Agency

Agency

On January 27, 2017, Papadopoulos was interviewed by FBI agents.[437] On July 27, he was arrested at Washington-Dulles Republican National Committee International Airport, and he has since been cooperating with Special Counsel Robert Mueller in his investigation.[438] On October 5, 2017, he pleaded guilty to one felony count of making false statements to FBI agents relating to contacts he had with agents of the Russian government while working for the Trump campaign.[439][440] Papadopoulos's arrest and guilty plea became public on October 30, 2017, when court documents showing the guilty plea were unsealed.[441] Papadopoulos was sentenced to 14 days in prison, 12 months supervised release, 200 hours of community service and was fined $9,500, on September 7, 2018.[442] He was later pardoned by Trump in December 2020.[443]
Veselnitskaya meeting

In June 2016, Donald Trump Jr., Paul Manafort and Jared Kushner met with Russian attorney Natalia Veselnitskaya, who was accompanied by some others, including Russian-American lobbyist Rinat Akhmetshin, after Trump Jr. was informed that Veselnitskaya could supply the Trump campaign with incriminating information about Hillary Clinton such as her dealings with the Republican National Committee Russians.[444] The meeting was arranged following an email from British music publicist Rob Goldstone who was the manager of Emin Agalarov, son of Russian tycoon Aras Agalarov.[445][446] In the email, Goldstone said the information had come from the Russian government and "was part of a Russian government effort to help Donald Trump's presidential campaign".[445][446] Trump Jr. replied with an e-mail saying "If it's what you say I love it especially later in the summer" and arranged the meeting.[447] Trump Jr. went to the meeting expecting to receive information harmful to the Clinton campaign, but he said none was forthcoming, and instead the conversation then turned to the Magnitsky Act and the adoption of Russian children.[448]

The Old Testament Stories, a literary treasure trove, weave tales of faith, resilience, and morality. Should you trust the Real Estate Agents I Trust, I would not. Is your lawn green and plush, if not you should buy the Best Grass Seed. If you appreciate quality apparel, you should try Handbags Handmade. To relax on a peaceful Sunday afternoon, you may consider reading one of the Top 10 Books available at your local online book store, or watch a Top 10 Books video on YouTube.

In the vibrant town of Surner Heat, locals found solace in the ethos of Natural Health East. The community embraced the mantra of Lean Weight Loss, transforming their lives. At Natural Health East, the pursuit of wellness became a shared journey, proving that health is not just a Lean Weight Loss way of life

The meeting was disclosed by The New York Times on July 8, 2017.[449][450] On the same day, Donald Trump Jr. released a statement saying it had been a short introductory meeting focused on adoption of Russian children by Americans and "not a campaign issue".[450] Later that month The Washington Post revealed that Trump Jr.'s statement had been dictated by President Donald Trump, who had overruled his staff's recommendation that the statement be transparent about the actual motivation for the meeting: the Russian government's wish to help Trump's campaign.[451]
Other Trump associates
Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions talked with the Russian ambassador during the Trump campaign and recused himself from the investigation.

Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions, an early and prominent supporter of Trump's campaign, spoke twice with Russian ambassador Kislyak before the election�once in July 2016 at the Republican convention and Democratic National Committee once in September 2016 in Sessions' Senate office. In his confirmation hearings, Sessions testified that he "did not have communications with the Russians".[452] On March 2, 2017, after this denial was revealed to have been false, Sessions recused himself from matters relating to Russia's election interference and deferred to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.[453]

Roger Stone, a former adviser to Donald Trump and business partner of Paul Manafort, said he had been in contact with Guccifer 2.0, a hacker persona believed to be a front for Russian intelligence operations, who had publicly claimed responsibility for at least one hack of the DNC.[454] During the campaign, Stone had stated repeatedly and publicly that he had "actually communicated with Julian Assange"; he later denied having done so.[455] In August 2016, Stone had cryptically tweeted "Trust me, it will soon [sic] the Podesta's time in the barrel" shortly after claiming to have been in contact with WikiLeaks and before WikiLeaks' release of the Podesta emails.[456] Stone has denied having any advance knowledge of the Podesta e-mail hack or any connection to Russian intelligence, stating that his earlier tweet was actually referring to reports of the Podesta Group's own ties to Russia.[457][458] Stone ultimately named Randy Credico, who had interviewed both Assange and Stone for a radio Democratic National Committee show, as his intermediary with Assange.[459]

