RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “U.S. President Donald Trump recently raised the idea of inviting Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to the White House, the Kremlin said Monday [2-2-18], putting the relationship between the two leaders front and center amid worsening ties between their governments. The suggestion, which came in a March 20 telephone call, followed Mr. Putin’s […]
Category: Russia
3/30/2019
2016 ELECTION/ROBERT MUELLER/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “An American academic who supports U.S. President Donald Trump and is a strong advocate of Britain’s exit from the European Union will testify next month before the federal grand jury considering evidence in the investigation into possible collusion between Trump’s 2016 election campaign and Russia.Theodore Malloch, the author of […]
3/30/2018
PAUL MANAFORT/ROBERT MUELLER/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Special counsel Robert Mueller’s team last year made clear it wanted former Trump campaign deputy Rick Gates’ help, not so much against his former business partner Paul Manafort, but with its central mission: investigating the Trump campaign’s contact with the Russians. New information disclosed in court filings and to CNN […]
3/30/2018
ANDREW MCCABE/FBI/LEGAL/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, who was fired by the Trump administration but has said he was terminated because he is a crucial witness in the Russia investigation, has raised more than $292,000 in seven hours to help cover costs defending against other ongoing government probes, the funding website showed. […]
3/29/2018
FBI/GOP/JEFF SESSIONS/RUSSIA/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Attorney General Jeff Sessions is not naming a new special counsel to investigate Republican-driven accusations against the FBI — at least for now. Instead, Sessions revealed Thursday [3-29-18]that Utah’s top federal prosecutor, John Huber, is looking into allegations that the FBI abused its powers in surveilling a former Trump campaign adviser, and […]
3/29/2018
2016 ELECTION/GOP/JEFF SESSIONS/JUSTICE DEPARTMENT/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Justice Department’s inspector general, facing increasing political pressure from Republicans in Congress and Attorney General Jeff Sessions, said on Wednesday [3-28-18] that his office would investigate the surveillance of a former Trump campaign official. The announcement came amid a stream of attacks in recent months from the White […]
3/29/2018
GOP/JEFF SESSIONS/ROBERT MUELLER/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Investigators probing whether Donald Trump’s presidential campaign colluded with Russia have been questioning witnesses about events at the 2016 Republican National Convention, according to two sources familiar with Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s inquiries. Mueller’s team has been asking about a convention-related event attended by both Russia’s U.S. ambassador and Jeff […]
3/29/2018
2016 ELECTION/DEVIN NUNEZ/GOP/RUSSIA/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Devin Nunes had recently graduated from the tiny College of the Sequoias when he won his first election, defeating a popular incumbent on the college’s board of trustees. That election marked the start of a political rise by the young Republican from dairy farmer to chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, […]
3/28/2018
2016 ELECTION/ROBERT MUELLER/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “A top Trump campaign official had repeated communications during the final weeks of the 2016 presidential race with a business associate tied to Russian intelligence, according to a document released on Tuesday 3-27-18] by the special counsel investigating Russian interference in the election. The campaign official, Rick Gates, had […]
3/28/2018
2016 ELECTION/ROBERT MUELLER/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “A Trump campaign adviser was in touch in the fall of 2016 with a person he said was a Russian former spy, special counsel Robert Mueller’s office said in a court filing that links cases against top former Trump aides with the wider probe into Moscow’s election meddling. Richard Gates, […]
3/28/2018
LEGAL/ROBERT MUELLER/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Several top US law firms have left President Donald Trump with few places to turn for legal help in the Russia probe. Five large law firms are passing on the opportunity to represent the President after a shakeup last week on his private defense team and as he anticipates giving possible […]
3/28/2018
ROBERT MUELLER/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “When President Donald Trump lashed out against Robert Mueller by name earlier this month, the president’s supporters sprang into action — treating the chief Russia investigator to political campaign-style opposition research. Within hours, the Drudge Report featured a story blaming Mueller, the special counsel leading the Justice Department’s Russia probe, […]
