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Here Are All the Times Donald Trump and His Associates Intersected With Russians | Time

  

Category:  News & Politics

Via:  jbb  •  2 years ago  •  50 comments

By:   Abigail Abrams (Time)

Here Are All the Times Donald Trump and His Associates Intersected With Russians | Time
Former Attorney General Bill Barr said the Mueller report found no evidence of collusion, but Trump associates still had a lot of contact with Russians.

S E E D E D   C O N T E N T


By Abigail Abrams April 18, 2019 11:10 AM EDT

Attorney General William Barr's message at a press conference Thursday morning was crystal clear: There was "no collusion" between the Russian government and Donald Trump's 2016 campaign.

While Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation found that Russia interfered in the election in an effort to undermine the Clinton campaign, no one in Trump's orbit — or "any American" for that matter, Barr added — knowingly assisted Russia in that effort.

But while Mueller may not have found any evidence that Trump associates conspired with Russia to interfere in the election, they nonetheless had a lot of contact with Russians leading up to Election Day. In fact, investigators have found that Trump and at least 17 of his campaign officials and advisors had more than 100 contacts between Trump associates and Russians, belying the campaign's November 2016 claim that "there was no communication between the campaign and any foreign entity during the campaign." According to reporting, many others associated with Trump were told about contacts with Russian-linked individuals.

Here is a list of all of the times that Trump associates interacted with Russia from the early days of the 2016 election cycle to Trump's inauguration. These interactions are based on court records related to the special counsel's investigation, documents or testimony submitted to Congress, as well as reporting from TIME and othernewsorganizations.

July 2015: Trump is invited to Moscow


The first invitation to meet with Russians came just one month after Trump announced his presidential bid. On July 24, 2015, British publicist Rob Goldstone suggested to Trump's longtime personal assistant, Rhona Graff, that his client—Russian pop star Emin Agalarov—could set up a meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The offer came amid emails inviting Trump to travel to Moscow to celebrate the birthday of Agalarov's father, who had worked with Trump to bring the Miss Universe pageant to Moscow in 2013. The emails were released by the Senate Judiciary Committee as it investigated the infamous 2016 Trump Tower meeting in New York. Graff told Goldstone it was unlikely that Trump would have time to travel to Moscow given his newly announced presidential campaign, but said she was sure "he will want to send a congratulatory note."

Fall 2015: Michael Cohen starts talking to Russians


Trump's longtime personal lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen had numerous contacts with Russians throughout the 2016 campaign. These started as early as the fall of 2015, according to information Cohen told the special counsel's office during its investigation.

In a September 2015 radio interview, Cohen suggested that Trump could meet with Putin at the United Nations General Assembly. During the special counsel investigation, Cohen initially claimed that was a spontaneous comment. But the special counsel later said Cohen admitted that, by the time of his radio comments, he had already conferred with Trump about "contacting the Russian government before reaching out to gauge Russia's interest" in such a meeting.

Fall 2015: Michael Cohen begins plans for a Trump Tower in Moscow


Also in September of 2015, Cohen began communicating with Felix Sater, a Russian-born Trump business associate, about a plan to build a Trump Tower in Moscow. The idea of a Trump property in the Russian capital had been around for decades, but after Trump announced his presidential bid, Sater reached out to Cohen and set up a meeting for September, according to a detailed report on the project from BuzzFeed News.

After the meeting, Sater emailed Cohen multiple times in October 2015 to let him know about a meeting with a developer, and then to say that Sater's associates would be meeting with Putin and a "top deputy" and that he had secured financing from VTB Bank, a Russian bank that was under U.S. sanctions at the time. On October 13, 2015, Sater sent a letter of intent, signed by a Moscow developer, to Cohen and asked him to get Trump's signature. And on Oct. 28, the day of the third Republican primary debate, Trump signed the letter.

Sater and Cohen continued to trade emails about the progress of negotiations over the next few months. On November 3, 2015, Sater bragged about his Kremlin connections, saying: "I will get Putin on this program and we will get Donald elected," according to emails first published by the New York Times. "Buddy our boy can become President of the USA and we can engineer it," he continued. "I will get all of Putins team to buy in on this, I will manage this process."

November 2015: Ivanka Trump connects Cohen to Russian athlete's wife


The wife of Russian weightlifter Dmitry Klokov reached out to Trump's eldest daughter Ivanka about helping with the Trump Tower Moscow project. Though Ivanka did not know the athlete or his wife, she sent the communication to Cohen in November of 2015.

Spokespeople for Ivanka have downplayed her role and she has said she knew "literally almost nothing" about the Trump Tower Moscow project. But in Cohen's testimony before Congress in February of 2019, he said he briefed Ivanka, her husband Jared Kushner, and Donald Trump Jr. about the project about 10 times over the course of his work on it.

November 2015: Russian athlete Dmitry Klokov offers Cohen a Trump-Putin meeting


In November of 2015, Cohen spoke with a Russian national who claimed to be a "trusted person" in the Russian Federation and offered the campaign "political synergy" and "synergy on a government level," according to a memo filed by the special counsel in December. The Russian repeatedly proposed a meeting between Trump and Putin, the prosecutors said, and told Cohen that such a meeting would have a "phenomenal" impact because there is "no bigger warranty in any project" than Putin's approval. Cohen ultimately declined the Russian national's offer, as he already had his deal underway with Sater.

