Tag: George Papadopoulos

Trump Calls on Justice Department to Release Mueller Probe Documents: ‘Drain the Swamp!’

President Donald Trump took to Twitter on Saturday to tout his latest theory that the “FBI or DOJ was infiltrating” his campaign during the 2016 election in order to sabotage it and allow for a Hillary Clinton victory.

This latest theory is based on a New York Times report that revealed the FBI launched an incredibly secretive investigation into the Trump campaign in 2016 and used an informant to glean info from four campaign affiliates: Michael Flynn, Paul Manafort, Carter Page, and George Papadopoulos.

That report was seized on by the Russia investigation’s chief critics in the media who argued it was evidence the FBI spied on the Trump campaign with the malicious intent of setting then-candidate Trump up and bringing him down (they clearly did not do a very good job of it, but that’s apparently beside the point). Trump himself has enjoyed this narrative, tweeting about it often, if always in the conditional.

Trump tweeted — erroneously, as no one reported that the informant was “implanted” into his campaign — on Friday:

“Reports are there was indeed at least one FBI representative implanted, for political purposes, into my campaign for president. It took place very early on, and long before the phony Russia Hoax became a ‘hot’ Fake News story. If true – all time biggest political scandal!”

Trump again wheeled out the “If” in his latest tweet Saturday evening:

“If the FBI or DOJ was infiltrating a campaign for the benefit of another campaign, that is a really big deal,” he wrote. “Only the release or review of documents that the House Intelligence Committee (also, Senate Judiciary) is asking for can give the conclusive answers. Drain the Swamp!”

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes has been engaged in a tense showdown with the Department of Justice over documents he has demanded that relate to special counsel Robert Mueller‘s investigation into the Trump campaign’s Russia ties.

The DOJ has refused to hand over the documents, arguing they could endanger an intelligence source, Politico reported.

Now, while the New York Times and the Washington Post have omitted the name of that intelligence source from their reporting, it has become abundantly clear who he is. Hell, the Daily Caller reported on him three months ago, so the cat’s pretty much out of the bag.

[Mediaite]

Top Trump campaign officials urged Papadopoulos to communicate with Russians

Former Donald Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos was encouraged by campaign officials to communicate with foreign contacts, according to the Washington Post.

As the Post reports, Papadopoulos was urged by deputy communications director Bryan Lanza to participate in an interview with a Russian news agency.

“You should do it,” Lanza told Papadopoulos, adding the connection could benefit a “partnership with Russia.”

According to the Post, emails turned over to special counsel Robert Mueller show “more extensive contact” between Papadopoulos and top campaign and transition officials “than has been publicly acknowledged.”

Papadopoulos also communicated with former White House strategist Steve Bannon and onetime national security adviser Michael Flynn, “who corresponded with [Papadopoulos] about his efforts to broker ties between Trump and top foreign officials.”

Read the full report at the Washington Post.

[Raw Story]

Conspiracy Alert: Russia probe started from man with ties to Hilary Clinton

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Right-wing news is pushing a new nutjob conspiracy theory to discredit the FBI and the Mueller investigation.

This one is surrounding Australian diplomat Alexander Downer, who reported George Papadopoulos’ drunken boasts that Russia was working with the Trump campaign to the FBI, which then launched the Russia probe.

The theory, first floated in this Hill article, is that Downer gave $25 million to the Clinton Foundation to fight AIDS, therefore because he has a tie to Hillary Clinton the entire investigation is bogus.

A couple of problems.

First, it makes zero logical sense. A claim is true or false regardless of the source, and George Papadapolous did make these statements and he’s also pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his contacts and collusion with Moscow.

Second, the article completely obscures the fact that Downer at the time was the Australian Foreign Minister, and as part of Australia’s overall commitment to fighting epidemic such as AIDS, it was his responsibility to direct billions of dollars each year to many different charities. One of the various charities was the Clinton Foundation, who had an 4/4 rating from Charity Navigator and an A rating from Charity Watch, and was given a small fraction of Australia’s aid budget.

The Australians dedicate over 2 billion USD to development assistance each year and the Australian government, not any individual, is the bilateral donor.

So for this conspiracy theory to stand, it had to be Downer’s own money, it wasn’t, it had to be directed at Hilary Clinton, it wasn’t, and it had to be unique or substantial, it wasn’t.