See also: For a more complete list of public figures who promoted collusion claims, please see this resource from the Capital Research Center.
Starting at least by July 2016 and continuing through March 2019, the FBI and then the office of Department of Justice Special Counsel Robert Mueller conducted a counterintelligence investigation targeting the 2016 Presidential campaign of 2016 Republican Party nominee and eventual President Donald J. Trump. Given the codename “Crossfire Hurricane,” the probe was established to examine “whether individual(s) associated with the Trump campaign are witting of and/or coordinating activities with the Government of Russia.” 6
Page was the only Trump advisor known to have been put under FISA surveillance, which the IG report defined as “among the most sensitive and intrusive investigative techniques.” Page was not charged with wrongdoing on any matter, and the IG report stated “the FBI was unable to corroborate any of the specific substantive allegations against [Trump campaign advisor] Carter Page” provided in the Steele dossier. 14
In October 2019, Clinton enhanced the conspiracy theory by alleging that U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) and 2016 Green Party presidential nominee Jill Stein were also assets of the Russian government. 28
But in April 2019, summarizing the contents of the then-just-released report from Special Counsel Robert Mueller, Greenwald wrote the actual meeting was less than the media hype had portrayed: 35
On October 31, 2016, shortly after Franklin Foer posted his Alfa Bank story, Hillary Clinton, through her personal Twitter account, attempted to promote it with two statements.
In the first Tweet she wrote, “It’s time for Trump to answer serious questions about his ties to Russia.” This was followed by a URL link to Foer’s story. Clinton also attached a sharable meme with the headline “Four things you need to know about the Trump Organization’s secret server to communicate with Russian Alfa Bank.” Point number three alleged: “When a reporter asked about it, they shut it down.” Point number four stated: “One week later, they created a new server with a different name for the same purpose.”36
Clinton’s second Tweet appeared one hour later, with her stating “Computer scientists have apparently uncovered a covert server linking the Trump Organization to a Russian-based bank.” 37
Under the second statement, Clinton attached an image of a recent news release sent by Hillary for America senior policy advisor Jake Sullivan regarding the “new report from Slate.” The statement included the “Computer scientists” statement used in Clinton’s Tweet (though this time attributed to Sullivan) and added: “It certainly seems the Trump Organization felt it had something to hide, given that it apparently took steps to conceal the link when it was discovered by journalists.”37
Sullivan’s press statement concluded: “We can only assume that federal authorities will now explore this direct connection between Trump and Russia as part of their existing probe into Russia’s meddling in our elections.” 37
Debunking of Allegation
On the same day Foer’s article in Slate was published, a New York Times account sourced to anonymous “law enforcement officials” cast doubts on the seriousness of the Alfa Bank allegation. The Times claimed to have discovered from its informants that “F.B.I. officials spent weeks examining computer data” regarding the Alfa Bank allegation but “ultimately concluded that there could be an innocuous explanation, like a marketing email or spam, for the computer contacts.” 41 A December 2019 report from the U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General found 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.”44
According to a New York Post report, three of the twelve jurors were political donors to Hillary Clinton. 45
Sussmann’s Denial
The subject of the indictment was a statement allegedly made by Sussmann five years earlier, on September 19, 2016, during a meeting with the FBI’s general counsel regarding the Alfa Bank rumor. At that meeting, which was requested by Sussmann, he provided the FBI a digital copy of the white paper and other data that had been prepared with the assistance of Rodney Joffe and his researchers. 47
Of his meeting with the FBI, Sussmann’s motion claimed:
There is no allegation in the Indictment that the tip he provided was false. And there is no allegation that he believed that the tip he provided was false. Rather, Mr. Sussmann has been charged with making a false statement about an entirely ancillary matter—about who his client may have been when he met with the FBI—which is a fact that even the Special Counsel’s own Indictment fails to allege had any effect on the FBI’s decision to open an investigation.
Mr. Sussmann did not make any false statement to the FBI. But in any event, the false statement alleged in the Indictment is immaterial as a matter of law… 47
Special Counsel’s case
The indictment alleged that Sussmann told the FBI that “he had been approached by multiple cyber experts concerning the [Alfa Bank] allegations,” and that he gave the FBI three of these names. It further alleged that despite Rodney Joffe’s significant role in the project, when Sussmann spoke to the FBI he “did not name or mention [Joffe], the Clinton Campaign, or any other person or company referenced above.” 36 37
According to the special counsel’s indictment of Michael Sussmann:
On or about October 30, 2016, an employee of the U.S. Investigative Firm (the “Investigative Firm Employee”) forwarded another reporter (“Reporter-2”) a tweet, which indicated that the FBI Director had “explosive information about Trump’s ties to Russia.” The Investigative Firm Employee’s email stated, “time to hurry,” suggesting that Reporter-2 should hurry to publish an article regarding the Russian Bank-1 allegations. In response, Reporter-2 emailed to the Investigative Firm Employee a draft article regarding the Russian Bank-1 allegations, along with the cover message: “Here’s the first 2500 words.” 49 49
In an email to a Reuters reporter in October 2016, Fritsch wrote: “do the [expletive deleted] alfa bank secret comms story…” Similarly, in an email to an ABC News reporter, he claimed: “dude, this is huge.” 49
And in an email back to Fritsch following a personal briefing at his home, Franklin Foer wrote: 49
“My editors are very excited about this piece […] We’ve been at the vanguard of the Russia story and they want to keep aggressively pushing. They can’t understand the tentativeness of the Times. We know that we need to move quickly. Anything you could do to help connect me with the source would help immensely. This is a big deal story. One of the biggest of the campaign.” 49
Promotion of allegation to Christopher Steele
In March 2020 testimony for a lawsuit filed by Alfa Bank, Christopher Steele stated he was “very clear” that he first learned about the Alfa Bank allegation from Michael Sussmann on July 29, 2016. Steele was the subcontractor hired by the Fusion GPS investigative firm to search for damaging information regarding Donald Trump and Russia. Fusion GPS had been hired for this task by Marc Elias. 51
Steele further testified that after the meeting he was instructed by Fusion GPS co-founder Glenn Simpson to add an Alfa Bank memo to the now discredited reports that became known as the “Steele dossier.” Steele testified that Simpson’s instruction to add the Alfa Bank report “was absolutely, definitely linked to the server issue.” 51
Steele’s report, which he claimed was based on knowledgeable sources, asserted that Alfa Bank’s founders were on “very good terms” with Russian President Vladimir Putin and had given Putin “large amounts of illicit cash” early in his political career. Steele’s report incorrectly spells the name of its subject matter as “Alpha Bank.” It is dated September 14, 2016, five days before Sussmann presented the Alfa Bank allegation to the FBI. Alfa Bank denied the allegations made in Steele’s memo. 51 51
On October 31, the same day that the Alfa Bank allegation first appeared in the media (Slate and the New York Times), the first report on the existence of what became known as the Steele dossier appeared in Mother Jones. The Mother Jones report cited an anonymous source, later revealed to be Christopher Steele. 51
Structure of the Steele Dossier
In April 2016 Marc Elias, a partner at the political law firm Perkins Coie, retained the opposition-research firm Fusion GPS on behalf of the 2016 Hillary Clinton presidential campaign and the Democratic National Committee to provide a “no-stones-unturned” evaluation of then-Presidential candidate Donald Trump, reportedly paying Fusion GPS $1.02 million. As part of this project, Fusion GPS hired former British spy Christopher Steele to research alleged connections between Trump and the Russian government, reportedly paying Steele’s firm $168,000. 53 Earlier that evening Vogel wrote on Twitter: When I tried to report this story, Clinton campaign lawyer @marceelias pushed back vigorously, saying “You (or your sources) are wrong.” 54
On March 29, 2022, the Federal Election Commission (FEC) ruled there was “probable cause” to believe the treasurers for the 2016 Hillary for America campaign committee and the Democratic National Committee had misrepresented the payments to Perkins Coie for the work that led to production of the Steele dossier. The SEC found that in both cases the treasurers had listed the payments (totaling more than $1 million) as “legal compliance” and “legal services,” rather than forthrightly as “opposition research” done by Fusion GPS. 14