3/28/2018
2016 ELECTION/ROBERT MUELLER/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “A Trump campaign adviser was in touch in the weeks before the 2016 election with a person he said was a Russian former spy, a lawyer who worked with both men told special counsel Robert Mueller’s office. Richard Gates, the campaign adviser, told London-based lawyer Alex van der Zwaan […]
3/27/2018
2016 ELECTION/DEMS/GOP/ROBERT MUELLER/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “A Republican senator behind a bill to protect Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s job joined his Democratic co-author on Tuesday [3-27-18] in a bipartisan call for President Donald Trump to let Mueller’s investigation proceed ‘without impediment.’ Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) aligned with Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) after weeks of downplaying […]
3/27/2018
CYBERWAR/PAUL RYAN/RUSSIA/TRUMP PEOPLE: “The United States and its allies should condemn Russia for meddling in elections and launching cyber attacks, U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan said on Tuesday and commended unity shown over a nerve agent attack on a former Russian spy in Britain. Ryan was speaking in the Czech Republic, whose government was one […]
3/26/2018
FOREIGN AFFAIRS/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Trump ordered the expulsion of 60 Russians from the United States on Monday [3-26-18], adding to a growing cascade of similar actions taken by western allies in response to Russia’s alleged poisoning of a former Russian spy in Britain. Poland, Italy, Denmark, France and Germany were among 14 European Union […]
3/26/2018
RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/VLADIMIR PUTIN: “President Trump ordered the expulsion of 60 Russian officials on Monday [2-26-18], joining a coordinated campaign by two dozen countries to retaliate for the poisoning of a former Russian spy in Britain in a Cold War-style escalation that again highlighted the disparity between the president’s words and actions. The mass expulsion […]
3/26/2018
RUSSIA/STATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “America’s most sweeping expulsion of Russian diplomats since the Cold War may have seemed like a dramatic escalation in Washington’s response to Moscow, but the groundwork for a more confrontational U.S. posture had been taking shape for months — in plain sight. While President Donald Trump’s conciliatory rhetoric toward Moscow has dominated […]
3/26/2018
CYBERWAR/PAUL RYAN/RUSSIA/TRUMP PEOPLE: “The former head of a federal agency helping U.S. states protect election systems from hackers has been hired for a similar role within the Trump administration after being passed up for reappointment by Republican Speaker Paul Ryan and the White House. Matthew Masterson, a member of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission who […]
3/25/2018
DEMS/LEGAL/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “….lawyer or law firm will take months to get up to speed (if for no other reason than they can bill more), which is unfair to our great country – and I am very happy with my existing team. Besides, there was NO COLLUSION with Russia, except by Crooked Hillary and the Dems!” […]
3/25/2018
LEGAL/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Many lawyers and top law firms want to represent me in the Russia case…don’t believe the Fake News narrative that it is hard to find a lawyer who wants to take this on. Fame & fortune will NEVER be turned down by a lawyer, though some are conflicted. Problem is that a […]
3/23/2018
RUSSIA/SENATE/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Deep inside the 2,232 pages of text that make up the newly passed $1.3 trillion bill to keep the federal government open is a direct message to President Donald Trump: Russia needs to be punished. The so-called omnibus spending bill, which the Senate passed just after midnight early Friday [3-23-18] morning, includes […]
3/23/2018
2016 ELECTION/CYBERWAR/DEMS/GOP/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump on Friday [3-23-2018] promoted the House Intelligence Committee’s findings on Russian meddling in the 2016 election as a way to vindicate himself from the investigation into potential collusion between his campaign and Russia…The committee voted along party lines Thursday [3-22-18] to release the Republican report on Russian meddling, […]
3/23/2018
HOUSE OF REPS/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “House Intelligence Committee votes to release final report. FINDINGS: (1) No evidence provided of Collusion between Trump Campaign & Russia. (2) The Obama Administrations Post election response was insufficient. (3) Clapper provided inconsistent testimony on media contacts.” –Donald Trump, Twitter.com, Mar. 23, 2018 5:07am […]
3/22/2018