This description matches information about exchanges Cohen had in November 2015 with Klokov, which were first reported by BuzzFeed News. Klokov initially denied sending emails to Cohen, but when BuzzFeed asked him about specifics, the athlete stopped responding.

December 2015: Sater requests Cohen's and Trump's passports for visas to visit Russia


Sater emailed Cohen in mid-December 2015 saying that a Evgeny Shmykov, a former Russian intelligence general, needed passport information from Cohen and Trump to arrange visas for the pair to visit Russia. The trip to Russia never happened, as Cohen soon grew frustrated with Sater's work on the Moscow deal, but Cohen did send photos of his own passport to Sater, according to messages published by BuzzFeed.

January 2016: Cohen asks the Kremlin for help with Trump Tower Moscow project


On Jan. 14, 2016, Cohen emailed the office of Putin's press secretary Dmitry Peskov to seek help with the Moscow project, according to the a document filed by the special counsel when Cohen pleaded guilty in November 2018. Cohen followed up two days later, asking for someone who speaks English to contact him.

He then spoke with an aide to Putin's press secretary for 20 minutes on Jan. 20, during which Cohen explained the proposed Moscow project and asked for the Kremlin's help in securing land and financing for the tower. The aid "asked detailed questions and took notes," the special counsel wrote, and she told Cohen that she would follow up with others in Russia.

January 2016 — November 2016: Russian social media executive offers to help Trump campaign


Another offer for help came from an executive at a top Russian social media company called Vkontakte or VK. Konstantin Sidorkov, who serves as the company's partner relations director, emailed Trump Jr. and social media director Dan Scavino in January and November of 2016, saying he could help promote Trump to VK's 100 million users.

The emails, which were submitted to the Senate Judiciary Committee as part of its investigation into 2016, show that the connection was brokered through Goldstone, the British publicist who connected a number of Russians to the Trump campaign. Scavino, who is now the White House social media director, expressed interest in the assistance, but in 2018 he told ABC News that the campaign did not pursue the idea.

February 2016: Araz Agalarov sends letter expressing "great interest" in Trump campaign


On Feb. 29, 2016, Goldstone sent Trump Jr. a letter from Araz Agalarov, Trump's former business associate, expressing "great interest" in Trump's "bright electoral campaign." Goldstone told Trump Jr. the letter offered Agalarov's support and thanked him for passing it on to Trump.

March 2016 — August 2016: George Papadopoulos talks with a professor and several Russians about setting up a meeting between the Trump campaign and Putin


Papadopoulos, who has now served time in jail for lying to investigators, is one of the Trump associates who had frequent contacts with Russians throughout the 2016 campaign. He joined the campaign as an unpaid foreign policy advisor in March 2016, and on March 14, he met with Joseph Mifsud, a London-based professor who claimed to have "substantial connections to Russian government officials," according to court documents. Ten days later, Papadopoulos met with Mifsud and a Russian woman who he believed was Putin's niece to discuss arranging a meeting between the Trump campaign and Russian leadership.

After these meetings, Papadopoulos told various Trump and various campaign officials, including Jeff Sessions and Sam Clovis, then co-chairman of Trump's campaign, about his Russian connections.

Papadopoulos continued to work toward a Trump-Russia meeting, and in April, Mifsud sent an email introducing Papadopoulos to Ivan Timofeev, who he said had connections to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Timofeev emailed Papadopoulos on April 22, 2016, thanking him "for an extensive talk" and the two talked over Skype and emailed for the next several weeks, according to the special counsel's court documents.

On April 26, 2016, Mifsud told Papadopoulos about the Russian hacking of Hillary Clinton's emails, saying that Russians had "dirt" on Clinton in the form of "thousands of emails."

And in May when Timofeev told Papadopoulos that his colleagues at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs were "open for cooperation," Papadopoulos forwarded this note to Corey Lewandowski, who was then Trump's campaign manager. When Paul Manafort took over as chairman of Trump's campaign in late May, Papadopoulos forwarded the message to him. The meeting between the Trump campaign and Russian officials ultimately did not happen, but Papadopoulos continued his efforts into August of 2016.

Spring 2016: Paul Manafort shares polling data with Konstantin Kilimnik


Manafort and his deputy Rick Gates transferred Trump campaign polling data to Konstantin Kilimnik, a business associate believed to have ties to Russian intelligence, according to a court filing unsealed in January 2019. Gates and Manafort remained in touch with Kilimnik throughout 2016.

In April of 2016, Manafort also emailed Kilimnik about the press coverage around him taking over Trump's campaign, and asked "How do we use to get whole?"

April 27, 2016: Jeff Sessions and Jared Kushner meet with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak


In April, Trump gave his major foreign policy speech at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C. There, Sessions and Trump's son-in-law Kushner, met with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak and Trump was briefly introduced to the ambassador as well. Sessions initially failed to disclose his meetings with Kislyak, which led to him recusing himself from the Russia investigation when he became Attorney General.

