russia Leak to Media, Her Campaign Manager Says". Bloomberg. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  151. ^ Barrett, Devlin (May 31, 2022). "Sussmann, who worked for Clinton, acquitted of lying to FBI in 2016". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
  152. ^ Jones, Ja'han (June 2, 2022). "Barr still pushing lies about Russia probe despite Sussmann ruling". MSNBC. Retrieved June 3, 2022. Sussmann's meeting with the FBI came in September 2016, months after the Trump-Russia investigation was opened, and the FBI quickly dismissed his tip.
  153. ^ Savage, Charlie (June 1, 2022). "Sussmann Acquittal Raises Question: What is Durham Actually Trying to Do?". The New York Times. Retrieved June 7, 2022.
  154. ^ Perez, Evan; Polantz, Katelyn (September 30, 2021). "Durham issues fresh round of subpoenas in his continuing probe of FBI investigation into Trump, Russia". CNN. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  155. ^ Savage, Charlie; Goldman, Adam (September 30, 2021). "Trump Server Mystery Produces Fresh Conflict". The New York Times. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  156. ^ Savage, Charlie; Goldman, Adam (September 30, 2021). "Trump Server Mystery Produces Fresh Conflict". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
  157. ^ "Durham considering prosecutions and scrutinizing Trump-Russia tipsters: Report". news.yahoo.com. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
  158. ^ Goldman, Adam; Savage, Charlie (November 4, 2021). "Authorities Arrest Analyst Who Contributed to Steele Dossier". The New York Times. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
  159. ^ "Danchenko indictment". Case 1:21-cr-00245-AJT Document 1 Filed 11/03/21 Page 1 of 39 PageID# 1
  160. ^ Gibson, Jake (January 12, 2022). "Steele dossier trial date set for sub-source Danchenko". Fox News. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
  161. ^ Mangan, Dan (November 10, 2021). "Trump-Russia Steele dossier analyst Igor Danchenko pleads not guilty in FBI lie case prosecuted by John Durham". CNBC. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  162. ^ Kranish, Michael; Stanley-Becker, Isaac (November 23, 2021). "Barr pushes back against Trump's criticism of Justice Dept., says tweets 'make it impossible for me to do my job'". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  163. ^ Savage, Charlie; Goldman, Adam (October 9, 2022). "Judge Narrows Trial of Analyst Who Reported Salacious Claims About Trump". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  164. ^ Savage, Charlie; Qiu, Linda (October 18, 2022). "Acquittal of Russia Analyst Deals Final Blow to Trump-Era Prosecutor". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 18, 2022. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
  165. ^ Lynch, Sarah N. (October 19, 2022). "U.S. jury acquits Russian on charges he lied to FBI over 'Steele dossier'". Reuters. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
  166. ^ Cohen, Marshall (October 18, 2022). "Primary source for Trump-Russia dossier acquitted, handing special counsel Durham another trial loss". CNN. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
  167. ^ Strohm, Chris (May 28, 2021). "Special Counsel Spends $1.5 Million in Probe of Russia Inquiry". Bloomberg News. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  168. ^ Niedzwiadek, Nick (December 22, 2021). "Durham probe cost $3.8M over past year". Politico. Retrieved December 23, 2021.
  169. ^ Zapotosly, Matt (December 22, 2021). "Since October 2020, Durham has spent $3.8 million probing Russia investigation". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
  170. ^ Gerstein, Josh (June 3, 2022). "Pressure builds for Durham to ditch Russia probe". Politico. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
  171. ^ Rizzo, Salvador; Weiner, Rachel; Stein, Perry (October 18, 2022). "Steele dossier source acquitted, in loss for special counsel Durham". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
This page will be placed in the following categories if it is moved to the article namespace.
Categories:
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:Louis_P._Boog/sandbox/Russia_collusion_hoax&oldid=1126843133"