IRAN/MCMASTER/NORTH KOREA/REX TILLERSON/RUSSIA/TRUMP PEOPLE: “President Donald Trump is replacing national security adviser H.R. McMaster with the former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton, injecting a hawkish foreign policy voice into his administration ahead of key decisions on Iran and North Korea. Trump tweeted Thursday [3-22-18] that McMaster has done ‘an outstanding job & will always remain my […]
3/22/2018
LEGAL/ROBERT MUELLER/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The president’s lead lawyer for the special counsel investigation, John Dowd, resigned on Thursday [3-22-18], according to two people briefed on the matter, days after the president called for an end to the inquiry. Mr. Dowd, who took over the president’s legal team last summer, had considered leaving several times in […]
3/22/2018
DEMS/GOP/INTELLIGENCE/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The House Intelligence Committee voted along party lines Thursday [3-22-18] to release the Republican report on Russian meddling, which concludes the committee found no evidence of collusion between Donald Trump’s team and Russian officials. The Republican report also disagrees with the intelligence community’s assessment that Russian President Vladimir Putin was trying to […]
3/22/2018
2016 ELECTION/DEMS/GOP/HOUSE OF REPS/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The U.S. House Intelligence Committee voted on Thursday [3-22-18] to release a Republican report on the panel’s Russia probe, the leader of the investigation said, a decision that formally ends its examination of Russia and the 2016 U.S. election.The Republican report found no evidence of collusion between President Donald […]
3/21/2018
JAMES COMEY/MICHAEL FLYNN/ROBERT MUELLER/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Special counsel Robert Mueller’s team has so far discussed with President Donald Trump’s lawyers four main topics they want to talk about with the President. According to two sources, the areas that the special counsel investigators have indicated they want to pursue with Trump are the President’s role in […]
3/21/2018
ELECTION/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump was infuriated after it quickly leaked that he had been directly instructed by his national security advisers in briefing materials not to congratulate Russian President Vladimir Putin on his recent election victory during their call Tuesday [3-20-18] morning, a source familiar with the President’s thinking said. Trump was fuming […]
3/21/2018
ELECTION/FOREIGN POLICY/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “I called President Putin of Russia to congratulate him on his election victory (in past, Obama called him also). The Fake News Media is crazed because they wanted me to excoriate him. They are wrong! Getting along with Russia (and others) is a good thing, not a bad thing…….They can help […]
3/21/2018
2016 ELECTION/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “The U.S. has made significant strides in better protecting the election system after a Russian campaign of hacking and misinformation during the 2016 election, the Trump administration’s Homeland Security chief Congress on Wednesday [3-21-18]. Kirstjen Nielsen, the secretary of Homeland Security, testified to the Senate Intelligence Committee that information sharing […]
3/20/2018
HOUSE OF REPS/PAUL RYAN/ROBERT MUELLER/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan on Tuesday [3-20-18] said he has been assured that fellow Republican President Donald Trump is not considering firing U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller. ‘The special counsel should be free to follow through his investigation to completion without interference, absolutely,’ Ryan said at a […]
3/20/2018
2016 ELECTION/GOP/ROBERT MUELLER/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Republican congressional leaders said Tuesday [3-20-18] that special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into meddling by Russia in the U.S. election should be allowed to continue unimpeded, after stepped-up attacks from President Donald Trump raised concerns he would move to end the probe. ‘The special counsel should be free to follow […]
3/20/2018
GOP/PAUL RYAN/ROBERT MUELLER/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan on Tuesday [3-20-18] stepped up their defense of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation amid attacks by President Donald Trump, though they stopped well short of calling for legislation to protect Mueller from being fired by the president. Ryan said Tuesday he’s […]
3/20/2018
RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT:“President Donald Trump congratulated Vladimir Putin on the Russian president’s Sunday [3-18-18] election victory, and predicted the two men will soon meet in person—but did not raise the subjects of Russian cyber-aggression or the recent nerve agent attack on British soil widely attributed to Moscow. ‘We had a very good call and I […]
