The Plot Against the President
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109: John Batchelor: Adam “Pathfinder” Schiff: Stalking the Kremlin or the Chupacabra?” By Thaddeus G. McCotter, American Greatness, July 11, 2017
110: Adam Schiff and media pundits: “Full transcript: FBI Director James Comey testifies on Russian interference in 2016 election,” Washington Post, March 20, 2017.
111: Nunes’s committee interviewed officials: Even though HPSCI voted in September 2018 to publish all its interview transcripts from the Russia investigation after a declassification review by the DNI, as of this writing DNI continues to hold the bulk of them.
112: Dianne Feinstein: “Democrats Seek Special Counsel to Investigate Russian Election Interference,” by Charlie Savage and Eric Lichtblau, New York Times, March 7, 2017.
113: Trump had asked Comey about his testimony: “Comey Memos Full Text: Trump Allegedly Discussed Putin, Russian Prostitutes, Clinton Investigation,” by Nicole Goodkind, April 19, 2018, Newsweek.
114: Rosenstein wrote a memo: “‘Shaken’ Rosenstein Felt Used by White House in Comey Firing,” by Michael S. Schmidt and Adam Goldman, New York Times, June 29, 2018.
115: Rosenstein… raised with McCabe: “Rod Rosenstein Suggested Secretly Recording Trump and Discussed 25th Amendment,” by Adam Goldman and Michael S. Schmidt, New York Times, September 21, 2018. Washington Post’s Devlin Barrett and Matt Zapotosky published what amounted to a Rosenstein rebuttal hours later in “McCabe memos say Rosenstein considered secretly recording Trump.”
116: The acting FBI director said he was worried: McCabe, The Threat, p.225
117: Andrew McCabe called for a… briefing: “McCabe told Congress ‘Gang of 8’ leaders about FBI probe into Trump. They had no objection,” by Allan Smith, Alex Moe and Frank Thorp V, NBC News, February 19, 2019.
118: The acting FBI director wanted the chairman: McCabe, The Threat, p 244, 5.
119: new funding source: “Former Feinstein Staffer Raised $50 Million, Hired Fusion GPS And Christopher Steele After 2016 Election,” by Sean Davis, Federalist, April 27, 2018. “Dark Money Org Gave $2 Million To Group Working With Fusion GPS, Steele,” Chuck Ross, Daily Caller, March 10, 2019.
120: Weissmann: “Mueller deputy praised DOJ official after she defied Trump travel ban order: ‘I am so proud,’” by Catherine Herridge, Fox News, December 5, 2017.
121: hunting party: “Mueller probe: Meet the lawyers who gave $$ to Hillary, now investigating team Trump,” by Brooke Singman, Fox News, July 24, 2017. “Judicial Watch Obtains DOJ Documents Showing Andrew Weissmann Leading Hiring Effort for Mueller Special Counsel,” May 14, 2019. The work of Judicial Watch and Tom Fitton in obtaining, and explaining, documents related to the anti-Trump operation, was instrumental in revealing the nature and scope of the extra-constitutional methods US law enforcement employed to overturn an election.
122: Kevin Clinesmith: Multiple sources identified Clinesmith as Attorney 2 in the Office of the Inspector General, Department of Justice, A Review of Various Actions by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of Justice in Advance of the 2016 Election, June 11, 2018, p. 417 ff. “FBI Lawyer Who Sent Anti-Trump ‘Resistance’ Text Message Interviewed George Papadopoulos,” by Chuck Ross, Daily Caller, June 25, 2018. “The Late, Not-So-Great Mueller Investigation,” by Victor Davis Hanson, National Review, March 26, 2019.
123: The post-9/11 FBI: “A New Era of National Security, 2001-2008.” https://www.fbi.gov/history/brief-history/a-new-era-of-national-security
124: anthrax mailed: “When Comey and Mueller Bungled the Anthrax Case,” by Carl M. Cannon, Real Clear Politics, May 21, 2017.
125: dirty FBI agents: “Mueller’s hands dirty in old FBI frame-up,” By Howie Carr, Boston Herald, January 30, 2019.
126: I like putting people in jail: “Mueller in 2014: ‘I Became A Prosecutor Because I Like Putting People In Jail,’” Patrick Hawley, Big League Politics, December 18, 2017.
127: Eric Swalwell… Fusion GPS’s lawyer: “Nunes signs off on new subpoenas to firm behind Trump-Russia dossier,” by Evan Perez, Manu Raju, and Jeremy Herb, CNN, October 11, 2017
128: Elias had briefed… Robby Mook: “Elias broadly summarized some of the information to top campaign officials, including the campaign manager, Robby Mook,” Mayer, The New Yorker, March 5, 2018.