The Inspector General concluded that its review of what Danchenko told the FBI “raised significant questions about the reliability of the Steele election reporting.” 62 63
The FBI report showed that by December 2016, while the FBI’s Crossfire Hurricane team was targeting Page using FISA electronic spying warrants, the Crossfire Hurricane investigators had made the connection between Danchenko’s role in producing the Steele dossier and the FBI’s earlier counterintelligence investigation targeting Danchenko.68
Counts Two Through Five
Several dossier reports credited tips to a figure sometimes identified as “Source E,” and described as “an ethnic Russian close associate of Republican US presidential candidate Donald TRUMP.” The special counsel’s indictment accused Danchenko of falsely and repeatedly identifying this person as Sergei Millian. A Belarusian-American, Millian is a New York real estate broker and was the head of the Russian American Chamber of Commerce from 2006 to 2016. 68
Four of the five counts in the indictment accused Danchenko of lying to the FBI about Millian on four separate occasions during interviews in 2017. The indictment alleged that Danchenko told FBI agents that Millian was a source, and that he had spoken on the phone with him in “late July” of 2016. 68
To counter this, the special counsel quoted two emails sent by Danchenko in late August that implied no such discussion with Millian could have occurred in late July. 68
One was an August 18 email from Danchenko to Millian, making a request for an initial meeting: “I wrote to you a few weeks ago. We are contacts on Linkedin.” It ended with a further implication that the two men had never spoken: “If there is opportunity and interest, let’s meet and chat.” 68
The second email, dated August 24, was from Danchenko to a journalist who had interviewed Millian. Danchenko complained that he had attempted to contact Millian but “for some reason [Millian] doesn’t respond.” Danchenko also asked for help getting through: “What is your relationship with him like? Would you be able to ask him to reply to me? I could call or write on LinkedIn, but until he responds I would not like to pester him.” 68
At least four of the Steele dossier allegations referencing tips from Source E carry production dates prior to Danchenko’s August emails to Millian and the journalist. Some of the dossier’s most controversial assertions are in these reports. In undated report bearing a number between two others dated in July, Source E claimed the existence of a “well-developed conspiracy” between the Russian government and the Trump campaign to interfere with the 2016 election. 68
Media accounts and the indictment noted that Millian repeatedly and without equivocation denied he had ever spoken to Danchenko and denied that he had been a source for any of the information in the Steele dossier. 68 68
The special counsel quoted from a transcript of an FBI interview in which an agent asked Danchenko if he knew Dolan. Danchenko confirmed that he did know Dolan, and then volunteered that Dolan was not used in preparing the dossier: “I don’t think he is, uh, – would be any way be involved.” 68
The agent tried to clarify the denial, asking “…but you had never talked to [Dolan] about anything that showed up in the dossier [Company Reports] right?” Danchenko replied: “No.” 68
The agent asked again: “You don’t think so?” 68
Danchenko replied: “No. We talked about, you know, related issues perhaps but no, no, no, nothing specific.” 68
The special counsel also alleged that Danchenko lied to FBI investigators when he was asked whether anyone else knew that he was working for Christopher Steele. The indictment quoted Danchenko’s response to an FBI question regarding who knew about his work for Steele. Danchenko told the FBI agents they were the “first people” to know about it. 68
The special counsel alleged Danchenko told Charles Dolan and others about his work with Steele. 68
The indictment quoted a June 2016 email from Dolan to another acquaintance that discusses Danchenko. Dolan wrote that Danchenko “works for a group of former [reference to British MI6 intelligence service] guys in London who do intelligence for business.” (Christopher Steele is a former MI6 agent). 68
In a January 2017 email, shortly after public release of the Steele dossier, but years before Danchenko’s name or his role as the dossier’s primary sub-source had become public knowledge, Dolan informed an associate that he knew Danchenko had written it. In the email, Dolan wrote: “I’ve been interviewed by the Washington Post and the London Times – three times over the last two days over the […] Dossier on Trump and I know the Russian agent who made the report (He used to work for me).” 68
In the same email Dolan noted that one of the clients of his public relations business was a Russian firm “accused of being the party that organized the hacking.” The hacking of the Democratic National Committee emails was the subject of reports contained in the just-published Steele dossier. 68
Danchenko claims regarding Dolan and Millian
The indictment accused Danchenko of falsely crediting some of the dossier’s accusations about Trump to Sergei Millian, a Trump associate and supporter who has ties to Russians. Conversely, it also accused Danchenko of covering up the fact that some of his dossier information was obtained from Charles Dolan, a Hillary Clinton associate who has professional ties to the Russian government. 68
Millian was both a supporter of Trump’s presidential campaign and has been involved in real estate business with the Trump Organization. When first identified in the media as a source for Danchenko, Millian denied ever speaking to Danchenko, let alone giving him rumors regarding Trump. 68 68
The indictment stated that Dolan’s business affairs have had “a particular focus on Russia,” and that between approximately 2006 and 2014 the Russian Federation hired him “to handle global public relations for the Russian government and a state-owned energy company” (likely Gazprom 68
The indictment included text from a Dolan-authored email written in June 2016 indicating that Dolan suspected that Danchenko was a former Russian government intelligence agent. Writing to “a U.S.-based acquaintance” about Danchenko, Dolan said: “He is too young for KGB. But I think he worked for FSB. Since he told me he spent two years in Iran. And when I first met him he knew more about me than I did. [winking emoticon].” FSB is one of the successor agencies to the Soviet-era KGB. 68
Danchenko has denied that he is a former Russian government intelligence agent and has said the assertion was “ridiculous” and “slander.” 68
Danchenko’s alleged fabrications regarding Dolan were “highly relevant and material,” according to the special counsel due to Dolan’s “historical and ongoing involvement in Democratic politics, which bore upon [Dolan’s] reliability, motivations, and potential bias as a source of information” and because of Dolan’s “pre-existing and ongoing relationships with numerous persons named or described in the [dossier].” The indictment argued that hiding Dolan’s involvement “deprived FBI agents and analysts of probative information concerning [Dolan] that would have, among other things, assisted them in evaluating the credibility, reliability, and veracity of the [Steele dossier], including DANCHENKO’s sub-sources.” 68
The special counsel also argued Danchenko’s alleged false statements were generally material because the “FBI ultimately devoted substantial resources attempting to investigate and corroborate the allegations contained in the [dossier].” The indictment asserts that if Danchenko had been truthful, then the FBI’s resources in the investigation of dossier claims would have been deployed much more effectively. 68
Neither Dolan nor Millian were accused of crimes or wrongdoing by the special counsel. 68
Steele Dossier Claims
“Well-Developed Conspiracy” Allegation
The Steele dossier reported the existence of a “well-developed conspiracy of co-operation” between the Trump campaign and “Russian leadership.” The dossier credited “Source E” with revealing the existence and details of the supposed conspiracy. Citing Source E’s information, the dossier reported the alleged conspiracy was “managed on the TRUMP side by the Republican candidate’s campaign manager, Paul MANAFORT, who was using foreign policy advisor Carter PAGE, and others as intermediaries.” 68
FISA warrants allow federal law enforcement to conduct secret electronic surveillance against a target suspected of wrongdoing. Page was the only Trump official put under FISA surveillance and was not charged with any crime. 68
Could you please ask someone to comment on [Manafort’s] resignation and anything on Trump campaign? Off the record of course! Any thought, rumor, allegation. I am working on a related project against Trump. 68
The next day Dolan responded, providing an account that the special counsel noted was very similar to what appeared in the dossier report two days later: 68
I had a drink with a GOP friend of mine who knows some of the players and got some of what is in this article, which provides even more detail. She also told me that [Lewandowski] who hates [Manafort] and still speaks to Trump regularly played a role. He is said to be doing a happy dance over it. 68
Later that day, Danchenko responded with an email thanking Dolan and telling him that “our goals clearly coincide.” 68