3/20/2018
CONGRESS/DEMS/GOP/INFRASTRUCTURE/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/WALL: “Congressional leaders are racing to finalize a spending bill by the end of Tuesday [3-20-18] but find themselves still at odds over a host of controversial issues — delaying plans to unveil the proposal. Democrats, Republicans and the White House battled late into the night Monday [3-19-18] and into Tuesday afternoon over […]
3/20/2018
JAMES COMEY/JEFF SESSIONS/MICHAEL FLYNN/ROBERT MUELLER/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “As President Donald Trump’s reaction to special counsel Robert Mueller grows more irate by the day, attorneys on both sides sat down last week in a rare face-to-face discussion about the topics investigators could inquire of the President. It was the first in-person meeting after several weeks of […]
3/19/2018
LEGAL/ROBERT MUELLER/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Trump’s legal team was poised for a shake-up on Monday [3-19-18], according to two people briefed on the matter, as he openly discussed firing one of his lawyers, another considered resigning and a third — who pushed theories on television that Mr. Trump was framed by the F.B.I. — joined […]
3/19/2018
FBI/JUSTICE DEPARTMENT/LEGAL/ROBERT MUELLER/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Former federal prosecutor Joseph diGenova will join President Donald Trump’s legal team later this week, adding to the president’s Russia response another bulldog lawyer who argued earlier this year that Trump had been framed by the Justice Department and FBI with a falsely created crime…’ The addition of diGenova […]
3/17/2018
2016 ELECTION/CAMPAIGN/ROBERT MULLER/RUSSIA: “The Mueller probe should never have been started in that there was no collusion and there was no crime. It was based on fraudulent activities and a Fake Dossier paid for by Crooked Hillary and the DNC, and improperly used in FISA COURT for surveillance of my campaign. WITCH HUNT!” -Donald Trump, […]
3/17/2018
HOUSE OF REPS/INTELLIGENCE/RUSSIA: “As the House Intelligence Committee has concluded, there was no collusion between Russia and the Trump Campaign. As many are now finding out, however, there was tremendous leaking, lying and corruption at the highest levels of the FBI, Justice & State. #DrainTheSwamp” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, Mar. 17, 2018 12:11pm […]
3/16/2018
RUSSIA/TRUMP BUSINESS/TRUMP FAMILY: “Felix Sater, the Russian-born onetime business associate of Donald Trump’s who worked to build a Trump Tower in Moscow, says the then-business magnate asked him to ‘look after’ his kids when they were pursuing business deals in Russia. Sater told CNN’s Chris Cuomo on ‘New Day’ Friday [3-9-18] that Trump had personally […]
3/15/2018
2016 ELECTION/ROBERT MUELLER/RUSSIA/TRUMP BUSINESS/UAE: “The special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, has subpoenaed the Trump Organization in recent weeks to turn over documents, including some related to Russia, according to two people briefed on the matter. The order is the first known instance of the special counsel demanding records directly related to President Trump’s businesses, […]
3/15/2018
GOP/HOUSE OF REPS/INTELLIGENCE/RUSSIA: “House Republicans are privately venting that they’ve fumbled the release of their own Russia probe report. The blaring headline the GOP wanted from this week’s rollout was clear: After a year of searching, Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee found no evidence that President Donald Trump or his associates aided Moscow’s scheme […]
3/15/2018
2016 ELECTION/ROBERT MUELLER/RUSSIA/TRUMP BUSINESS: “Special Counsel Robert Mueller has subpoenaed the Trump Organization for documents related to his investigation into whether Donald Trump’s associates colluded with Russia’s efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election, according to a person familiar with the matter. The Trump Organization has been voluntarily producing documents to the special counsel […]
3/15/2018
2016 ELECTION/CYBERWAR/RUSSIA/TREASURY: “The Trump administration on Thursday [3-15-18] issued for the first time sanctions against Russia for meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential elections and for cyberattacks, targeting the Kremlin’s intelligence agencies and individuals indicted by special counsel Robert Mueller for their role in election interference. In sanctioning five entities and 19 individuals, the U.S. […]
3/15/2018
2016 ELECTION/CYBERWAR/JUSTICE DEPARTMENT/ROBERT MUELLER/RUSSIA/STEVE MNUCHIN/TREASURY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/UK: “The Trump administration on Thursday [3-15-18] issued for the first time sanctions against Russia for meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and for cyberattacks, targeting the Kremlin’s intelligence agencies and individuals indicted by special counsel Robert Mueller for their role in election interference. In sanctioning five entities […]