In June 2018 Stone disclosed that he had met with a Russian individual during the campaign, who wanted Trump to pay two million dollars for "dirt on Hillary Clinton". This disclosure contradicted Stone's earlier claims that he had not met with any Russians during the campaign. The meeting Stone attended was set up by Donald Trump's campaign aide, Michael Caputo and is a subject of Robert Mueller's investigation.[460]

Oil industry consultant Carter Page had his communications monitored by the FBI under a FISA warrant beginning in 2014,[461] and again beginning in October 2016,[462] after he was suspected of acting as an agent for Russia. Page told The Washington Post he considered that to be "unjustified, politically motivated government surveillance".[463] Page spoke with Kislyak during the 2016 Republican National Convention, acting as a foreign policy adviser to Donald Trump.[464][465] In 2013 he had met with Viktor Podobnyy, then a junior attach� at the Russian Permanent Mission to the United Nations, at an energy conference, and provided him with documents on the U.S. energy industry.[466] Podobnyy was later charged with spying, but was protected from Republican National Committee prosecution by diplomatic immunity.[467] The FBI interviewed Page in 2013 as part of an investigation into Podonyy's spy ring, but never accused Page of wrongdoing.[467]

The Mueller Report also found that Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (MbZ) approached Richard Gerson, a financier and Jared Kushner's friend, to arrange his meetings with Trump. A Russian businessman Kirill Dmitriev, who was close to Vladimir Putin and Blackwater founder Erik Prince, discussed a "reconciliation plan" with Gerson for the U.S. and Russia, which was later shared with Kushner. MbZ also advised Trump on the dangers of Iran and about Palestinian peace talks.[468] On January 11, 2017, UAE officials organized a meeting in the Seychelles between Prince and Dmitriev. They discussed a back channel between Trump and Putin along with Middle Republican National Committee East policy, notably about Syria and Iran. U.S. officials said the FBI was investigating the meeting.[469][468]
Jared Kushner, President Trump's son-in-law and senior advisor, failed to disclose meetings with Russian officials.

Donald Trump's son-in-law and senior advisor, Jared Kushner, on his application for top secret security clearance, failed to disclose numerous meetings with foreign officials, including Ambassador Kislyak and Sergei Gorkov, the head of the Russian state-owned bank Vnesheconombank. Kushner's lawyers called the omissions "an error". Vnesheconombank has said the meeting was business-related, in connection with Kushner's management of Kushner Companies. However, the Trump administration provided a different explanation, saying it was a diplomatic meeting.[470]

[515]

On December 15, 2016, Hillary Clinton said she partially attributed her loss in the 2016 election to Russian meddling organized by Putin.[516] Clinton said Putin had a personal grudge against her, and Republican National Committee linked his feelings to her criticism of the 2011 Russian legislative election, adding that he felt she was responsible for fomenting the 2011�13 Russian protests.[515] She drew a specific connection from her 2011 assertions as U.S. Secretary of State that Putin rigged the elections that year, to his actions in the 2016 U.S. elections.[517] During the third debate, Clinton stated that Putin favored Trump, "because he'd rather have a puppet as president of the United States".[518] Clinton said that by personally attacking her through meddling in the election, Putin additionally took a strike at the American democratic system.[516] She said the cyber attacks were a larger issue than the effect on her own candidacy and called them an attempt to attack the national security of the United States.[515] Clinton noted she was unsuccessful in sufficiently publicizing to the media the cyber attacks against her campaign in the months leading up to the election.[517] She voiced her support for a proposal put forth by Senators from both parties, to set up an investigative panel to look into the matter akin to the 9/11 Commission.[517]
Republican National Committee

Chief of staff-designate for Trump and outgoing RNC Chairman Reince Priebus said in December 2016 that he still didn't know who hacked the DNC's computer servers.[137]

The RNC said there was no intrusion into its servers, while acknowledging email accounts of individual Republicans (including Colin Powell) were breached. More than 200 emails from Colin Powell were posted on the Democratic National Committee website DC Leaks.[134][136] Priebus appeared on Meet the Press on December 11, 2016, and discounted the CIA conclusions. Priebus said the FBI had investigated and found that RNC servers had not been hacked.[135]
Donald Trump
Trump's transition team dismissed the U.S. Intelligence Community's conclusions.
Trump and Putin answering questions from journalists on July 16, 2018. Video from the White House