The indictment reports that when interviewed later by the FBI, Dolan conceded he did not get his Manafort gossip from a “GOP friend.” Instead, Dolan told the agents he obtained it from the widely available news sources covering the issue. Dolan told the FBI he did not realize Danchenko would reproduce the rumor in a report that could become the subject of an FBI probe. 68
The special counsel did not accuse Dolan of any legal wrongdoing in the indictment of Danchenko. 68
In his own interview with the FBI, a transcript of which was quoted in the indictment, Danchenko repeatedly stated Dolan had provided absolutely none of the information that appeared in the dossier. 68
The special counsel charged Danchenko with lying to the FBI agents by hiding his use of Dolan as a source for the dossier’s reports. The indictment states that Dolan’s “role as a contributor of information” to the dossier reports was “highly relevant and material to the FBI’s evaluation of those reports.” One reason for asserting materiality of the alleged lie was that Dolan “maintained historical and ongoing involvement in Democratic politics, which bore upon [his] reliability, motivations, and potential bias as a source of information.” 68
Michael Cohen Allegations
The Steele dossier alleged that then-Trump Organization attorney Michael Cohen traveled to Prague, Czech Republic, in late summer or early fall 2016 for a secret meeting with Russian government representatives. Issues allegedly discussed included a computer hacking operation against the Hillary Clinton campaign and how to arrange payment for it. 68
In one FBI interview, according to the indictment, Danchenko claimed to have stayed at the hotel. But he retracted the claim in a subsequent discussion with the federal agents. The indictment also quoted Danchenko saying he warned Christopher Steele that the salacious hotel allegation was “rumor and speculation” that could not be confirmed. 68
- Moscow hotel tour
The Steele dossier report on the prostitute allegation is dated June 20, 2016. The special counsel states that this date was one week after Charles Dolan and an event organizer working for him checked into the Moscow Ritz Carlton to do advance work for a business conference Dolan would be hosting in October. 68
According to the indictment of Danchenko, Dolan and his coworker traveled to Moscow “on or about June 13.” Hoping to use the facility for their October event, Dolan and his event planner met with the Ritz Carlton’s general manager and another staffer. Hotel staff also gave them a tour of the presidential suite and informed Dolan and his associate that Trump had once stayed in the room. 68
The indictment states that the account of the tour given by Dolan and his coworker differed in one crucial respect from what appeared in the Steele dossier days later. Both said that hotel staff did not mention “any sexual or salacious activity” involving Trump. 68
The special counsel reported Dolan had also hired Danchenko to assist in preparations for the October conference, but that Danchenko did not stay at the Moscow Ritz Carlton in June 2016 and did not take the tour with Dolan and the event organizer. 68
On June 14 Danchenko visited Dolan at the hotel. The indictment noted Danchenko’s social media featured a selfie photo on that date of himself and Dolan from outside the hotel. The indictment also states the two men had lunch and attended other meetings together during Dolan’s visit to Moscow. 68
On June 17, according to the indictment, Danchenko flew to London to meet with Christopher Steele regarding information that would later appear in the Steele dossier. 68
The report on the hotel prostitute incident is dated June 20, 2016. This appears to be the first date listed for any of the Steele dossier reports. (Another report, with a likely erroneous date of July 2015, makes several references to events that allegedly occurred in June 2016). 68
The June 20, 2016, report matched most of the details of the otherwise innocent presidential suite tour Dolan and his assistant described from the prior week, save for the additional tale regarding the prostitutes. 68
The special counsel accused Danchenko of omitting that he had received his information from a story told by Dolan (minus the salacious details).
The indictment stated Danchenko’s alleged lie on this point was “highly material” because it deflected FBI agents away from interviewing Dolan and the assistant, who—presumably—might have much earlier been able to help the FBI debunk the accuracy of the salacious details contained in the dossier’s version of the story. 68
Russian Diplomat Allegation
A September 14, 2016, report in the Steele dossier asserted that Russian diplomat Mikhail Kulagin had been recalled on “short notice” from his post at the Russian Embassy in Washington, DC. The reason given in the dossier was the Russian government worries over Kulagin’s alleged “heavy involvement” in the election interference plans supposedly being executed by the Russians in collaboration with the Trump campaign. The dossier claimed the hasty recall occurred as a “prophylactic measure” to prevent the American media from exposing Kulagin’s work for the conspiracy. 68
According to the indictment, from May through September 2016, Charles Dolan and an event organizer working for him had attended multiple meetings with Russian government officials, meetings where Danchenko was not present. 68
Following one such meeting in May, Dolan and the event organizer received an email from a staffer at the Russian Embassy in the United States, who told them Kulagin would be recalled to Russia in September and replaced by diplomat Andrei Bondarev. This notice of the change, more than three months in advance, contradicts the dossier’s claim that Kulagin was recalled on “short notice.” The indictment states that Danchenko was not included on this email. 68
The indictment also recounts an early August 2016 meeting between Kulagin, Dolan and the event organizer at the Russian Embassy. Again, Danchenko was not present. On August 19, Kulagin sent an email to Dolan and others, informing them of the change that would occur the next month, and praising his replacement’s credentials. 68
The indictment reports that on September 13, one day before the date of the dossier report regarding Kulagin’s recall, Dolan made a phone call to Danchenko. 68
Danchenko’s alleged retelling of these events to the FBI, as recounted in the indictment, was inconsistent with the retelling of them by Christopher Steele. 68
In January 2017, Danchenko allegedly told the FBI he learned of Kulagin’s replacement from Kulagin himself, and that Kulagin described the incoming diplomat as a “bright young guy;” language similar to that attributed to the email Kulagin sent to Dolan in August 2016. Also consistent with the May Kulagin email to Dolan, Danchenko claimed he heard the news from Kulagin in late spring 2016. 68
But the indictment states that Christopher Steele gave a different account when interviewed by the FBI in September 2017. In his interview, Steele claimed Danchenko ran into Kulagin in Moscow during August of 2016, whereupon Kulagin supposedly mentioned the job change. The special counsel alleges that Danchenko was in the United States for all of August 2016. 68
The indictment alleged that Danchenko did not receive his Kulagin information first-hand, as he claimed. Instead, the special counsel accused Danchenko of relaying, without attribution, what he had learned from Dolan, except for the addition of the incriminating claims regarding the hasty timing and motive for the recall. 68
Danchenko’s alleged lie in covering up Dolan as a source and deliberately misattributing the information to a Russian official were “highly material” infractions, according to the indictment. The special counsel alleged that concealing Dolan as the true source prevented FBI agents from learning more quickly from Dolan the discrepancies in the tale told in the dossier regarding Kulagin. 68
Clinton and Allies Promote Steele Dossier
2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and many close allies of her campaign were instrumental in the creation of the Steele dossier and aggressive promoters of the debunked conspiracy theory that the Trump campaign conspired in Russian election interference. The Washington Post revealed in October 2017 that attorney Mark Elias of the Democratic Party-aligned Perkins Coie law firm hired Fusion GPS to conduct the opposition research that led to the Steele dossier. According to the Post, Elias was “representing the Hillary Clinton campaign and the DNC [Democratic National Committee]” when he hired Fusion GPS for the work, meaning both political entities “helped fund research that resulted in a now-famous dossier.” 79
The summary stated the accuracy of the claim was unknown and noted the claims about Clinton’s behavior could represent “exaggeration or fabrication” by the Russian intelligence analysts. 79
The briefing of Obama by Brennan was not revealed to the public until shortly after Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe released a September 2020 memorandum summarizing the incident. 79
According to the Ratcliffe summary:
In late July 2016, U.S. intelligence agencies obtained insight into Russian intelligence analysis alleging that U.S. Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton had approved a campaign plan to stir up a scandal against U.S. Presidential candidate Donald Trump by tying him to Putin and the Russians’ hacking of the Democratic National Committee. The IC does not know the accuracy of this allegation or the extent to which the Russian intelligence analysis may reflect exaggeration or fabrication.