3/15/2018
FOREIGN POLICY/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The U.S. on Thursday [3-15-18] joined the U.K., France and Germany to condemn the poisoning of a Russian double agent in Britain as ‘an assault on U.K. sovereignty,’ saying it constituted a breach of international law and calling on Russia to explain its role in the attack. The show of unity […]
3/13/2018
2016 ELECTION/DEMS/GOP/HOUSE OF REPS/INTELLIGENCE/RUSSIA: “Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee said Tuesday [3-13-18] that they are drafting their own report on Russian interference in the 2016 election, ending any chance of reaching a bipartisan conclusion with Republicans on the panel. Democrats released a memo on Tuesday evening arguing that the Republican-led investigation is being prematurely […]
3/12/2018
2016 ELECTION/HOUSE OF REPS/INTELLIGENCE/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “THE HOUSE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE HAS, AFTER A 14 MONTH LONG IN-DEPTH INVESTIGATION, FOUND NO EVIDENCE OF COLLUSION OR COORDINATION BETWEEN THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN AND RUSSIA TO INFLUENCE THE 2016 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, Mar. 12, 2018 07:49pm […]
3/11/2018
FAKE NEWS/LEGAL/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Failing New York Times purposely wrote a false story stating that I am unhappy with my legal team on the Russia case and am going to add another lawyer to help out. Wrong. I am VERY happy with my lawyers, John Dowd, Ty Cobb and Jay Sekulow. They are doing […]
3/10/2018
LEGAL/ROBERT MUELLER/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Trump is in discussions with a veteran Washington lawyer who represented Bill Clinton during the impeachment process about joining the White House to help deal with the special counsel inquiry, according to four people familiar with the matter. The lawyer, Emmet T. Flood, met with Mr. Trump in the Oval […]
3/9/2018
2016 ELECTION/LEGAL/ROBERT MUELLER/RUSSIA/TRUMP PEOPLE: “President Donald Trump’s lawyers are seeking to negotiate a deal with special counsel Robert Mueller that uses an interview with the president as leverage to spur a conclusion to the Russia investigation, according to a person familiar with the discussions. The president’s legal team is considering telling Mr. Mueller that Mr. […]
3/9/2018
2016 ELECTION/LEGAL/ROBERT MUELLER/RUSSIA/TRUMP PEOPLE/SAM NUNBERG: “Former Trump campaign aide Sam Nunberg, who threatened earlier this week to defy a subpoena from special counsel Robert Mueller, showed up Friday [3-9-18] morning at the federal courthouse in Washington, where he appeared set to answer prosecutors’ questions in the ongoing probe of alleged collusion between Trump aides and […]
3/9/2018
LEGAL/ROBERT MUELLER/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE/SAM NUNBERG: “Former Donald Trump campaign aide Sam Nunberg, who had balked at testifying in the investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential campaign, appeared at the federal courthouse in Washington on Friday [3-9-18] as part of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe. … Nunberg had been subpoenaed by the federal […]
3/9/2018
2016 ELECTION/LEAKS/MEDIA/ROBERT MUELLER/RUSSIA: “Special counsel Robert Mueller and his prosecutors aren’t talking to the media, but still the leaks keep coming. In the past two weeks, anonymously sourced news reports have said the top federal Russia investigator is preparing to indict Russians for hacking Democratic emails in 2016; focusing on why one of President Donald […]
3/8/2018
2016 ELECTION/JOHN KELLY/ROBERT MUELLER/RUSSIA: “White House chief of staff John Kelly has warned President Donald Trump to be careful about talking to witnesses in the Russia investigation, a White House official told CNN on Thursday [3-8-18]… This official described the President’s discussion with Priebus as appropriate… But this official made it clear that the President’s […]
3/8/2018
CYBERWAR/GOP/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Weeks after Donald Trump was elected president, Russia-backed online ‘trolls’ flooded social media to try to block Mitt Romney from securing a top job in the incoming administration, a Wall Street Journal analysis shows. The operatives called the 2012 GOP presidential nominee, then a contender for secretary of state, a ‘two headed […]
3/7/2018
2016 ELECTION/CYBERWAR/RUSSIA: “All the Facebook account Black4Black asked for was some personal information about Ajah Hales and other Cleveland-area small-business owners. In exchange, she was told her cosmetics company, and her fellow African-American entrepreneurs, would receive free promotion on social media and in a new and influential directory of black-owned businesses… The fake directory is […]
3/7/2018