But while Sessions said he did not discuss campaign issues in the meeting, U.S. intelligence officials told the Post the group had "substantive" discussions about U.S.-Russia relations in a potential Trump administration.

May 2016: Cohen invited to Russia and agrees to travel there


On May 5, 2016, Cohen received an invitation to attend the St. Petersburg Forum in June, delivered through Sater, according to court documents. Sater told Cohen that Putin's press secretary wanted to meet with him during the trip. One day later, Cohen confirmed that he could attend. However, in June, COhen told Sater he would no longer be able to travel to Russia.

May 2016: Trump Jr. dines with Russian banking official


Alexander Torshin, a former Russian politician and senior official at Russia's central bank, otld Bloomberg News that he ate dinner with trump Jr. at the National Rifle Association's annual convention.

May 2016: Russians offer Roger Stone dirt on Clinton but he declines


Stone, a longtime Trump confidante, met with a man who called himself Henry Greenberg, according to the Post, and offered dirt on Clinton if Trump would pay $2 million. But Stone declined, saying Trump "doesn't pay for anything." He also told Michael Caputo, a communications advisor to the Trump campaign, that Greenberg did not have anything interesting.

June 2016: Trump Jr., Kushner and Manafort meet with Russians at Trump Tower in Manhattan


On June 3, 2016, Goldstone, the publicist, reached out to Trump Jr. with a request from the younger Agalarov that would set off the now-infamous Trump Tower meeting in New York. Goldstone said the Russians had documents that could "incriminate" Clinton, and Trump Jr. replied, "if it's what you say I love it."

They set a meeting for June 9, and Trump Jr., Kushner and Manafort met with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya and others at Trump Tower. Veselnitskaya ended up talking about adoption and did not provide information on Clinton, but the meeting has become a point of significant controversy since the election. In January of 2019, Veselnitskaya was charged in an unrelated case that showed she had close ties to the Kremlin.

June 2016: Trump receives birthday gift from Aras Agalarov


One day after the Trump Tower meeting, Trump received an expensive painting as a birthday gift from his associate Aras Agalarov, the father of the man who helped arrange the meeting. The next week, Trump sent a thank you note for the gift, saying: "There are few things better than receiving a sensational gift from someone you admire - and that's what I've received from you. You made my birthday a truly special event by your thoughtfulness - not to mention your remarkable talent." The gift and Trump's response were detailed in a report from the Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee as they looked into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

July 2016: Carter Page travels to Moscow and gives a speech there


Page, a foreign policy advisor for the Trump campaign, traveled to Moscow on July 7-8, 2016 to give a speech there. He later testified that while in Moscow, he also "briefly said hello" to Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich and met with Andrey Baranov, the head of investor relations for Russian state oil company Rosneft. Page told Trump campaign officials about his trip, and emails revealed during his Congressional testimony showed that Page also asked for campaign officials' input on his Moscow remarks.

July — August 2016: Manafort discusses Ukraine and other topics with Kilimnik


In July, shortly before Trump accepted the Republican presidential nomination, Manafort contacted Kilimnik to offer private briefings to a Russian billionaire with ties to the Kremlin, according to emails reported by the Post.

Manafort and Kilimnik met in August of 2016 and discussed a proposed peace plan to the conflict in Ukraine, according to the court filing inadvertently released by Manafort's lawyers in February.

July 18, 2016: Sessions, Page and Trump campaign director of national security all meet with Kislyak during Republican National Convention


Sessions spoke with the Russian ambassador after participating in a panel hosted by the Heritage Foundation at the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2016.

The same day, Kislyak spoke with Page and J.D. Gordon, the head of national security for the Trump campaign. Gordon has said his time with the ambassador was short, but Page said that he may have discussed sanctions during his interaction.

August 2016 — September 2016: Stone communicates with Guccifer 2.0, a persona created by Russian hackers and encourages WikiLeaks


After it was revealed that Russian operatives hacked the DNC in the summer of 2016, Stone tweeted about and then exchanged Twitter direct messages with Guccifer 2.0, a fake identity created by the Russian nationals that Mueller charged with hacking Democratic emails. During this time, Stone also repeatedly said he was in touch with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

In March 2017, Stone published his private messages with Guccifer 2.0, which showed that the hackers asked if Stone found their documents interesting and then said on Aug. 17, 2016 "please tell me if i can help u anyhow." Later in September, Guccifer 2.0 sent Stone a link to hacked voter turnout data for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and Stone said the information looked "pretty standard."

During this summer period, a senior Trump campaign official was directed to contact Stone about "any additional releases and what other damaging information" WikiLeaks might have about Clinton, according to Mueller's indictment against Stone. The indictment also outlines communications between Stone and an intermediary, who told Stone that Assange had "kryptonite on Hillary."

September 2016: Gates communicates with Russian intelligence-linked associate


As the fall began, Gates had multiple interactions with a former business associate who had close ties to Russian intelligence, according to court documents filed by Mueller's prosecutors. The description of the associate matches Kilimnik, who previously worked for Manafort's firm where Manafort and Gates did political work in Ukraine.