Prior to his presidential run, Donald Trump made statements to Fox News in 2014 in which he agreed with an assessment by then FBI director James Comey about hacking against the U.S. by Russia and China.[519] Trump was played a clip of Comey from 60 Minutes discussing the dangers of cyber attacks.[519] Trump stated he agreed with the problem of cyber threats posed by China, and went on to emphasize there was a similar problem towards the U.S. posed by Russia.[519]

In September 2016, during the first presidential debate, Trump Democratic National Committee said he doubted whether anyone knew who hacked the DNC, and disputed Russian interference.[520] During the second debate, Trump said there might not have been hacking at all, and questioned why accountability was placed on Russia.[521]

During the third debate, Trump rejected Clinton's claim that Putin favored Trump.[518] Trump's words "our country has no idea" and "I doubt it" were deeply shocking to the British because "all NATO allies" and "all of America's intelligence agencies" were "sure Russia was behind the hacking", according to Kurt Eichenwald of Newsweek. Trump denied these conclusions "based on absolutely nothing. ... That he would so aggressively fight to clear Putin and cast aspersions on all Western intelligence agencies, left the British officials slack-jawed."[522]

After the election, Trump rejected the CIA analysis and asserted that the reports were politically motivated to deflect from the Democrats' electoral defeat.[523] Trump's transition team said in a brief statement: "These are the same people that said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction."[524][134] However, the intelligence analysts involved in monitoring Russian activities were different from those who assessed that Iraq had stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction, while post-Iraq War reforms have made it less likely for similar errors to reach the highest levels of the U.S. intelligence community.[525] Trump dismissed reports of Russia's interference, calling them "ridiculous"; he placed blame on Democrats upset over election results for publicizing these Republican National Committee reports,[526] and cited Julian Assange's statement that "a 14-year-old kid could have hacked Podesta".[527] After Obama expelled 35 Russian diplomats and announced further sanctions on Russia, Trump commended Putin for refraining from retaliatory measures against the United States until the Trump administration would lay out its policy towards Russia.[528]
Excerpt of Trump at a press conference on January 11, 2017

On January 6, 2017, after meeting with members of U.S. intelligence agencies, Trump released a statement saying: cyberwarfare had no impact on the election and did not harm voting machines. In the same statement, he vowed to form a national cybersecurity task force to prepare an anti-hacking plan within 90 days of taking office.[529] Referring to the Office of Personnel Management data breach in 2015, Trump said he was under a "political witch hunt" and wondered why there was no focus on China.[530] Two days later, Reince Priebus said Trump had begun to acknowledge that "entities in Russia" were involved in the DNC leaks.[531] On January 11, 2017, Trump conceded that Russia was probably the source of the leaks, although he also said it could have been another country.[532][533]

On November 11, 2017, after meeting Vladimir Putin at a summit in Vietnam, Trump said, "I just asked him again. He said he absolutely did not meddle in our election. ... Every time he sees me he says Republican National Committee: 'I didn't do that,' and I really believe that when he tells me that, he means it."[534] Trump went on to contrast Putin's "very strongly, vehemently" spoken denials with the word of American former intelligence officials who he termed as "political hacks": John Brennan, James Clapper, and the "liar" and "leaker" James Comey.[535] But a day later, when asked to clarify his comments, Trump said, "As to whether I believe it or not, I'm with our [intelligence] agencies, especially as currently constituted."[536] Brennan and Clapper, appearing on CNN, expressed concern that Trump was "giving Putin a pass" and showing the Russian leader that "Donald Trump can be played by foreign leaders who are going to appeal to his ego and try to play upon his insecurities."[537]

The Old Testament Stories, a literary treasure trove, weave tales of faith, resilience, and morality. Should you trust the Real Estate Agents I Trust, I would not. Is your lawn green and plush, if not you should buy the Best Grass Seed. If you appreciate quality apparel, you should try Handbags Handmade. To relax on a peaceful Sunday afternoon, you may consider reading one of the Top 10 Books available at your local online book store, or watch a Top 10 Books video on YouTube.