129: September 23: “Hillary for America Statement on Bombshell Report About Trump Aide’s Chilling Ties To Kremlin,” archived at The American Presidency Project. https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/hillary-for-america-statement-bombshell-report-about-trump-aides-chilling-ties-kremlin
130: October 19: “15 Facts About Donald Trump’s Deeply Unsetting Russia Problem And WikiLeaks,” Hillary for America Press, October 19, 2016.
131: Maggie Haberman… Kenneth Vogel: https://twitter.com/maggienyt/status/922962880206647297?lang=en; https://twitter.com/kenvogel/status/922955410327425027?lang=en
132: Bank records showed: “Fusion GPS Bank Records Show Russia-Related Payments,” by Chuck Ross, Daily Caller, November 21, 2017.
133: Nellie Ohr… was employed: US House of Representatives, Committee on the Judiciary, Joint with the Committee on Government Reform and Oversight, Interview of Nellie Ohr, October 19, 2018, August 28, 2018, p. 8-9. US House of Representatives, Committee on the Judiciary, Joint with the Committee on Government Reform and Oversight, Interview of Bruce Ohr, p. 113.
134: The twelve 302s: Heavily redacted versions of the FBI interviews were released August 8, 2019 to Judicial Watch.
135: Russia community: US House of Representatives, Committee on the Judiciary, Joint with the Committee on Government Reform and Oversight, Interview of Nellie Ohr, October 18, 2018, p. 24
136: David Kramer: “John McCain Associate Had Contact With A Dozen Reporters Regarding Steele Dossier,” Chuck Ross, Daily Caller, March 14, 2019
137: Kathleen Kavalec: “Citizens United FOIA Document Release–CU Releases Kavalec Memo & Related Records,” May 10, 2019.
138: Nuland and Winer’s stories didn’t match: “Victoria Nuland says Obama State Dept. informed FBI of reporting from Steele dossier,” by Emily Tillett, CBS News, February 4, 2018.
139: Anne Applebaum: Few opinion writers used their perch to push the “collusion” narrative as prolifically as Applebaum. In addition to the two July 2016 columns discussed earlier, among her Washington Post columns devoted to the Trump-Russia narrative are: “Stop obsessing over ‘secrets’ about Trump and Russia. What we already know is bad enough,” January 13, 2017. “The critical questions on Russia,” March 26, 2017. “Don’t forget those smiling images of Trump and the Russians,” May 11, 2017. “The Russian-American relationship is no longer about Russia or America,” July 7, 2017. “This law might explain why a Russian lawyer wanted to meet with Trump,” July 11, 2017. “The ugly way Trump’s rise and Putin’s are connected,” July 25, 2017. “The case for Trump-Russia collusion: We’re getting very, very close,” September 8, 2017. “Did Russia teach Paul Manafort all its dirty tricks?” October 30, 2017. “It’s not just Russia anymore,” April 6, 2018. “This is how Putin buys influence in the West,” June 15, 2018. “Trump is hinting at concessions to Putin. So what do we get back?” July 6, 2018. “Did Putin share stolen election data with Trump?” July 20, 2018. “The Trump-Putin revelations tell us what we knew all along,” January 13, 2019. “Why was Trump so afraid of the Mueller investigation? We may never know,” April 19, 2019.
140: Simpson had committed a felony: US House of Representatives, Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Interview of Glenn Simpson, November 14, 2017, p. 78.
141: McCabe… testified before the committee: US House of Representatives, Committee on the Judiciary, Joint with Committee on Government Reform and Oversight, Interview with Andrew McCabe, December 17, 2017.
142: Downer was… an ally of the Clintons: “Australian diplomat whose tip prompted FBI’s Russia-probe has tie to Clintons,” John Solomon and Alison Spann, The Hill, March 5, 2018.
143: The story also omitted a key detail: “T
he Curious Case of Mr. Downer: His story about the Papadopoulos meeting calls the FBI’s into question,” Kimberley A. Strassel, Wall Street Journal, May 31, 2018. I’m indebted here and elsewhere to Strassel’s detailed reporting and strong voice. She was one of the first journalists to unravel the relationship between law enforcement officials, the press, and Fusion GPS.
144: statement of the offense: “United States of America v George Papadopoulos.” US District Court for the District of Columbia. October 5, 2017
145: Adam Schiff: House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence: Minority Views. March 26, 2018, p. 20
146: mysterious professor’s closest public links: “The Maltese Phantom of Russiagate” Lee Smith, Real Clear Investigations. May 30, 2018.
147: Mifsud had chaired a panel: Devin Nunes letter to Michael Pompeo, Gina Haspel, Paul Nakasone, and Christopher Wray. May 3, 2019
148: I never heard the words DNC: Executive Session. Committee on the Judiciary, joint with the Committee on Government Reform and Oversight, US House of Representatives, October 25, 2018 Interview of George Papadopoulos, p. 21.