September 2016: Sessions meets with Ambassador Kislyak


Sessions met with Kislyak again, this time in his Senate office on Sept. 8. Later, when recusing himself from the Russia investigation as attorney general, Sessions said two or three of his staffers were present and that they "listened to the ambassador and what his concerns might be."

September 2016: October 2016: WikiLeaks communicates with Trump Jr.


Toward the end of September, WikiLeaks, which was by then helping the Russians release the hacked Democratic emails, reached out to Trump's oldest son to give him a link to what it said was a "PAC run anti-Trump site." Trump Jr. thanked WikiLeaks for contacting him and said he would look into the information, according to messages turned over to Congressional investigators and reported by The Atlantic.

Trump Jr. then emailed a number of senior campaign officials, including Steve Bannon, Kellyanne Conway, Brad Parscale and Kushner to tell them about the WikiLeaks contact.

In early October, Trump Jr. asked WikiLeaks about a leak that Stone hinted at on Twitter. WikiLeaks did not respond to this, but it messaged him a few days later, and Trump Jr. soon tweeted out a link that matched one WikiLeaks sent him in the direct messages.

WikiLeaks continued communicating with Trump Jr. throughout October and gave him several other suggestions about links or messages for himself and his father to tweet.

September — October 2016: Trump national security advisor Gordon interacts with Maria Butina


On Sept. 29, 2016, Gordon met Butina, who later pleaded guilty to acting as an agent for the Kremlin, at a party at the Swiss ambassador's residence, according to the Post. He then continued to communicate with Butina in the final weeks of the 2016 campaign.

Gordon exchanged multiple emails with Butina, which included an invitation from her to a dinner, and then invitations from Gordon for Butina to attend a concert and then his birthday party in October. Prosecutors have identified these kinds of invitations as part of Butina's efforts to infiltrate American conservative circles.

October — November 2016: Stone communicates with Trump campaign officials about WikiLeaks releases


At the end of September, Stone's WikiLeaks intermediary—radio host Randy Credico—sent Stone a photo from outside the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, where Assange was staying at the time, according to the indictment.

Then in October, Credico texted Stone to give him a heads up about more WikiLeaks dumps. He told Stone to expect "big news Wednesday" and that "Hillary's campaign will die this week," according to the indictment. Stone then sent his tweet hinting at the leak, saying "Wednesday@HillaryClinton is done. #Wikileaks."

When Credico assured Stone that WikiLeaks was planning a press conference with the leaks on Oct. 3, Stone emailed the Trump campaign to give them a heads up. After WikiLeaks did not announce any new information the next day, Bannon, then Trump's campaign chairman asked Stone what was going on. Stone told him, according to the indictment, that WikiLeaks would release "a load every week going forward." And when the organization did publish Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta's emails the same day as the "Access Hollywood" tape controversy, Bannon sent Stone a message: "well done."

Also in October, Stone communicated directly with WikiLeaks for the first time. He had been bragging about connections to the group, but WikiLeaks told him not to claim an association, according to messages published by The Atlantic. On Nov. 9, 2016, the morning after the election, WikiLeaks messaged Stone: "Happy?" the group asked. "We are now more free to communicate."

November 10, 2016: Emin Agalarov congratulates Trump Jr.


Two days after the election, the younger Agalarov texted Trump Jr. to celebrate Trump's win. "Always at your disposal here in Russia," the pop star said in a message full of exclamation marks, according to the House Intelligence Committee Democrats' report.

December 2016: Kushner and Michael Flynn meet with Ambassador Kislyak during presidential transition


During the presidential transition period, several people in Trump's orbit met with Russians. Trump's son-in-law and Flynn, Trump's first national security advisor, met with Kislyak at Trump Tower in December 2016, where they discussed the possibility of "setting up a secret and secure communications channel" between the Trump team and the Kremlin, the Post reported.

Kushner also sent Avi Berkowitz, a longtime aide, to meet with Kislyak during the presidential transition.

December 2016: Kushner meets with Sergey Gorkov


After meeting with the Russian ambassador, Kushner stayed in touch and then met with Sergey Gorkov, head of the Russian bank Vnesheconombank, at Kislyak's request. The Times reported this meeting in March of 2017, but Kushner's explanations for the meeting contradicted those of the bank as investigators looked into the interactions.

December 2016: Flynn continues communicating with Kislyak


Flynn also kept in touch with Kislyak throughout the presidential transition, and his failure to disclose these contacts eventually led him to resign his position in the White House. Flynn pleaded guilty in December 2017 to lying to investigators about his contacts.

In the charging document, prosecutors said Flynn contacted Kislyak about a vote on a UN resolution on Israeli settlements and asked that Russia "vote against or delay" it. Flynn then reportedly texted Kislyak to wish him a Merry Christmas, and in late December, the two exchanged several text messages and calls.

The court document also said Flynn asked Kislyak to "refrain from escalating" tensions in response to U.S. sanctions on Russia, and that Kislyak said he followed that request.


January 2017: Cohen meets with Russian billionaire at TrumpTower


Just days before Trump's inauguration, Cohen met with Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg at Trump Tower in New York City and discussed their desire to strengthen U.S.-Russia relations, according to the Times. The pair met again about a week later at a dinner celebrating Trump's inauguration.