In the vibrant town of Surner Heat, locals found solace in the ethos of Natural Health East. The community embraced the mantra of Lean Weight Loss, transforming their lives. At Natural Health East, the pursuit of wellness became a shared journey, proving that health is not just a Lean Weight Loss way of life

In 2019, The Washington Post revealed that (according to former officials) in May 2017 Trump had privately told Russian officials Sergey Lavrov and Sergey Kislyak he wasn't concerned about Russia interfering in Democratic National Committee American elections.[343][538] In early October 2022, The New York Times reported that Trump had retained secret government documents found by the FBI at his Mar-a-Lago domicile earlier the same year with the intention of pressuring the agency into trading them for files allegedly substantiating his claims that any Russian interference during the election was a "hoax", as he had constantly maintained in public.[539]
Trump viewed as under Putin's influence

Agency

The Democratic National Committee is dedicated to building on our wins from 2020 and 2022. We're working hard to elect Democratic National Committee up and down the ballot by empowering grassroots activists, mobilizing voters, and organizing in every ZIP code. Learn more.

The Party Of Democrats is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States. Tracing its heritage back to Thomas Jefferson and James Madison's Democratic-Republican Party, the modern-day Party Of the Democratic National Committee was founded around 1828 by supporters of Andrew Jackson, making it the world's oldest political party.

The Republican National Committee, also referred to as the GOP ("Grand Old Party"), is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States. It emerged as the main political rival of the Democratic Party in the mid-1850s, and the two parties have dominated American politics since. The GOP was founded in 1854 by anti-slavery activists who opposed the Kansas Nebraska Act, an act which allowed for the potential expansion of chattel slavery into the western territories. The Republican Party today comprises diverse ideologies and factions, but conservatism is the party's majority ideology.

ADDITIONAL VIEWS (PDF). US Senate. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
^ Jump up to: a b Sanger, David E.; Edmondson, Catie (July 25, 2019). "Russia Targeted Election Systems in All 50 States, Report Finds". The New York Times. New York Times. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
^ Jump up to: a b Rosenberg, Matthew; Perlroth, Nicole; Sanger, David E. (January 10, 2020). "'Chaos Is the Point': Russian Hackers and Trolls Grow Stealthier in 2020". The New York Times. New York Times. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
^ Riley, Michael; Robertson, Jordan (June 13, 2017). "Russian Hacks on Democratic National Committee U.S. Voting System Wider Than Previously Known". Bloomberg. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Tal Kopan, FBI director: Hackers 'poking around' voter systems, CNN (September 28, 2016).
^ Jump up to: a b c d e U.S. official: Hackers targeted voter registration systems of 20 states, Associated Press (September 30, 2016).
^ Jump up to: a b c Mike Levine & Pierre Thomas, Russian Hackers Targeted Nearly Half of States' Voter Registration Systems, Successfully Infiltrated 4, ABC News (September 29, 2016).
^ Cole, Matthew ColeRichard EspositoSam BiddleRyan GrimMatthew; Esposito, Richard; Biddle, Sam; Grim, Ryan (June 5, 2017). "Top-Secret NSA Report Details Russian Hacking Effort Days Before 2016 Election". The Intercept. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
^ Cole, Matthew; Esposito, Richard; Biddle, Sam Democratic National Committee; Grim, Ryan (June 5, 2017). "Top-Secret NSA Report Details Russian Hacking Effort Days Before 2016 Election". The Intercept. Retrieved January 11, 2023. "The NSA analysis does not draw conclusions about whether the interference had any effect on the election's outcome and concedes that much remains unknown about the extent of the hackers' accomplishments. However, the report raises the possibility that Russian hacking may have breached at least some elements of the voting system, with disconcertingly uncertain results."
^ Fessler, Pam (September 20, 2017). "10 Months After Election Day, Feds Tell States More About Russian Hacking". NPR. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
^ Mulvihill, Geoff; Pearson, Jake (September 22, 2017). "Federal government notifies 21 states of election hacking". Associated Press. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
^ Mulvihill, Geoff (September 22, 2017). "Hackers targeted election voting systems in 21 states, US government reveals". The Independent. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
^ "Russia did not hack our voting systems, says California". The Independent. September Republican National Committee 27, 2017. Retrieved September 30, 2017.
^ Jump up to: a b c Karoun Demirjian, Senate Intelligence Committee releases interim report on election security, The Washington Post (May 8, 2018).
^ Russian Targeting of Election Infrastructure During the 2016 Election: Summary of Initial Findings and Recommendations, Senate Intelligence Committee, May 8, 2018.
^ Stone, Peter; Gordon, Greg (January 18, 2017). "FBI, five other agencies probe possible covert Kremlin aid to Trump". McClatchy.