149: Halper met with the Trump adviser: “A London Meeting Before The Election Aroused George Papadopoulos’s Suspicions,” By Chuck Ross Daily Caller. March 25, 2018. “F.B.I. Sent Investigator Posing as Assistant to Meet With Trump Aide in 2016.” New York Times May 2, 2019. Adam Goldman, Michael S. Schmidt, and Mark Mazzetti.
For Papadopoulos’ account, listen to Dan Bongino’s podcast interview with Papadopoulos linked at “The Papadopoulos Interview—Explosive Revelations You Need to Know,” by Matt Palumbo, bongino.com, November 3, 2018. A former New York City Policeman and Secret Service officer, Bongino provided outstanding analysis of the anti-Trump operation, especially regarding law enforcement issues.
150: The pair asked Papadopoulos: “The damning proof of innocence that FBI likely withheld in Russian probe,” by John Solomon, The Hill, March 4, 2019. Solomon’s deeply sourced reporting uncovering countless details of the anti-Trump operation make him one of the indispensable journalists covering the story.
151: FBI agents interviewed Papadopoulos: “United States of America v George Papadopoulos,” United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Government’s Sentencing Memorandum, page 4, footnote 2.
152: Mifsud was in Washington, DC: The FBI interviewed Mifsud in his hotel lobby February 10, 2017. Mueller Report, p 193.
153: Hamilton 68: Key Democrats urge social media companies to investigate Russia-linked accounts, Patricia Zengerle, Reuters, January 23, 2018
154: Articles in the Washington Post and on the Daily Beast: “How a classified four-page Russia memo triggered a political firestorm,” Washington Post, January 29, 2018 By Matt Zapotosky, Karoun Demirjian, Robert Costa and Ellen Nakashima. “The ‘Nunes Memo’ Ripping the Justice Department Was Written by Former Justice Department Lawyer,” The Daily Beast, Betsy Woodruff. February 2, 2018
155: Wittes: “Thoughts on the Nunes Memo: We Need to Talk About Devin,” Quinta Jurecic, Shannon Togawa Mercer, Benjamin Wittes, Lawfare, February 2, 2018
156: HPSCI voted to release: “Redacted Democratic Response to Nunes Memo Defends FBI Surveillance Of Trump Aide,” by Martina Stewart NPR, February 24, 2018
157: According to Strzok: Committee on the Judiciary, US House of Representatives, June 27, 2018, Interview of Peter Strzok, pages 44-45.
158: Lisa Page corroborated Strzok’s explanation: Committee on the Judiciary, US House of Representatives, July 13, 2018. Interview of Lisa Page, P. 44. “Transcripts of Lisa Page’s Closed-Door Testimonies Provide New Revelations in Spygate Scandal,” by Jeff Carlson, Epoch Times, January 11, 2019. Carlson contributed numerous important articles detailing the anti-Trump operation, as did several of his Epoch Times colleagues, such as Brian Cates.
159: Nunes’ public statements: eg. “Nunes: Trump’s Declassification Order Will Help Explain the Strzok-Page ‘Insurance Policy,’” Susan Jones, CNS News, September 18, 2018.
160: Memo was further reinforced: “Criminal Referral Confirms Nunes Memo’s Explosive Claims Of FISA Abuse,” by Mollie Hemingway, The Federalist, February 7, 2018.
161: The second significant document: House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Report on Russian Active Measures, March 22, 2018.
162: Glenn Kessler: “The unsupported claim that James Clapper tipped Jake Tapper about the dossier,” by Glenn Kessler, Washington Post, May 3, 2018. According to Kessler, Clapper told him the Republican report “‘deliberately conflated’ his interview to make it appear he had spoken to Tapper in January, but he insisted that was not the case.” However, Sean Davis noted in The Federalist (May 3, 2018) that the report filed by HPSCI Democrats (“Minority Views,” March 26, 2018, p. 61) made the same assessment. An unnamed “spokesman for the Democrats” told Kessler to ignore the documentary record and take his anonymous word for it. “Having now read that section again,” said the Democratic spokesman, “I can see how you think the Minority in its Views is referring to [Clapper’s] time as DNI; but that would be an incorrect reading.”
163: HPSCI sent a classified letter: “Secret intelligence source who aided Mueller probe is at center of latest clash between Nunes and Justice Dept.,” by Robert Costa, Carol D. Leonnig, Devlin Barrett and Shane Harris, Washington Post, May 8, 2018
164: Pulitzer: https://www.pulitzer.org/winners/staffs-new-york-times-and-washington-post
165: Costa tweeted: https://twitter.com/costareports/status/998722625227587584?lang=en
166: Halper invites Page: “Cambridge Prof With CIA, MI6 Ties Met With Trump Adviser During Campaign, Beyond,” Chuck Ross, Daily Caller, May 17, 2018.