January 2017: Erik Prince meets with Russian billionaire sanctioned by Treasury Department


Also in January of 2017, Erik Prince, the brother of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and the founder of Blackwater, traveled to Seychelles and met with a Russian billionaire to allegedly develop another backchannel, according to the Post.

Prince initially said his meeting with Kirill Dmitriev, the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, had been unplanned. However, businessman George Nader, who helped organize the meeting, began cooperating with Mueller's investigation and contradicted this claim.


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JBB
Professor Principal
1  seeder  JBB    2 years ago

And, these are only the documented meetings between Trump and Co and operatives of Russian State Intelligence Services during the 2016 campaign and the Presidential transition though there were many documented instances prior. Now Jo ohn Durham and Trumpere are desperately pretending that the CIA and FBI were not already neck deep in their investigations of Trump's Russian dealings well before September of 2016, which is preposterous. Beginning by late 2014 Trump was in secret negotiations with clandestine agents of Russian State Intelligence Services to build Trump Tower Moscow. Trump even famously offered Putin a luxury penthouse as a bribe to get the deal...

 
 
 
JBB
Professor Principal
2  seeder  JBB    2 years ago

original

 
 
 
Texan1211
Professor Principal
2.1  Texan1211  replied to  JBB @2    2 years ago

No, what people have been asking you repeatedly to provide is proof that multiple international intelligence agencies were investigating Trump as far back as 2014.

To no avail, as you can't or simply won't provide what is asked for.

No one believes that lie, why do you insist on perpetuating it?

 
 
 
Snuffy
Professor Participates
2.1.1  Snuffy  replied to  Texan1211 @2.1    2 years ago

Having just searched thru that Volume 1 pdf,  found some interesting info...

Number of times CIA pops up  =  0

Number of times FBI pops up  =  74    (all in context with working with state election boards around potential hacking attacks)

Number of times Trump pops up = 0

Sure would love to hear some proof to the meme...

 
 
 
bugsy
Professor Participates
2.1.2  bugsy  replied to  Snuffy @2.1.1    2 years ago

[deleted]

 
 
 
JBB
Professor Principal
2.1.3  seeder  JBB  replied to  Snuffy @2.1.1    2 years ago

The CIA never confirms or denies anything yet it is implausible they were not aware when Trump and Co sought out and met with and established relationships with Russian spies.

The Steele Dossier was just an outline of CIS, FBI, MI6, Interpol and a multitude of other foreign spy gossip about Trump's Russian dealings and connections. This article is just about Trump's connections with Russians during the 2016 campaign, but Trump was doing business with Russia before that. 

Are you unaware of Trump pardoning Roger Stone and Paul Manafort? Did you hear Michael Cohen's sworn testimony before Congress? Don Jr and Rudy Giuliani both publicly admitted the Trump Tower Moscow negotiations began in 2014 and continued right up to election day. Trump never imagined he would actually win.

Again, how could our CIA and FBI ignore it when the Trump Organization was seeking out and establishing relationships with known agents of Russian State Intelligence Services?

 
 
 
Sean Treacy
Professor Principal
2.1.4  Sean Treacy  replied to  JBB @2.1.3    2 years ago
e Steele Dossier was just an outline of CIS, FBI, MI6, Interpol and a multitude of other foreign spy gossip about Trump's Russian dealings and connections

You literally are  just making  things up.

It's no different than QANON.

 
 
 
bugsy
Professor Participates
2.1.5  bugsy  replied to  Sean Treacy @2.1.4    2 years ago
[deleted]
 
 
 
Ronin2
Professor Quiet
2.1.6  Ronin2  replied to  JBB @2.1.3    2 years ago
The Steele Dossier was just an outline of CIS, FBI, MI6, Interpol and a multitude of other foreign spy gossip about Trump's Russian dealings and connections. This article is just about Trump's connections with Russians during the 2016 campaign, but Trump was doing business with Russia before that. 

The Steele Dossier is complete and utter bullshit. The fact you are still pushing is the very height of disinformation.

Not even the left wing rag the NY Times still believes the Steele Dossier; but they are still full of shit saying it wasn't the reason behind the investigation by the FBI.

Was the dossier a reliable source of information?

No. It has become clear over time that its sourcing was thin and sketchy.

No corroborating evidence has emerged in intervening years to support many of the specific claims in the dossier, and government investigators determined that one key allegation — that Mr. Trump’s lawyer, Michael Cohen, had met with Russian officials in Prague during the campaign — was false.

When the F.B.I. interviewed Mr. Danchenko in 2017, he told the bureau that he thought the tenor of the dossier was more conclusive than was justified ; for example, Mr. Danchenko portrayed the blackmail tape story as rumors and speculation that he was not able to confirm. He also said a key source had called him without identifying himself, and that he had guessed at the source’s identity. The indictment accuses Mr. Danchenko of lying about that call and of concealing that a Democratic Party-linked public relations executive was his source for a claim about Trump campaign office politics.

Want more proof? How about TDS hate filled CNN?