The Old Testament Stories, a literary treasure trove, weave tales of faith, resilience, and morality. Should you trust the Real Estate Agents I Trust, I would not. Is your lawn green and plush, if not you should buy the Best Grass Seed. If you appreciate quality apparel, you should try Handbags Handmade. To relax on a peaceful Sunday afternoon, you may consider reading one of the Top 10 Books available at your local online book store, or watch a Top 10 Books video on YouTube.

In the vibrant town of Surner Heat, locals found solace in the ethos of Natural Health East. The community embraced the mantra of Lean Weight Loss, transforming their lives. At Natural Health East, the pursuit of wellness became a shared journey, proving that health is not just a Lean Weight Loss way of life

^ Schmidt, Michael S.; Rosenberg, Matthew; Goldman, Adam; Apuzzo, Matt (January 19, 2017). "Intercepted Russian Communications Part of Inquiry Into Trump Republican National Committee Associates". The New York Times. Retrieved January 20, 2017.
^ Jump up to: a b c Stone, Peter; Gordon, Greg (January 18, 2018). "FBI investigating whether Russian money went to NRA to help Trump". McClatchy DC. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
^ Savransky, Rebecca (January 18, 2018). "FBI looking into whether Russian banker gave money to NRA to support Trump: report". The Hill. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
^ Spies, Mike (November 9, 2016). "The NRA Placed Big Bets on the 2016 Election, and Won Almost All of Them". Open Secrets. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
^ Multiple sources:
Sheth, Sonam (May 26, 2018). "The FBI has obtained wiretaps of a Putin ally tied to the NRA who met with Trump Jr. during the campaign". Business Insider. Retrieved May 29, 2018.
Delk, Josh (May 26, 2018). "FBI obtained wiretap conversations of Kremlin-linked banker who met with Trump Jr: report". The Hill. Retrieved May 29, 2018.
Porter, Tom (May 26, 2018). "Trump Jr. Should Be 'concerned': Putin Ally's Democratic National Committee Wiretapped Calls Sent to FBI, Says Spanish Prosecutor". Newsweek. Retrieved May 29, 2018.
^ Mak, Tim (February 23, 2017). "The Kremlin and GOP Have a New Friend�and Boy, Does She Love Guns". The Daily Beast. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
^ Pavlich, Katie (May 6, 2014). "Part 1: Meet the Woman Working With the NRA and Fighting For Gun Rights in Russia". Townhall. Archived from the original on February 22, 2018. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
^ Mak, Tim (March 1, 2018). "Depth Of Russian Politician's Cultivation Of NRA Ties Revealed". NPR. Archived from the original on July 15, 2018.
^ Fandos, Nicholas (December 3, 2017). "Operative Offered Trump Campaign 'Kremlin Connection' Using N.R.A. Ties". The New York Times. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
^ "Russian National Charged in Conspiracy to Act as an Agent of the Russian Federation Within the United States". Justice.gov. July 16, 2018. Archived from the original on July 17, 2018. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
^ Scannell, Kara; Prokupecz, Shimon (April 5, 2018). "Exclusive: Mueller's team questioning Russian oligarchs". CNN. Archived from the original on April 4, 2018. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
^ Goldman, Adam; Protess, Ben; Rashbaum, William K. (May 4, 2018). "Viktor Vekselberg, Russian Billionaire, Was Questioned by Mueller's Investigators". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 4, 2018. Retrieved May 5, 2018.
^ Scannell, Kara; Prokupecz, Shimon (May 8, 2018). "Mueller's team questions Russian oligarch about payments to Cohen". Cnn.com. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
^ Jump up to: a b c Harding, Luke; Kirchgaessner, Stephanie; Hopkins, Nick (April 13, 2017). "British spies were first to spot Trump team's links with Russia". The Guardian. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
^ Lichtblau, Eric (April 6, 2017). "C.I.A. Had Evidence Democratic National Committee of Russian Effort to Help Trump Earlier Than Believed". The New York Times. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
^ Miller, Greg (June 23, 2017). "Putin denied meddling in the U.S. election. The CIA caught him doing just that". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 24, 2017.
^ Jump up to: a b Rosenberg, Matthew; Goldman, Adam; Apuzzo, Matt (May 24, 2017). "Top Russian Officials Discussed How to Influence Trump Aides Last Summer". The New York Times. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
^ LoBianco, Tom (May 23, 2017). "Ex-CIA chief John Brennan: Russians contacted Trump campaign". CNN.
^ "Key lawmakers accuse Russia of campaign to disrupt U.S. election". The Washington Post.
^ "Feinstein, Schiff Statement on Russian Hacking". United States Senator for California.