According to his handwritten notes, former Central Intelligence Agency Director Brennan subsequently briefed President Obama and other senior national security officials on the intelligence, including the “alleged approval by Hillary Clinton on July 26, 2016, of a proposal from one of her foreign policy advisors to vilify Donald Trump by stirring up a scandal claiming interference by Russian security services.”
On 07 September 2016, U.S. intelligence officials forwarded an investigative referral to FBI Director James Comey and Deputy Assistant Director of Counterintelligence Peter Strzok regarding “U.S. Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s approval of a plan concerning U.S. Presidential candidate Donald Trump and Russian hackers hampering U.S. elections as a means of distracting the public from her use of a private mail server.” 79
Clinton allegations during 2016 election
During an October 2016 presidential debate, while arguing with Trump over whether Russian President Vladimir Putin respected Clinton as a leader, Clinton claimed Putin preferred Trump because the Russian dictator would rather have a “puppet” win the election. She elaborated on the point, saying Trump had “encouraged espionage against our people,” was “willing to spout the Putin line” and had endorsed Putin’s “wish list.” Clinton resurrected a video of this exchange on her personal Twitter account in January 2019, underneath the statement: “Like I said: A puppet.” 81
That strategy had been set within twenty-four hours of her concession speech. Mook and Podesta assembled her communications team at the Brooklyn headquarters to engineer the case that the election wasn’t entirely on the up-and-up. For a couple of hours, with Shake Shack containers littering the room, they went over the script they would pitch to the press and the public. Already, Russian hacking was the centerpiece of the argument. 81
Clinton’s “Russian asset” accusations against others
During an October 2019 interview, Clinton implied Trump was being blackmailed by the Russian government and added two left-leaning women to the list of presidential aspirants she believed were being influenced or promoted by Russia. 81
In December 2016, one month after Election Day, Podesta declared the Russia concern “did not receive the attention it deserved” and said the Clinton campaign would support a group of Electoral College members who were seeking an intelligence briefing before casting the formal electoral votes. According to Politico, this was the “first public statement from the Clinton campaign raising questions about the legitimacy of Donald Trump’s victory.” 61 62 63
Judging directly concerns such as this, the IG report stated the following: 111
Michael Flynn Prosecution
The special counsel report investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election did not reveal evidence of conspiracy between any Trump campaign officials and the Russian government. 3 However, Trump administration National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant general, was one of six Americans prosecuted for offenses triggered by the special counsel’s investigation. In December 2017, Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI, a decision the Washington Post reported was heavily influenced by Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s prosecutors threatening to also indict Flynn’s son. 157
“We find it reprehensible that Russian agents have so eagerly manipulated innocent Americans,” wrote Whitehouse and Blumenthal. 160
The Twitter Files show the social media firm’s staff found no evidence of Russian influence over the #ReleaseTheMemo hashtag and had attempted to warn Blumenthal staffers and other Democrats away from Hamilton 68 rumors. 167
The Department of Justice Inspector General found no corroboration for this allegation in the Steele dossier. Noting this in a January 2020 story, Washington Post media critic Erik Wemple wrote: “The findings create a problem for many media figures, including CNN, whose anchors and guests repeatedly defended the Steele dossier on the grounds that it had been corroborated in some fashion.” Wemple specifically referenced the four award-winning reporters in his criticism, titled “Dear CNN: What parts of the Steele dossier were corroborated?”173
The “baseline” claim of the dossier — that the Trump campaign and Russia participated in a towering election conspiracy — hadn’t yet borne out, conceded Maddow. “But even if that is as yet in itself uncorroborated and undocumented,” she said, “all the supporting details are checking out, even the really outrageous ones. A lot of them are starting to bear out under scrutiny. It seems like a new one each passing day.” 173
In August 2019, MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell led off his show with an allegation that President Trump had obtained a bank loan that had been co-signed by “Russian oligarchs.” He then engaged in a discussion of the rumor with MSNBC national affairs reporter John Heilemann. The story was unverified, and the president’s attorneys demanded a retraction from the network; a retraction was issued the next day along with an apology from O’Donnell. Washington Post media critic Wemple characterized the incident as “uncorroborated, wish-fulfillment garbage that O’Donnell presented to his viewers” and said O’Donnell “was mocking the core idea of journalism.” 11
Both networks were incorrect, having relied upon a communication to that was supposedly dated September 4, 2016 (a date preceding Wikipedia’s release of the email trove), informing Trump’s son how to access the email archive. This communication had in fact occurred on September 14, after publication of the emails. What had been reported as evidence of advanced knowledge was—in proper chronological context—evidence of a campaign supporter hoping to point Donald Trump, Jr., to information already widely accessible to the public. 11
Both networks retracted their allegation. Glenn Greenwald, writing for The Intercept, a left-wing news source, characterized the Wikileaks mistake as “one of the most humiliating spectacles in the history of the U.S. media,” and awarded both networks shared credit for the first place ranking on his list of “The 10 Worst, Most Embarrassing U.S. Media Failures on the Trump-Russia Story.” 179) Buzzfeed became the first news outlet to publish the now-discredited Steele dossier. Ken Bensinger, Miriam Elder, and Mark Schoofs were the reporters credited with the story. 60
In another New Yorker piece posted in November 2019, Mayer reviewed a book written by the Fusion GPS co-founders in which the authors defended the discredited Steele dossier that they produced. 187
In January 2020, Washington Post media critic Eric Wemple asked Ignatius if—since the Department of Justice Inspector General report had discredited much of the dossier—he would like to amend or change his statement from September 2018. Ignatius replied in an email that he was still reading the IG report and “trying to decide what, if anything, is still credible in the Steele dossier.” https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/09-29-20_Letter%20to%20Sen.%20Graham_Declassification%20of%20FBI’s%20Crossfire%20Hurricane%20Investigations_20-00912_U_SIGNED-FINAL.pdf