You can research more left wing sources that are now saying the Steele Dossier was nothing more than a Clinton Campaign backed POS slander piece.

Are you unaware of Trump pardoning Roger Stone and Paul Manafort? Did you hear Michael Cohen's sworn testimony before Congress? Don Jr and Rudy Giuliani both publicly admitted the Trump Tower Moscow negotiations began in 2014 and continued right up to election day. Trump never imagined he would actually win.

Yes, did you? You do realize that business dealings are far different than collusion to overturn a US election right? Want to get into Bill and Hillary's connections to Russia that ran right up to the election?

Bill Clinton did receive $500,000 to deliver a speech at a Russian bank that was promoting Uranium One stock, according to The New York Times , and the company's chairman donated $2.35 million to the foundation in four installments as Uranium One was being acquired by Rosatum between 2009 and 2013. All told, $145 million went to the Clinton Foundation from those linked to Uranium One and UrAsia, but it went to the charity organization and not the Clinton family. Furthermore, most of those donations occurred before and during Hillary Clinton's 2008 campaign, according to The Post.

Show where Trump was paid nearly that much by Russia.

 
 
 
Greg Jones
Professor Participates
3  Greg Jones    2 years ago
"Former Attorney General Bill Barr said the Mueller report found no evidence of collusion"  Nuff said
Also there was no evidence that Russia  interfered in the 2016 election
 
 
 
Nerm_L
Professor Expert
4  Nerm_L    2 years ago

Seems like Democrats should impeach Trump.  At the least, Democrats should be investigating Trump.  Democrats need to tell the public everything about Trump.  Democrats ought to ban Trump from social media so he will become invisible and can't influence people any longer.

Oh, wait, Democrats have already done all of that.  So, why should the public believe that Democrats can do anything?

 
 
 
JBB
Professor Principal
4.1  seeder  JBB  replied to  Nerm_L @4    2 years ago

The point is that Trump got himself investigated by the FBI and CIA for seeking out and establishing relationships with known agents of Russian State Intelligence Services without Hillary's involvement!

 
 
 
Texan1211
Professor Principal
4.1.1  Texan1211  replied to  JBB @4.1    2 years ago
The point is that Trump got himself investigated by the FBI and CIA for seeking out and establishing relationships with known agents of Russian State Intelligence Services without Hillary's involvement!

You keep repeating the same drivel--unproven, of course.

 
 
 
Nerm_L
Professor Expert
4.1.2  Nerm_L  replied to  JBB @4.1    2 years ago
The point is that Trump got himself investigated by the FBI and CIA for seeking out and establishing relationships with known agents of Russian State Intelligence Services without Hillary's involvement!

All the highlighted events took place seven years ago.  A request for a visa to travel to Russia isn't a secret.  Barack Obama was President.  Joe Biden was Vice President.  John Kerry was Secretary of State.  Loretta Lynch was Attorney General.  James Clapper was Director of National Intelligence.  James Comey was FBI Director.  Who was minding the store?

Hillary Clinton (who was no longer part of government) had to pay for preparation of a dossier (of questionable merits) before the Democrats in charge opened an investigation.  It seems Democrats are more effective when they aren't in government. 

The real point is the highlighted events demonstrate that Democrats aren't very good at minding the store when they are in charge.  Democrats have had seven years to address all these issues concerning Trump.  And Democrats are still just kicking the can.  Even now, Democrats are relying on Republican Liz Cheney to investigate Trump.  Why should the public believe Democrats can do anything?

 
 
 
Sean Treacy
Professor Principal
4.1.3  Sean Treacy  replied to  JBB @4.1    2 years ago
e point is that Trump got himself investigated by the FBI and CIA for seeking out and establishing relationships with known agents of Russian State Intelligence Servic

Why would you post a seed based on a  link from 2019 that doesn't even address your supposed point?

 
 
 
JBB
Professor Principal
4.1.4  seeder  JBB  replied to  Nerm_L @4.1.2    2 years ago

Trump was and continues to be under active ongoing investigations by multiple agencies of state and federal law enforcement. The FBI and CIA do not disclose information about any past or ongoing investigations until or unless official charges are filed. 

 
 
 
JBB
Professor Principal
4.1.5  seeder  JBB  replied to  Texan1211 @4.1.1    2 years ago

Fuck Off!

 
 
 
Sean Treacy
Professor Principal
4.1.6  Sean Treacy  replied to  JBB @4.1.4    2 years ago

[deleted]

 
 
 
bugsy
Professor Participates
4.1.7  bugsy  replied to  JBB @4.1.4    2 years ago
The FBI and CIA do not disclose information

So, no charges have been filed, so who in the FBI or CIA told you there was an investigation.

A little proof of your imaginary beliefs would be nice for once.

 
 
 
JBB
Professor Principal
4.1.8  seeder  JBB  replied to  Sean Treacy @4.1.6    2 years ago

I will continue posting the simple explanation of why Hillary Clinton is not responsible for FBI and CIA investigations into Trump's Russian involvements in the lead up to the 2016 election. The FBI and CIA were investigating Trump's Russian dealings in 2014, 2015 and 2016. How could they not? Trump and Co were seeking out and establishing relationships with known Russian spies. One goes hand in hand with the other.

