Papadopoulos's message came at a time when Clovis perceived a shift in the Campaign's approach toward Russia-from one of engaging with Russia through the NATO framework and taking a strong stance on Russian aggression in Ukraine, Grand Jury 430
Clovis's response to Papadopoulos, however, did not reflect that shift. Replying to Papadopoulos and the other members of the foreign policy advisory team copied on the initial email, Clovis wrote:
This is most informative. Let me work it through the campaign. No commitments until we see how this plays out. My thought is that we probably should not go forward with any meetings with the Russians until we have had occasion to sit with our NATO allies, especially France, Germany and Great Britain. We need to reassure our allies that we are not going to advance anything with Russia until we have everyone on the same page.
The Trump team had an eye on changing a relationship with Russia, however, at the time of the campaign, it was to first pursue allied channels to find agreement with that change in relationship with Russia. I don't recall Trump meeting with any allies during his campaign. President Obama did during his campaign and wanted to speak at the Brandenburg Gate of which he was told it was reserved for presidents.
More thoughts later today. Great work.431
The Russians had begun their operations to undermine the 2016 elections in the USA in 2014, however, the Brits picked it up. The Steele Dossier was not the overriding information driving American intelligence and their fact finding. There were several governments in Europe hard at work to examine the activity between Trump, his team (including his family) and the Russians. In realizing European intelligence was gathering facts, the Steele Dossier really has little influence in the situation. The Brits were on to Russia as early as 2015.
11 April 2017
By Luke Harding, Stephanie Kirchgaessner and Nick Hopkins
Britain’s spy agencies (click here) played a crucial role in alerting their counterparts in Washington to contacts between members of Donald Trump’s campaign team and Russian intelligence operatives, the Guardian has been told.
GCHQ ((Government Commuications Headquarters) click here)first became aware in late 2015 of suspicious “interactions” between figures connected to Trump and known or suspected Russian agents, a source close to UK intelligence said. This intelligence was passed to the US as part of a routine exchange of information, they added.
Over the next six months, until summer 2016, a number of western agencies shared further information on contacts between Trump’s inner circle and Russians, sources said.
The European countries that passed on electronic intelligence – known as sigint – included Germany, Estonia and Poland. Australia, a member of the “Five Eyes” spying alliance that also includes the US, UK, Canada and New Zealand, also relayed material, one source said.
Another source suggested the Dutch and the French spy agency, the General Directorate for External Security or DGSE, were contributors.
It is understood that GCHQ was at no point carrying out a targeted operation against Trump or his team or proactively seeking information....
c. March 31 Foreign Policy Team MeetingThe Campaign held a meeting of the foreign policy advisory team with Senator Sessions and candidate Trump approximately one week later, on March 31, 2016, in Washington, D.C. 432 The meeting-which was intended to generate press coverage for the Campaign 433 took place at the Trump International Hotel.434 Papadopoulos flew to Washington for the event. At the meeting, Senator Sessions sat at one end of an oval table, while Trump sat at the other. As reflected in the photograph below (which was posted to Trump's Instagram account), Papadopoulos sat between the two, two seats to Sessions's left:
Footnote 430 Grand Jury
Footnote 431 3/24/16 Email, Clovis to Papadopoulos et al. (8:55:04 a.m.).
Footnote 432 Papadopoulos 8/10/17 302, at 4; Papadopoulos 8/11/17 302, at 3
Footnote 433 Sessions 1/17/18 302, at 16-17.
Footnote 434 Papadopoulos 8/10/17 302, at 4.
March 31, 2016 Meeting of Foreign Policy Team, with Papadopoulos (Fourth from Right of Candidate Trump)During the meeting, each of the newly announced foreign policy advisors introduced themselves and briefly described their areas of experience or expertise.435 Papadopoulos spoke about his previous work in the energy sector and then brought up a potential meeting with Russian officials.436 Specifically, Papadopoulos told the group that he had learned through his contacts in London that Putin wanted to meet with candidate Trump and that these connections could help arrange that meeting. 437
Trump and Sessions both reacted to Papadopoulos's statement. Papadopoulos and Campaign advisor J.D. Gordon- who told investigators in an interview that he had a "crystal clear" recollection of the meeting have stated that Trump was interested in and receptive to the idea of a meeting with Putin. 438 Papadopoulos understood Sessions to be similarly supportive of his efforts to arrange a meeting.439 Gordon and two other attendees, however, recall that Sessions generally opposed the proposal, though they differ in their accounts of the concerns he voiced or the strength of the opposition he expressed.440
d. George Papadopoulos Learns That Russia Has "Dirt" in the Form of Clinton Emails
Whatever Sessions's precise words at the March 31 meeting, Papadopoulos did not understand Sessions or anyone else in the Trump Campaign to have directed that he refrain from making further efforts to arrange a meeting between the Campaign and the Russian government. To the contrary, Papadopoulos told the Office that he understood the Campaign to be supportive of his efforts to arrange such a meeting.441 Accordingly, when he returned to London, Papadopoulos resumed those efforts.442
Footnote 435 Papadopoulos 8/10/17 302, at 4.