Cummings, William. “’Like I said: A puppet,’ Hillary Clinton tweets after recent reports about Trump, Russia.” USA Today. January 14, 2019. Accessed August 11, 2020. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/onpolitics/2019/01/14/hillary-clinton-tweet-donald-trump-russia-puppet/2570599002/ Allen, Jonathan; and Amie Parnes. Shattered: Inside Hillary Clinton’s Doomed Campaign. New York: Broadway Books. 2017. DEBENEDETTI, GABRIEL; and KYLE CHENEY. “Clinton campaign backs call for intelligence briefing before Electoral College vote.” Politico. December 12, 2016. Accessed August 11, 2020. https://www.politico.com/story/2016/12/clinton-campaign-backs-call-for-intelligence-briefing-before-electoral-college-vote-23251 “Podesta: Russia “Could Have Tilted The Election in Donald Trump’s Favor.” RealClearPolitics. February 18, 2018. Accessed August 11, 2020. https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2018/02/18/podesta_russia_could_have_tilted_the_election_in_donald_trumps_favor.html Podesta, John. “John Podesta: An assault on our democracy.” The Washington Post (The Spokesman Review). April 19, 2019. Accessed August 11, 2020. https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2019/apr/19/john-podesta-an-assault-on-our-democracy/ Freeman, James. “John Podesta and the Russians.” Wall Street Journal. October 23, 2016. Accessed August 11, 2020. https://www.wsj.com/articles/john-podesta-and-the-russians-1477262565 Entous, Adam; Ellen Nakashima and Greg Miller “Secret CIA assessment says Russia was trying to help Trump win White House”. The Washington Post. December 9, 2016. Accessed August 11, 2020. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/obama-orders-review-of-russian-hacking-during-presidential-campaign/2016/12/09/31d6b300-be2a-11e6-94ac-3d324840106c_story.html?utm_term=.d3fbc8f2836b “Board of Directors.” Center for American Progress. Accessed August 11, 2020. https://www.americanprogress.org/about/c3-board/ “Steele dossier.” The Moscow Project. Accessed August 11, 2020. https://themoscowproject.org/dossier/ “Chapter 3: Cultivating an Asset.” The Moscow Project. Accessed August 11, 2020. https://themoscowproject.org/collusion-chapter/chapter-3/ “Chapter 4: The Election.” The Moscow Project. Accessed August 11, 2020. https://themoscowproject.org/collusion-chapter/chapter-4/ “Chapter 6: The Investigation.” The Moscow Project. Accessed August 11, 2020. https://themoscowproject.org/collusion-chapter/chapter-6/ Hutchens, Gareth. “Alexander Downer’s secret meeting with FBI led to Trump-Russia inquiry – report.” The Guardian. May 16, 2018. Accessed August 3, 2020. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/may/17/alexander-downers-secret-meeting-with-fbi-led-to-trump-russia-inquiry-report Edwards, Haley Sweetland. “The Short, Happy Political Career of George Papadopoulos.” Time. October 30, 2017. Accessed August 3, 2020. https://time.com/5002832/george-papadopoulos-guilty-plea-indictment/ Kamisar, Ben. “Former Trump adviser pleads guilty to lying about Russia contacts.” The Hill. October 30, 2017. Accessed August 3, 2020. https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/357792-former-trump-campaign-adviser-pleads-guilty-to-lying-to-fbi Singman, Brooke. “George Papadopoulos released from prison two days early.” Fox News. December 7, 2018. Accessed August 3, 2020. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/george-papadopoulos-released-from-prison-after-serving-12-days-of-14-day-sentence Riley-Smith, Ben. “Exclusive: Mysterious professor at heart of Trump-Russia scandal heard for the first time.” The Telegraph. February 13, 2020. Accessed August 3, 2020. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/02/13/joseph-mifsud-mysterious-professor-trump-russia-scandal-heard-crossfire/ Felton, Eric. “Why the Mystery of Russiagate Hinges on the Mystery of Joseph Mifsud.” Real Clear Investigations. July 30, 2019. Accessed August 4, 2020. https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2019/07/30/why_the_mystery_of_joseph_mifsud_is_the_mystery_of_russiagate_119761.html Barrett, Devlin; Ellen Nakashima, Karoun Demirjian and Matt Zapotosky. “FBI was justified in opening Trump campaign probe, but case plagued by ‘serious failures,’ inspector general finds.” Washington Post. December 9, 2019. Accessed August 5, 2020. https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/fbi-was-justified-in-opening-trump-campaign-probe-but-case-plagued-by-serious-failures-inspector-general-finds/ “Report of Investigation of Former Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey’s Disclosure of Sensitive Investigative Information and Handling of Certain Memoranda.” Office of the Inspector General; U.S. Department of Justice. August 2019. Accessed August 5, 2020. https://oig.justice.gov/reports/2019/o1902.pdf Ruiz, Rebecca R.; and Mark Landler. “Robert Mueller, Former F.B.I. Director, Is Named Special Counsel for Russia Investigation.” New York Times. May 17, 2017. Accessed August 5, 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/17/us/politics/robert-mueller-special-counsel-russia-investigation.html “James B. Comey: Former Deputy Attorney General.” The White House. Accessed August 5, 2020. https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/government/comey-bio.html Williams, Katie Bo. “Sessions fires McCabe from FBI.” The Hill. March 16, 2018. Accessed August 6, 2020. https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/378826-sessions-fires-mccabe-from-fbi Goldman, Adam; and Matthew Haag. “McCabe Says Justice Dept. Officials Had Discussions About Pushing Trump Out.” New York Times. February 14, 2019. Accessed August 6, 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/14/us/politics/mccabe-trump.html Sperry, Paul. “Days After Comey Firing, McCabe’s Team Re-Engaged Fired Dossier Author.” Real Clear Investigations. March 4, 2019. Accessed August 6, 2020. https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2019/03/02/mccabe_of_fbi_re-engaged_with_fired_dossier_author_after_comey_firing.html Zapotosky, Matt. “FBI agent Peter Strzok fired over anti-Trump texts.” Washington Post. August 13, 2018. Accessed August 6, 2020. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/fbi-agent-peter-strzok-fired-over-anti-trump-texts/2018/08/13/be98f84c-8e8b-11e8-b769-e3fff17f0689_story.html Felton, Eric. “Stu Evans’ Lonely, Failed Quest to Save the FBI From Itself.” Real Clear Investigations. June 24, 2020. Accessed August 6, 2020. https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2020/06/24/stu_evans_lonely_failed_quest_to_save_the_fbi_from_itself_124157.html Ross, Chuck. “Senate Committee Releases Massive Trove Of Peter Strzok’s Text Messages.” Daily Caller. February 7, 2018. Accessed August 6, 2020. https://dailycaller.com/2018/02/07/senate-committee-fbi-strzok-texts-released/ GERSTEIN, JOSH. “In texts, FBI agents on Russia probe called Trump an ‘idiot.’” Politico. December 12, 2017. Accessed August 6, 2020. https://www.politico.com/story/2017/12/12/fbi-agents-trump-mueller-texts-294156 Demirjian, Karoun; and Devlin Barrett. “Top FBI official assigned to Mueller’s Russia probe said to have been removed after sending anti-Trump texts.” Washington Post. December 2, 2017. Accessed August 6, 2020. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/two-senior-fbi-officials-on-clinton-trump-probes-exchanged-politically-charged-texts-disparaging-trump/2017/12/02/9846421c-d707-11e7-a986-d0a9770d9a3e_story.html Re, Gregg. “Lisa Page sues FBI and DOJ, citing ‘cost of therapy’ after Trump mocked her salacious text messages.” FoxNews. December 10, 2019. Accessed August 6, 2020. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/lisa-page-sues-fbi-doj-cost-of-therapy-after-salacious-text-messages-released Dunleavy, Jerry. “Steele dossier back channel Bruce Ohr resigned from DOJ ahead of disciplinary review decision.” Washington Examiner. October 14, 2020. Accessed October 15, 2020. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/steele-dossier-back-channel-bruce-ohr-resigned-from-doj-ahead-of-disciplinary-review-decision Leonnig, Carol D.; Adam Entous, Devlin Barrett and Matt Zapotosky. “Michael Flynn pleads guilty to lying to FBI on contacts with Russian ambassador.” Washington Post. December 1, 2017. Accessed August 10, 2020. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/michael-flynn-charged-with-making-false-statement-to-the-fbi/2017/12/01/e03a6c48-d6a2-11e7-9461-ba77d604373d_story.html Greenwald, Glenn. “New Documents From the Sham Prosecution of Gen. Michael Flynn Also Reveal Broad Corruption in the Russiagate Investigations.” The Intercept. May 14, 2020. Accessed August 10, 2020. https://theintercept.com/2020/05/14/new-documents-from-the-sham-prosecution-of-gen-michael-flynn-also-reveal-broad-corruption-in-the-russiagate-investigations/ Goldman, Adam; and Katie Benner. “Flynn Lawyers Seize on Newly Released F.B.I. Documents.” New York Times. April 30, 2020. Accessed August 10, 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/30/us/politics/michael-flynn-lawyers-fbi-documents.html “Comey: I sent FBI to Flynn and got away with it.” YouTube: ApplePieNow. December 17, 2018. Accessed August 10, 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6mKbDAZn_Q Phillips, Morgan. “Who are the Obama-era officials who sought to ‘unmask’ Michael Flynn?” Fox News. May 13, 2020. Accessed August 10, 2020. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/who-are-the-obama-era-officials-who-sought-to-unmask-michael-flynn Maté, Aaron. “The Brennan Dossier: All About a Prime Mover of Russiagate.” Real Clear Investigations. November 15, 2019. Accessed July 29, 2020. https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2019/11/15/the_brennan_dossier_all_about_a_prime_mover_of_russiagate_121098.html Taibbi, Matt. “Five Questions Still Remaining After the Release of the Horowitz Report.” Rolling Stone. December 17, 2019. Accessed July 30, 2020. https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/horowitz-report-russia-investigation-questions-remaining-928081/ “Transcripts: Live Coverage of Former CIA Director John Brennan’s Testimony Before Congress.” CNN. May 23, 2017. Accessed from original July 29, 2020. http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:cAMVdZaXDCcJ:www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1705/23/cnr.04.html+&cd=18&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us Benen, Steve. “Rachel Maddow interviews John Brennan: Read the full transcript.” MSNBC. August 18, 2018. Accessed July 29, 2020. http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/rachel-maddow-interviews-john-brennan-read-the-full-transcript “Assessing Russian Activities and Intentions in Recent US Elections.” Office of the Director of National Intelligence. United States Government. January 6, 2017. Accessed July 30, 2020. https://www.dni.gov/files/documents/ICA_2017_01.pdf Bertrand, Natasha. “Former CIA director: I was concerned about ‘interactions’ between Russians and the Trump campaign.” Business Insider. May 23, 2017. Accessed July 30, 2020. https://www.businessinsider.com/john-brennan-russia-trump-collusion-testimony-2017-5 Sperry, Paul. “Exclusive: CIA Ex-Director Brennan’s Perjury Peril.” Real Clear Investigations. February 11, 2018. Accessed July 30, 2020. https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2018/02/11/former_cia_director_john_brennan_investigated_for_perjury.html “Reid letter to Comey: October 30, 2016.” United States Senate, Office of the Democratic Leader. October 30, 2016. Accessed July 30, 2020. https://static.politico.com/2e/1a/5bb86d684289bd506452c43b1065/reid-letter-to-comey.pdf Barnes, Julian E. “Ex-C.I.A. Chief Criticizes Silence of Top Republicans on Russian Interference.” New York Times. July 29, 2020. Accessed August 3, 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/29/us/politics/john-brennan-book.html?auth=login-email&login=email Thiessen, Marc A. “The Trump-Russia collusion hall of shame.” Washington Post. March 28, 2019. Accessed August 3, 2020. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-trump-russia-collusion-hall-of-shame/2019/03/28/306b5168-5173-11e9-a3f7-78b7525a8d5f_story.html Levitz, Eric. “CIA Director Reveals He Was Once a Communist Sympathizer.” New York Magazine. September 22, 2016. Accessed August 3, 2020. https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2016/09/cia-director-reveals-he-was-once-a-communist-sympathizer.html Haynes, John Earl; and Harvey Klehr. “The Historiography of Soviet Espionage and American Communism: from Separate to Converging Paths.” “International Communism and Espionage” session, European Social Science History Conference. March 2006. Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Accessed August 3, 2020. http://www.johnearlhaynes.org/page101.html Tanenhous, Sam. “Gus Hall, Unreconstructed American Communist of 7 Decades, Dies at 90.” The New York Times. October 17, 2000. Accessed August 3, 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/2000/10/17/us/gus-hall-unreconstructed-american-communist-of-7-decades-dies-at-90.html Maté, Aaron. “The Rise and Fall of the ‘Steele Dossier.’” The Nation. January 11, 2021. Accessed March 10, 2022. https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/trump-russiagate-steele-dossier/ Scarborough, Rowan. “Desperate Dems cling to discredited spy dossier to link Trump to Russians.” Washington Times. March 21, 2017. Accessed August 12, 2020. https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/mar/21/discredited-dossier-detailing-trump-russian-collus/ “Rep. Schiff on CNN: Should Be Investigating Dossier, Not Seeking to Discredit It.” YouTube: Rep. Adam Schiff. October 26, 2017. Accessed August 12, 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25gIvsdE3OU “Correcting the Record – The Russia Investigations.” Memo: HPSCI Minority to All Members of the House of Representatives. January 29, 2018. Accessed August 12, 2020. https://docs.house.gov/meetings/ig/ig00/20180205/106838/hmtg-115-ig00-20180205-sd002.pdf TAMBORRINO, KELSEY. “Warner: ‘Enormous amounts of evidence’ of possible Russia collusion.” Politico. March 3, 2017. Accessed August 12, 2020. https://www.politico.com/story/2019/03/03/mark-warner-trump-russia-collusion-1200571 Cimmino, Jeffrey. “Swalwell: Trump Is a Russian Agent ‘Working on Behalf of the Russians.’” Washington Free Beacon. January 18, 2019. Accessed August 13, 2020. https://freebeacon.com/politics/swalwell-trump-russian-agent-working-behalf-russians/ Twitter: Rep. Eric Swalwell, @RepSwalwell. 12:39 PM · Feb 2, 2018. Accessed August 13, 2020. https://twitter.com/RepSwalwell/status/959481448020418560 “Michael Caputo Releases Receipts, Shows Rep. Eric Swalwell Was Witness Tampering.” RedState. May 9, 2020. Accessed August 13, 2020. https://www.redstate.com/bonchie/2020/05/09/michael-caputo-reveals-witness-tampering-perpetrated-eric-swalwell/ “Swalwell, Eric.” Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Accessed August 13, 2020. https://bioguideretro.congress.gov/Home/MemberDetails?memIndex=S001193 Twitter: Michael R. Caputo, @MichaelRCaputo. 10:35 AM · May 9, 2020. Accessed August 13, 2020. https://twitter.com/MichaelRCaputo/status/1259129982447767553 Twitter: Nancy Pelosi, @SpeakerPelosi. 8:29 PM · Jul 21, 2018. Accessed August 13, 2020. https://twitter.com/SpeakerPelosi/status/1020828268197568515 “Congressman Heck: ‘We are full blown into Manchurian Candidate territory.’” MyNorthwest.com. January 16, 2019. Accessed August 13, 2020. https://mynorthwest.com/1245566/denny-heck-trump-investigation-russia/ Felton, Eric. “A Doozy of a Dossier.” Washington Examiner. March 9, 2018. Accessed August 13, 2020. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/weekly-standard/a-doozy-of-a-dossier Lanktree, Graham. “There Is Evidence Trump Campaign Committed ‘Crimes,’ Says Democrat on House Intelligence Committee.” Newsweek. January 4, 2018. Accessed August 13, 2020. https://www.newsweek.com/there-evidence-trump-campaign-committed-crimes-says-democrat-house-770353 “Hamilton 68: A New Tool to Track Russian Disinformation on Twitter.” Alliance for Securing Democracy. August 2, 2017. Accessed January 27, 2023. https://securingdemocracy.gmfus.org/hamilton-68-a-new-tool-to-track-russian-disinformation-on-twitter/ “THREAD: Twitter Files #15. MOVE OVER, JAYSON BLAIR: TWITTER FILES EXPOSE NEXT GREAT MEDIA FRAUD.” Twitter. Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi). Twitter thread from January 27, 2023, beginning at 12:49pm timestamp. Accessed January 27, 2023. https://twitter.com/mtaibbi/status/1619029772977455105 Taibbi, Matt. “Move Over, Jayson Blair: Meet Hamilton 68, the New King of Media Fraud.” Racket News (Substack). January 27, 2023. (Subscription Only) Accessed January 27, 2023. https://www.racket.news/p/move-over-jayson-blair-meet-hamilton Richardson, Davis. “Russian Propagandists Seize Kavanaugh Controversy to Sow Division Online.” New York Observer. September 19, 2018. Accessed January 30, 2023. https://observer.com/2018/09/russian-propagandists-brett-kavanaugh-controversy-division-online/ Palma, Bethania. “Trolls, Bots, ‘Useful Idiots’ Attack New Committee Aimed at Exposing Russian Propaganda Campaigns.” Snopes. September 21, 2017. Accessed January 30, 2023. https://www.snopes.com/news/2017/09/21/kremlin-trolls-bots-useful-idiots-russian-propaganda/ “About Us,” The Committee to Investigate Russia, About Us. Accessed June 7, 2020. https://investigaterussia.org/about-us “Cohen Phone Pinged Near Prague.” Committee to Investigate Russia. December 27, 2018. Accessed January 30, 2023. https://investigaterussia.org/media/2018-12-27/cohen-phone-pinged-near-prague Mueller III, Robert S. “Report On The Investigation Into Russian Interference In The 2016 Presidential Election: Volume I of II.” U.S. Department of Justice. March 2019. Accessed January 30, 2023. https://cdn.cnn.com/cnn/2019/images/04/18/mueller-report-searchable.pdf Erickson, Amanda. “Russia-linked accounts are tweeting their support of embattled Fox News host Laura Ingraham.” Washington Post. April 2, 2018. Accessed January 30, 2023. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2018/04/02/russian-bots-are-tweeting-their-support-of-embattled-fox-news-host-laura-ingraham/ “Memo: Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act Abuses at the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation,” (a.k.a.: “The Nunes Memo”). From the Majority Staff of the U.S. House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) to the Majority Members HPSCI. January 18, 2018. Accessed January 25, 2023. https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4365338-Nunes-memo “News Release: Feinstein, Schiff Request Twitter and Facebook Conduct Investigation of Russian Bot Activity in #ReleaseTheMemo Campaign.” Office of U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein. January 23, 2018. Accessed January 25, 2023. https://www.feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2018/1/schiff-feinstein-request-twitter-and-facebook-conduct-investigation-of-russian-bot-activity-in-releasethememo-campaign “Review of Four FISA Applications and Other Aspects of the FBI’s Crossfire Hurricane Investigation.” Office of the Inspector General, U.S. Department of Justice. December 2019. Accessed July 20, 2020. https://www.justice.gov/storage/120919-examination.pdf Gillum, Jack and Boburg, Shawn. “‘Journalism for rent’: Inside the secretive firm behind the Trump dossier.” Washington Post. December 11, 2017. Archived January 4, 2018. Accessed July 23, 2020. https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/journalism-for-rent-inside-the-secretive-firm-behind-the-trump-dossier/2017/12/11/8d5428d4-bd89-11e7-af84-d3e2ee4b2af1_story.html “News Release: Blumenthal and Whitehouse Call on Twitter to Inform All Users Who Interacted with Russian Accounts Promoting #ReleaseTheMemo and #SchumerShutdown.” Office of U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal. January 23, 2018. Accessed January 25, 2023. https:// www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/blumenthal-and-whitehouse-call-on-twitter-to-inform-all-users-who-interacted-with-russian-accounts-promoting-releasethememo-and-schumershutdown “News Release: Blumenthal and Whitehouse Call on Twitter to Inform All Users Who Interacted with Russian Accounts Promoting #ReleaseTheMemo and #SchumerShutdown.” Office of U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal. January 23, 2018. Accessed January 25, 2023. https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/blumenthal-and-whitehouse-call-on-twitter-to-inform-all-users-who-interacted-with-russian-accounts-promoting-releasethememo-and-schumershutdown “THREAD: Twitter Files #14 THE RUSSIAGATE LIES One: The Fake Tale of Russian Bots and the #ReleaseTheMemo Hashtag.” Twitter. Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi). Twitter thread from January 12, 2023, beginning at 12:29pm timestamp. Accessed January 25, 2023. https://twitter.com/mtaibbi/status/1613589031773769739 Google Search keyword on January 30, 2023, combining three terms: “Hamilton 68” “ReleaseTheMemo” “Washington Post.” Accessed January 30, 2023. https://www.google.com/search?q=%22%23releasethememo%22+%22washington+post%22+%22hamilton+68%22&biw=1457&bih=892&ei=Xg7YY_uWMbCqptQPh7aksAE&ved=0ahUKEwj7vZiK-O_8AhUwlYkEHQcbCRYQ4dUDCBE&uact=5&oq=%22%23releasethememo%22+%22washington+post%22+%22hamilton+68%22&gs_lcp=Cgxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAQAzIFCCEQoAEyBQghEKABMgUIIRCgATIFCCEQoAEyBQghEKABMgUIIRCrAjIFCCEQqwI6BwghEKABEApKBAhBGAFKBAhGGABQ-gZYvC1goy9oAXAAeACAAXKIAeMJkgEEMTEuM5gBAKABAcABAQ&sclient=gws-wiz-serp#ip=1 Helderman, Rosalind S.; and Tom Hamburger. “Sergei Millian: High-level access to Trump or unwitting bystander?” Washington Post. March 29, 2017 (update: November 12, 2021). Accessed March 11, 2022. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/who-is-sergei-millian/2017/03/29/379846a8-0f53-11e7-9d5a-a83e627dc120_story.html Maremont, Mark. “Key Claims in Trump Dossier Said to Come From Head of Russian-American Business Group.” Wall Street Journal. January 24, 2017. Accessed March 11, 2022. https://www.wsj.com/articles/key-claims-in-trump-dossier-came-from-head-of-russian-american-business-group-source-1485253804 Ross, Brian; and Matthew Mosk. “US-Russian Businessman Said to Be Source of Key Trump Dossier Claims.” ABC News. January 30, 2017. Accessed March 11, 2022. https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/us-russian-businessman-source-key-trump-dossier-claims/story?id=45019603 Kessler, Glenn. “The Steele dossier: A guide to the latest allegations.” Washington Post. November 17, 2021. Accessed March 11, 2022. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/11/17/steele-dossier-guide-latest-allegations/ “Indictment: United States of America v. Igor Y Danchenko.” United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. CR No. 1 :21-CR-245. November 4, 2021. Accessed March 2, 2022. https://int.nyt.com/data/documenttools/igor-danchenko-indictment/2295d0f34ade0528/full.pdf “Staffs of The New York Times and The Washington Post.” The Pulitzer Prizes. Accessed August 13, 2020. https://www.pulitzer.org/winners/staffs-new-york-times-and-washington-post “Jim Sciutto.” CNN. Accessed August 13, 2020. https://www.cnn.com/profiles/jim-sciutto#about Wemple, Erik. “Dear CNN: What parts of the Steele dossier were corroborated?” Washington Post. January 3, 2020. Accessed August 13, 2020. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/01/03/dear-cnn-what-parts-steele-dossier-were-corroborated/ Wemple, Erik. “The Steele dossier just sustained another body blow. What do CNN and MSNBC have to say?” Washington Post. April 18, 2020. Accessed August 13, 2020. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/04/18/steele-dossier-just-sustained-another-body-blow-wheres-media/ Grynbaum, Michael M. “3 CNN Journalists Resign After Retracted Story on Trump Ally.” New York Times. June 26, 2017. Accessed August 13, 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/26/business/3-cnn-journalists-resign-after-retracted-story-on-trump-ally.html Perez, Evan; Shimon Prokupecz and Pamela Brown. “CNN Exclusive: US government wiretapped former Trump campaign chairman.” CNN. December 9, 2019. Accessed August 14, 2020. https://www.cnn.com/2017/09/18/politics/paul-manafort-government-wiretapped-fisa-russians/index.html Wemple, Erik. “CNN embarrasses itself over Manafort exclusive.” Washington Post. December 11, 2019. Accessed August 14, 2020. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/12/11/cnn-embarrasses-itself-over-manafort-exclusive/ Wemple, Erik. “Rachel Maddow rooted for the Steele dossier to be true. Then it fell apart.” Washington Post. December 26, 2019. Accessed August 13, 2020. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/12/26/rachel-maddow-rooted-steele-dossier-be-true-then-it-fell-apart/ Wemple, Erik. “‘If true’: MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell substitutes wishful thinking for journalism.” Washington Post. August 29, 2019. Accessed August 13, 2020. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/08/29/if-true-should-msnbcs-lawrence-odonnell-be-hosting-show/ Wemple, Erik. “How Politico’s Natasha Bertrand bootstrapped dossier credulity into MSNBC gig.” Washington Post. February 28, 2020. Accessed August 14, 2020. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/02/28/how-politicos-natasha-bertrand-bootstrapped-dossier-credulity-into-tv-gig/ Barr, Jeremy. “MSNBC elevates Nicolle Wallace to be the heart of the network’s midday programming.” Washington Post. August 3, 2020. Accessed August 14, 2020. https://www.washingtonpost.com/media/2020/08/03/msnbc-elevates-nicolle-wallace-be-heart-networks-daily-programming/ Twitter: Drew Holden, @DrewHolden360. 7:29 PM · Aug 5, 2020. Accessed August 14, 2020. https://twitter.com/DrewHolden360/status/1291154342729461762/photo/1 The New York Times. “Ben Smith,” August 19, 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/by/ben-smith.[/note]178Zaveri, Mihir. “Ben Smith of BuzzFeed Named New York Times Media Columnist.” New York Times. January 28, 2020. Accessed August 14, 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/28/business/media/ben-smith-buzzfeed-new-york-times.html Bensinger, Ken; Miriam Elder, and Mark Schoofs. “These Reports Allege Trump Has Deep Ties To Russia.” Buzzfeed. January 10, 2017. Accessed August 14, 2020. https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/kenbensinger/these-reports-allege-trump-has-deep-ties-to-russia?bfsource=relatedmanual Smith, Ben. “I’m Proud We Published the Trump-Russia Dossier.” New York Times. January 9, 2018. Accessed August 14, 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/09/opinion/im-proud-we-published-the-trump-russia-dossier.html?login=email&auth=login-email Mayer, Jane. “Christopher Steele, the Man Behind the Trump Dossier.” New Yorker. March 5, 2018. Accessed August 14, 2020. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/03/12/christopher-steele-the-man-behind-the-trump-dossier Mayer, Jane. “The Inside Story of Christopher Steele’s Trump Dossier.” New Yorker. November 26, 2019. Accessed August 14, 2020. https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/the-inside-story-of-christopher-steeles-trump-dossier McCausland, Phil. “ABC News reporter Brian Ross suspended for ‘serious error’ in Flynn reporting.” NBC News. December 2, 2017. Accessed August 14, 2020. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/abc-news-reporter-brian-ross-suspended-serious-error-flynn-reporting-n825966 Boot, Max. “Here are 18 reasons Trump could be a Russian asset.” Washington Post. January 13, 2019. Accessed August 14, 2020. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/here-are-18-reasons-why-trump-could-be-a-russian-asset/2019/01/13/45b1b250-174f-11e9-88fe-f9f77a3bcb6c_story.html “Biography.” MaxBoot.net. Accessed August 14, 2020. http://www.maxboot.net/ Ignatius, David. “The GOP’s spin on the Russia probe doesn’t add up.” Washington Post. September 25, 2018. Accessed August 14, 2020. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/a-gop-spin-on-the-russia-probe-reads-like-a-noir-thriller–but-doesnt-add-up/2018/09/25/1b940c92-c0ca-11e8-be77-516336a26305_story.html Wemple, Erik. “‘So this is all about collusion’: An inventory of media remarks on the Steele dossier.” Washington Post. January 8, 2020. Accessed August 14, 2020. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/01/08/so-this-is-all-about-collusion-an-inventory-media-remarks-steele-dossier/ “Jennifer Rubin.” Washington Post. Accessed August 14, 2020. https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/jennifer-rubin/ Twitter: Drew Holden, @DrewHolden360. 7:28 PM · Aug 5, 2020. Accessed August 14, 2020. https://twitter.com/DrewHolden360/status/1291154253487263744/photo/2 and https://twitter.com/DrewHolden360/status/1291154253487263744/photo/3 Chait, Jonathan. “Will Trump Be Meeting With His Counterpart — Or His Handler?” New York. July 9, 2018. Accessed August 14, 2020. https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2018/07/trump-putin-russia-collusion.html “Could Trump be a Russian intelligence asset?” MSNBC. July 9, 2018. Accessed August 14, 2020. https://www.msnbc.com/all-in/watch/could-trump-be-a-russian-intelligence-asset-1273436739894 Twitter: Drew Holden, @DrewHolden360. 7:28 PM · Aug 5, 2020. Accessed August 14, 2020. https://twitter.com/DrewHolden360/status/1291154217701380110/photo/3 and https://twitter.com/DrewHolden360/status/1291154217701380110/photo/1 Chait, Jonathan. “I’m a Peeliever and You Should Be, Too.” New York. April 13, 2018. Accessed August 14, 2020. https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2018/04/im-a-peeliever-and-you-should-be-too.html Sperry, Paul. “Transcripts: Clinton Aides Allied With Fusion GPS Pair After Election — to Re-Push Anti-Trump Dossier.” Real Clear Investigations. May 14, 2020. Accessed August 12, 2020. https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2020/05/14/transcripts_clinton_aides_joined_post-election_bid_to_re-push_anti-trump_dossier_123616.html Ross, Chuck. “Charity Backed By Silicon Valley Tech Titans Gave $500K To Fusion GPS-Linked Group.” Daily Caller News Foundation. March 13, 2019. Accessed August 12, 2020. https://dailycaller.com/2019/03/13/silicon-valley-charity-fusion-gps-trump/ Corn, David. “A Veteran Spy Has Given the FBI Information Alleging a Russian Operation to Cultivate Donald Trump.” Mother Jones. October 31, 2016. Accessed August 13, 2020. https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/10/veteran-spy-gave-fbi-info-alleging-russian-operation-cultivate-donald-trump/ Ross, Chuck. “Ex-FBI Official Says He Received Steele Dossier From Reporter.” Daily Caller News Foundation. April 9, 2019. Accessed August 13, 2020. https://dailycaller.com/2019/04/09/fbi-james-baker-dossier-reporter/ Re, Gregg. “FBI clashed with DOJ over potential ‘bias’ of source for surveillance warrant: McCabe-Page texts.” Fox News. March 22, 2019. Accessed August 14, 2020. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/fbi-clashed-doj-biased-fisa-source-texts-mccabe-page “Politico 50: Benjamin Wittes.” Politico. 2017. Accessed August 14, 2020. https://www.politico.com/interactives/2017/politico50/benjamin-wittes/ “Masthead.” Lawfareblog.com. Accessed August 14, 2020. https://www.lawfareblog.com/masthead Hennessey, Susan; and Benjamin Wittes. “Is Trump a Russian Agent? A Legal Analysis.” LawfareBlog. July 27, 2016. Accessed August 14, 2020. https://www.lawfareblog.com/trump-russian-agent-legal-analysis Wittes, Benjamin. “The Burden on Donald Trump.” LawfareBlog. November 9, 2016. Accessed August 14, 2020. https://www.lawfareblog.com/burden-donald-trump Jurecic, Quinta; and Benjamin Wittes. “To Trump, ‘Complete and Total Exoneration’ Is Always Right Around the Corner.” The Atlantic. May 5, 2020. Accessed August 14, 2020. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/05/right-just-cannot-let-go-russia-investigation/611137/ Wilson, Rick. “The Traitors Among Us.” Rolling Stone. December 4, 2019. Accessed August 14, 2020. https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/political-commentary/traitors-donald-trump-republican-party-922194/ Wilson, Rick. “The Strange Pleasure of Seeing Carter Page Set Himself on Fire.” The Daily Beast. November 8, 2017. Accessed August 14, 2020. https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-strange-pleasure-of-seeing-carter-page-set-himself-on-fire?ref=scroll