Hillary Clinton retired from public service in January of 2013 and has held no official governmental office since.

Everyone in Washington DC and New York City was aware Trump was doing business with shady Russians and assorted tyrants and strongmen. It wasn't and isn't a crime to report suspicious actively between known criminals and known spies. Trump got himself investigated. Read the article and explain how he could not have. Do you think our CIA and FBI are completely incompetent and inept?

 
 
 
JBB
Professor Principal
4.1.9  seeder  JBB  replied to  bugsy @4.1.7    2 years ago

It is not about criminal charges. The point is that Trump and Co had many secretive contacts with Russian spies which were the legal predicates for the FBI and CIA investigations into Trump's Russian dealings in the lead up to the 2016 presidential election. Yes, Trump was being investigated by law enforcement. He still is. Why are you still pretending that he wasn't, isn't and shouldn't be?

 
 
 
bugsy
Professor Participates
4.1.10  bugsy  replied to  JBB @4.1.9    2 years ago
Trump was being investigated by law enforcement. He still is. Why are you still pretending that he wasn't, isn't and shouldn't be?

You yourself said the FBI and CIA do not acknowledge investigations unless charges have been filed, so how do you know there is an investigation?

The problem you have is you have been asked repeatedly for proof of your assertions, bit instead of providing any, you just keep repeating the same drivel over and over.

 
 
 
Snuffy
Professor Participates
4.1.11  Snuffy  replied to  JBB @4.1.8    2 years ago
I will continue posting the simple explanation of why Hillary Clinton is not responsible for FBI and CIA investigations into Trump's Russian involvements in the lead up to the 2016 election. The FBI and CIA were investigating Trump's Russian dealings in 2014, 2015 and 2016. How could they not? Trump and Co were seeking out and establishing relationships with known Russian spies. One goes hand in hand with the other.

Yet you also posted the following...

The FBI and CIA do not disclose information about any past or ongoing investigations until or unless official charges are filed. 

So if no official charges were filed how do you know about any investigations that may or may not have been done?  You keep posting as fact that the investigations did occur yet  you offer no evidence other than a "read between the lines" documentation that really doesn't prove anything.  Why don't you come clean and state that this is just  your opinion of what happened and stop trying to convince people that it all really happened.

 
 
 
GregTx
PhD Guide
4.1.12  GregTx  replied to  JBB @4.1.8    2 years ago

You’re hilarious!…

with shady Russians and assorted tyrants and strongmen.

and yet Joe’s ties to shady Chinese and Ukrainians and “assorted tyrants and strongmen” is a non sequitur for you.

 
 
 
Sean Treacy
Professor Principal
4.1.13  Sean Treacy  replied to  JBB @4.1.8    2 years ago
The FBI and CIA were investigating Trump's Russian dealings in 2014, 2015 and 2016. H

All you are doing is making things up. It's no different than claiming Trump won the election in 2020.  You can say keep saying it all you want .It's still a lie.

It's your reputation. Do with it what you will. All these incessant false posts do is belie the claim that Republicans are the ones with  a misinformation problem. 

 
 
 
Texan1211
Professor Principal
4.1.14  Texan1211  replied to  JBB @4.1.5    2 years ago

will that make you finally pist some justification for your rather bizzarre claims?

 
 
 
JBB
Professor Principal
4.1.15  seeder  JBB  replied to  bugsy @4.1.10    2 years ago

Perhaps you should pay some attention to the Sussman trial. The witnesses confirm that the CIA and FBI were investigating Trump's Russian connections all during 2014-2016...

 
 
 
Sean Treacy
Professor Principal
4.1.16  Sean Treacy  replied to  JBB @4.1.15    2 years ago

Cite that testimony.

 
 
 
Drinker of the Wry
Junior Expert
4.1.17  Drinker of the Wry  replied to  JBB @4.1.5    2 years ago

Too much intellectual engagement today?

 
 
 
JBB
Professor Principal
4.1.18  seeder  JBB  replied to  Drinker of the Wry @4.1.17    2 years ago

That is hilarious, in a  [REMOVED]  sort of way.

Please note that your comrades in the heckling peanut gallery have studiously refused to answer any of my questions or discuss the article. They only want to take potshots at me and avoid the facts...

 
 
 
afrayedknot
Junior Quiet
4.1.19  afrayedknot  replied to  Drinker of the Wry @4.1.17    2 years ago

“Too much intellectual engagement today?”

Are you kidding?

 
 
 
Drinker of the Wry
Junior Expert
4.1.20  Drinker of the Wry  replied to  JBB @4.1.18    2 years ago
That is hilarious, in a malignant sort of way. Please note that your comrades in the heckling peanut gallery have studiously refused to answer any of my questions or discuss the article. 

I don’t know about my comrades, but I have noted how fond you are in using the term malignant with me.

Perhaps you saw my cancer as some character flaw or failure in me.

 
 
 
JBB
Professor Principal
4.1.21  seeder  JBB  replied to  Drinker of the Wry @4.1.20    2 years ago

Your sleep patterns are...nonexistent. Your comments are trollish. Take care of yourself.