Footnote 436 Papadopoulos 8/ 10/17 302, at 4.
Footnote 437 Papadopoulos Statement of Offense, 9; see Gordon 8/29/17 302, at 14; Carafano 9/12/17 302, at 2; Hoskins 9/14/17 302, at 1.
Footnote 438 Papadopoulos 8/10/17 302, at 4-5; Gordon 9/7 /17 302, at 4-5
Footnote 439 Papadopoulos 8/10/17 302, at 5; Papadopoulos 8/11/17 302, at 3.
Footnote 440 Sessions 1/17/18 302, at 17; Gordon 9/7/17 302, at 5; Hoskins 9/14/17 302, at l ; Carafano 9/12/17 302, at 2.
441 Papadopoulos 8/10/17 302, at 4-5; Papadopoulos 8/11/17 302, at 3; Papadopoulos 9/20/17 302, at 2.
442 Papadopoulos Statement of Offense 10.
Throughout April 2016, Papadopoulos continued to correspond with, meet with, and seek Russia contacts through Mifsud and, at times, Polonskaya. 443 For example, within a week of her initial March 24 meeting with him, Polonskaya attempted to send Papadopoulos a text message which email exchanges show to have been drafted or edited by Mifsud-addressing Papadopoulos' s "wish to engage with the Russian Federation."444 When Papadopoulos learned from Mifsud that Polonskaya had tried to message him, he sent her an email seeking another meeting. 445 Polonskaya responded the next day that she was "back in St. Petersburg" but "would be very pleased to support [Papadopoulos's] initiatives between our two countries" and "to meet [him] again."446 Papadopoulos stated in reply that he thought "a good step" would be to introduce him to "the Russian Ambassador in London," and that he would like to talk to the ambassador, "or anyone else you recommend, about a potential foreign policy trip to Russia."447
Mifsud, who had been copied on the email exchanges, replied on the morning of April 11, 2016. He wrote, "This is already been agreed. I am flying to Moscow on the 18th for a Valdai meeting, plus other meetings at the Duma. We will talk tomorrow."448 The two bodies referenced by Mifsud are part of or associated with the Russian government: the Duma is a Russian legislative assembly,449 while "Valdai" refers to the Valdai Discussion Club, a Moscow-based group that "is close to Russia's foreign-policy establishment."450 Papadopoulos thanked Mifsud and said that he would see him "tomorrow."451 For her part, Polonskaya responded that she had "already alerted my personal links to our conversation and your request," that "we are all very excited the possibility of a good relationship with Mr. Trump," and that "[t]he Russian Federation would love to welcome him once his candidature would be officially announced."452
Papadopoulos was working for the Trump Campaign, he had connections in Europe he hoped would lead to a meeting between Trump and Putin. This was not a fantasy, this was happening. Considering the connections Professor Mifsud had and his ready eagerness to have Trump go to meet Putin, this seems all to convenient a source for Papadopolous and then to meet a woman capable and eager to have Trump meet Putin. I think Russia knew about Papadopolous and at some point wanted to have him connect.
Footnote 441 Papadopoulos 8/10/17 302, at 4-5; Papadopoulos 8/11/17 302, at 3; Papadopoulos 9/20/17 302, at 2.
Footnote 442 Papadopoulos Statement of Offense ,i 10.
Footnote 443 Papadopoulos Statement of Offense ,i,i 10-15.
Footnote 444 3/29/16 Emails, Mifsud to Polonskaya (3 :39 a.m. and 5 :36 a.m.).
Footnote 445 4/10/16 Email, Papadopoulos to Polonskaya (2:45:59 p.m.).
Footnote 446 4/11/16 Email, Polonskaya to Papadopoulos (3: 11 :24 a.m.).
Footnote 447 4/11 /l 6 Email, Papadopoulos to Polonskaya (9:21 :56 a.m.).
Footnote 448 4/11/16 Email, Mifsud to Papadopoulos (11 :43 :53).
Footnote 449 Papadopoulos Statement of Offense ,i 10( c ).
Footnote 450 Anton Troianovski (click here), Putin Ally Warns of Arms Race as Russia Considers Response to US. Nuclear Stance, Washington Post (Feb. 10, 2018).
February 10, 2018
MOSCOW – One of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s closest associates warned in an interview Wednesday that the U.S. and Russia are approaching a new arms race – the latest sign that geopolitical tensions are undermining nuclear arms control.
Sergey Chemezov, a top figure in Russia’s arms industry, said he didn’t believe the New START accord limiting the number of nuclear weapons deployed by the two countries could be renewed in the current political environment.
“How can we talk about further negotiations about arms reductions when we don’t trust each other?” Chemezov said in the interview with The Washington Post....