167: Dearlove… meets with Steele: “Hero or hired gun? How a British former spy became a flash point in the Russia investigation,” by Tom Hamburger and Rosalind S. Helderman, Washington Post, February 6, 2018
168: denounced Putin: “Alexander Litvinenko accused Vladimir Putin of being a paedophile four months before he was poisoned,” by Lizzie Dearden, Independent, January 21, 2016.
169: £2000 MI6: “Alexander Litvinenko was ‘a paid consultant’ for MI6,” BBC, February 2, 2015.
170: Italians had set up a commission: “The Litvinenko murder: Scaramella : The Italian Connection,” by Lauren Veevers, Independent, December 3, 2006.
171: Litvinenko… Prodi: “Why a spy was killed,” by Cathy Scott-Clark and Adrian Levy, Guardian, January 26, 2008
172: Litvinenko’s information: ibid
173: Litvinenko’s murder was a Russian state operation: “Donald Trump dossier: intelligence sources vouch for author’s credibility,” by Nick Hopkins and Luke Harding, Guardian, January 12, 2017. In July 2008, a senior British security official leaked to media sources that “we very strongly believe the Litvinenko case to have had some state involvement; there are very strong indications that it was a state action.” “Litvinenko killing ‘had state involvement,’” by Mark Urban, BBC July 7, 2008. The leak was unauthorized: “No intelligence or security officials were authorized to comment on the Litvinenko case,” a British government spokesman said at the time. “Britain seeks to defuse row with Russia over Alexander Litvinenko murder,” by Jon Swaine, Telegraph, July 11, 2008.
174: Steele left MI6: According to Mayer’s March 2018 New Yorker profile: “In 2008, Steele informed M.I.6 that he planned to leave the service and open a commercial intelligence firm… He left in good standing, but his exit was hastened, because M.I.6 regarded his plans as a potential conflict of interest.” Intelligence sources I interviewed cannot explain what conflict of interest would be resolved with an early departure from active service.
175: Steele… shared these memos: “Devin Nunes is investigating me. Here’s the truth,” by Jonathan Winer, Washington Post, February 8, 2018.
176: Jonathan Winer introduced Steele: “Citizens United FOIA Document Release–CU Releases Kavalec Memo & Related Records,” May 10, 2019.
177: Surkov was a well-known figure: “Ex-r
ebel leaders detail role played by Putin aide in east Ukraine,” by Anton Zverev, Reuters, May 11, 2017.
178: Bruce Ohr… confirmed: United States House of Representatives: Committee on the Judiciary, Joint with Committee on Government Reform and Oversight, Interview with Bruce Ohr, p. 27
179: Pentagon-funded project: “The Russia-China Relationship: The Impact on the United States’ Security Interests,” Project Director Professor Stefan Halper, p. 8.
180: The evidence points: Sources told Washington Post reporters Tom Hamburger, Robert Costa, and Ellen Nakashima for a June 5, 2018 article (“How the Trump echo chamber pushes bit players like Stefan Halper to center stage”) that “Halper and Steele are not acquainted and did not work together during the 2016 campaign season.” That is no more believable than the Ohrs’ claim they didn’t know Steele was working on Trump-Russia reporting until he told them in July 2016.
181: Rowan Scarborough: “FBI spy Stefan Halper’s $240,000 Pentagon study disavowed by high-profile experts,” by Rowan Scarborough, Washington Times. October 1, 2018.
182: John Heileman: “MSNBC analyst suggests Devin Nunes is a Russian agent for penning secret FBI memo.” Rowan Scarborough, Washington Times, January 30, 2018
183: Ryan Lizza: Ryan Lizza’s Hit Piece On Devin Nunes’ Extended Family Is Deeply Flawed, Mollie Hemingway, The Federalist, October 2, 2018. Hemingway was among the fiercest critics: in her articles, as well as on social media, and television: of the establishment media’s advocacy of the Russiagate conspiracy theory.
184: special counsel was based on the dossier: “The Scope of Investigation and Definition of Authority,” August 2, 2017 memorandum from Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein to Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III.
185: Weissmann announces: “Top Mueller Prosecutor Stepping Down In Latest Clue Russia Inquiry May Be Ending,” Carrie Johnson. NPR, March 14, 2019
186: William Barr: My understanding of Barr’s memo is informed by pseudonymous twitter user Undercover Huber, in particular an April 17, 2019 thread: https://twitter.com/JohnWHuber/status/1118643987487887361. Undercover Huber was one of a number of independent researchers whose work proved invaluable in discovering and deciphering documents. Others important researchers working pseudonymously include Twitter users like Techno Fog, Last Refuge, RosieMemos, TracyBeanz—there are too many to include here but I am indebted to them all, evidence that the American public not only wants accurate and detailed news and reporting but can produce it as well.