 
 
 
Sparty On
Professor Principal
4.1.22  Sparty On  replied to  JBB @4.1.15    2 years ago

Not the CIA, as noted previously they CAN NOT legally investigate US citizens.    Even if it’s Donald Trump.

 
 
 
Texan1211
Professor Principal
4.1.23  Texan1211  replied to  JBB @4.1.18    2 years ago
studiously refused to answer an

Oh, kind of like you refuse to back your silly little claim up, despite being asked to repeatedly?

 
 
 
JBB
Professor Principal
4.1.24  seeder  JBB  replied to  Sparty On @4.1.22    2 years ago

That is not true if citizens are involved with foreign agents or enemy spies like Trump...

 
 
 
JBB
Professor Principal
4.1.25  seeder  JBB  replied to  Texan1211 @4.1.23    2 years ago

No, like how you refuse to acknowledge that the CIA and FBI would have had to investigate when Trump was observed communicating with known agents of Putin's Russian State Intelligence Services, like Trump was...

 
 
 
Drinker of the Wry
Junior Expert
4.1.26  Drinker of the Wry  replied to  JBB @4.1.24    2 years ago

Having trouble sleeping?

 
 
 
JBB
Professor Principal
4.1.27  seeder  JBB  replied to  Drinker of the Wry @4.1.26    2 years ago

No, I sleep four or five hours every night and nap as long as I please in the afternoon. The Sun is already coming up on the East coast...

I had a horrible crick in my neck a few weeks back and thankfully that passed. Genetics predispose me to being an early riser. All my forbears were farmers. We has a rooster...

The Jersey cow I milked was named "Janey".

 
 
 
JBB
Professor Principal
4.1.28  seeder  JBB  replied to  Drinker of the Wry @4.1.26    2 years ago

Maybe you will give me a straight answer as nobody else around here will. Just a simple yes or no proposition. Do you personally believe it is even plausible that the CIA and FBI were not investigating Trump's foreign business deals in the years leading up to the 2016 election? 

Keep in mind Michael Cohen's testimony to Congress, the Flynn, Stone and Manafort convictions, pardons and public statements by Trump, Trump Jr and Rudy Giuliani.

 
 
 
Drinker of the Wry
Junior Expert
4.1.29  Drinker of the Wry  replied to  JBB @4.1.28    2 years ago
Do you personally believe it is even plausible that the CIA and FBI were not investigating Trump's foreign business deals in the years leading up to the 2016 election? 

O think that Brennan testified that the investigation began in the summer of 2016.

From Snowden we know that NSA had access to bulk data through U.S. internet companies and hundreds of millions of call records from telecommunications providers Trump might have been snared in that prior to 2016. 

 
 
 
Drinker of the Wry
Junior Expert
4.1.30  Drinker of the Wry  replied to  JBB @4.1.27    2 years ago

Good to hear that the neck is better.  If the problem isn’t structural with the vertebrae then it maybe muscle spasms.  Heat and ibuprofen (for inflammation) works for me. I’ve always been a side sleeper until my surgery and long hospitalization.  I became a back sleeper.  Since then, I’ve had much less back and neck stiffness.

Fresh milk and butter from Janey was the best I bet.

 
 
 
Greg Jones
Professor Participates
4.1.31  Greg Jones  replied to  JBB @4.1.5    2 years ago

"Fuck Off!"

Translation: You're losing the argument and can't think of an intelligent response.

Whatever else was going on, Hillary's role in the trying to dig up dirt on Trump is well known, which led to the fake FISA warrants

 
 
 
JBB
Professor Principal
4.1.32  seeder  JBB  replied to  Drinker of the Wry @4.1.29    2 years ago

That is not an answer to the question I asked.

 
 
 
JBB
Professor Principal
4.1.33  seeder  JBB  replied to  Greg Jones @4.1.31    2 years ago

Can you make an argument beyond "Nuh Uh"?

 
 
 
Greg Jones
Professor Participates
4.1.34  Greg Jones  replied to  JBB @4.1.33    2 years ago

Can you?

 
 
 
Sparty On
Professor Principal
4.1.35  Sparty On  replied to  JBB @4.1.24    2 years ago

It’s absolutely true.    The CIA is prohibited from collecting intelligence on US citizens.   No exceptions.

Sounds like we need an investigation into why the CIA is breaking the law investigating US citizens.

 
 
 
Sparty On
Professor Principal
4.1.36  Sparty On  replied to  JBB @4.1.28    2 years ago
Maybe you will give me a straight answer as nobody else around here will. Just a simple yes or no proposition.

No, as noted it is against the law for the CIA to investigate US citizens so if they did, heads should roll.    

 
 
 
Texan1211
Professor Principal
4.1.37  Texan1211  replied to  JBB @4.1.25    2 years ago

as has been told to you so many times now, the CIA is not allowed to investigate US citizens.why can't you understand that?

 
 
 
Sean Treacy
Professor Principal
4.1.38  Sean Treacy  replied to  JBB @4.1.15    2 years ago

Did you forget to cite the witness testimony in the Sussman trial that supports your claim?

 
 

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