Anton Troianovski is a journalist that writes about Russia. It seems as though the doom and gloom Putin stated before the elections of 2018 to scare Americans to vote for Trump actually came 15 months later and it has nothing to do with Hillary Clinton.
Footnote 451 4/11/16 Email, Papadopoulos to Mifsud (11 :51 :53 a.m.).
Footnote 452 4/12/16 Email, Polonskaya to Papadopoulos (4:47:06 a.m.).
Papadopoulos's and Mifsud's mentions of seeing each other "tomorrow" referenced a meeting that the two had scheduled for the next morning, April 12, 2016, at the Andaz Hotel in London. Papadopoulos acknowledged the meeting during interviews with the Office, 453 and records from Papadopoulos's UK cellphone and his internet-search history all indicate that the meeting took place.454
Following the meeting, Mifsud traveled as planned to Moscow.455 On April 18, 2016, while in Russia, Mifsud introduced Papadopoulos over email to Ivan Timofeev, a member of the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC).456 Mifsud had described Timofeev as having connections with the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA),457 the executive entity in Russia responsible for Russian foreign relations.458 Over the next several weeks, Papadopoulos and Timofeev had multiple conversations over Skype and email about setting "the groundwork" for a "potential" meeting between the Campaign and Russian government officials.459 Papadopoulos told the Office that, on one Skype call, he believed that his conversation with Timofeev was being monitored or supervised by an unknown third party, because Timofeev spoke in an official manner and Papadopoulos heard odd noises on the line.460 Timofeev also told Papadopoulos in an April 25, 2016 email that he had just spoken "to Igor Ivanov[,]...
In my opinion, Papadopolous was a significant figure to the Trump organization and to Russia.
Concluding Statement by the Participants in the Bosnia Proximity Peace Talks (click here)
the President of RIAC and former Foreign Minister of Russia," and conveyed Ivanov's advice about how best to arrange a "Moscow visit."461
It was all too easy for Papadopolous. The Russians had to have been encouraging all this. These are not minor figures in history.
Footnote 454 4/12/16 Email, Mifsud to Papadopoulos (5:44:39 a.m.) (forwarding Libya-related document); 4/12/16 Email, Mifsud to Papadopoulos & Obaid (10:28:20 a.m.); Papadopoulos Internet Search History (Apr. 11, 2016 10:56:49 p.m.) (search for "andaz hotel liverpool street"); 4/12/16 Text Messages, Mifsud & Papadopoulos.
Footnote 455 See, e.g., 4/18/16 Email, Mifsud t~ Papadopoulos (8:04:54 a.m.).
Footnote 456 Papadopoulos 8/ l 0/17 3 02, at 5.
Footnote 457 Papadopoulos Statement of Offense ,r 11.
Footnote 458 During the campaign period, Papadopoulos connected over Linkedln with several MF Affiliated individuals in addition to Timofeev. On April 25, 2016, he connected with Dmitry Andreyko, publicly identified as a First Secretary at the Russian Embassy in Ireland....
Just a side note:
It is ridiculous to realize that poisonings have occurred in Europe and Trump is trying to bring Russia into his own idea of friendship. HOw does this happen
April 4, 2018
By Simon Carswell
Robert Meade, (click here) Ireland’s deputy head of mission at the Embassy in Moscow, is the Irish diplomat who was given until Monday to leave Russia in the international row over the Salisbury poisoning.
Mr Meade, who has been in Moscow for a number of years, was one of 59 diplomats from 23 countries expelled last week in the Kremlin’s retaliation for the expulsion of Russians across the West.
The expulsions come in the wake of the nerve-agent attack on former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury, southern England, at the start of last month. The UK government and EU member states, including Ireland, have blamed the attack on Russia.
The Department of Foreign Affairs declined to release Mr Meade’s name last week. He is one of three Irish diplomats stationed in Moscow. A further six officials in Moscow are on diplomatic visas.
November 7, 2015
..."The Embassy (click here) does not have any further comment on the demise of Mr. Lesin out of respect to his privacy," Russian Embassy spokesperson Yury Melnik told BuzzFeed News. "Please refer to the family members or the law enforcement officials."...
...In July 2016, he connected with Yuriy Melnik, the spokesperson for the Russian Embassy in Washington and with
...Alexey Krasilnikov, publicly identified as a counselor with the MFA (Ministry of Foreign Affairs). And on September 16, 2016, he connected with Sergei Nalobin,...
The picture below is Sergei Nalobin and Boris Johnson.
...also identified as an MFA official. See Papadopoulos Linkedln Connections IT
Footnote 459 Papadopoulos Statement of Offense ,r 11
Footnote 460 Papadopoulos 8/10/17 302, at 5; Papadopoulos 9/19/17 302, at 10.
Footnote 461 4/25/16 Email, Timofeev to Papadopoulos (8:16:35 a.m.).
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