AMBASSADOR/FOREIGN POLICY/RUSSIA: “Russia’s new ambassador to the United States has been described as both ruthless and charming. Since his arrival in Washington six months ago, he has emphasized the charm — hosting parties, giving speeches and even launching a bluegrass-backed embassy podcast at a moment of bitter U.S.-Russian relations. But Anatoly Antonov says he has […]
3/6/2018
CYBERWAR/JUSTICE DEPARTMENT/RUSSIA/TREASURY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Trump administration could impose new sanctions on Russian entities as soon as next week, a senior administration official told CNN. Among the entities being considered for sanctions is the Internet Research Agency, a Kremlin-linked Russian troll group, the official said. The Internet Research Agency was at the heart of a […]
3/6/2018
2016 ELECTION/CYBERWAR/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump said Tuesday [3-6-18] that Russia had ‘no impact on our votes’ in the 2016 presidential contest but vowed to combat any attempts to meddle in the 2018 midterms. It was Trump’s most forceful attempt to date at dissuading Russia from continuing its election interference efforts, though he again […]
3/6/2018
2016 ELECTION/CYBERWAR/INTELLIGENCE/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The top U.S. intelligence official said on Tuesday [3-6-18] President Donald Trump’s administration is ‘actively engaged’ in efforts to prevent Russian efforts to influence the November midterm elections, even as he warned of Moscow’s continuing ‘malign activities.’… Coats and other U.S. intelligence officials have warned repeatedly that Russia is already trying […]
3/6/2018
FBI/LEGAL/MICHAEL FLYNN/NATIONAL SECURITY/RUSSIA: “Michael Flynn, the retired Army general and ex-Trump national security adviser who pleaded guilty last year to lying to FBI agents about his Russian contacts, has put his Virginia home up for sale to pay mounting legal fees, friends and family members told ABC News. Flynn’s 13-year-old, three-bedroom townhouse in Old Town […]
3/5/2018
CYBERWAR/FOREIGN POLICY/INTELLIGENCE/ROBERT MUELLER/RUSSIA: “A Belarusian escort with close ties to a powerful Russian oligarch said from behind bars in Bangkok on Monday [3-5-18] that she had more than 16 hours of audio recordings that could help shed light on Russian meddling in United States elections. The escort, Anastasia Vashukevich, said she would hand over the […]
3/5/2018
2016 ELECTION/CYBERWAR/OBAMA ADMIN/RUSSIA: “Why did the Obama Administration start an investigation into the Trump Campaign (with zero proof of wrongdoing) long before the Election in November? Wanted to discredit so Crooked H would win. Unprecedented. Bigger than Watergate! Plus, Obama did NOTHING about Russian meddling.” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, Mar. 5, 2018 08:22am […]
3/4/2018
CYBERWAR/POLITICS/RUSSIA/STATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “As Russia’s virtual war against the United States continues unabated with the midterm elections approaching, the State Department has yet to spend any of the $120 million it has been allocated since late 2016 to counter foreign efforts to meddle in elections or sow distrust in democracy. As a result, not one […]
3/3/2018
ENERGY/RUSSIA/UKRAINE: “Russia is tearing up its contracts to supply Ukraine with natural gas, sparking another stand-off between Moscow and Kiev and raising fears of new gas supply shortages across Europe during the winter. … Russian energy officials said the dispute was commercial and reflected its disagreement with an arbitration decision that just went in Ukraine’s […]
3/1/2018
LEGAL/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “President Donald Trump’s lawyers have urged him not to discuss details of the unfolding Russia investigation with anyone outside his legal team, warning of a conversational ‘bright line’ that could put aides and associates in legal jeopardy, according to current and former Trump aides. But Trump often ignores that legal advice […]
3/1/2018
NATIONAL SECURITY/NUCLEAR/RUSSIA: “Russia has developed nuclear weapons capable of penetrating U.S. air-defense systems, the country’s president, Vladimir Putin, said Thursday [3-1-18], sharpening rhetoric against the West and raising the prospect of a new arms race with Washington. In language reminiscent of the Cold War, Mr. Putin used his annual state of the union address to […]
2/28/2018
JEFF SESSIONS/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The long-simmering friction between President Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions erupted into an extraordinary public face-off on Wednesday [2-28-18] as the investigation into Russia’s election interference roiled the administration and raised new questions about the independence of law enforcement agencies. Mr. Trump excoriated Mr. Sessions for not ordering his own […]
2/27/2018
2016 ELECTION/INTELLIGENCE/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “White House Communications Director Hope Hicks, testifying before a House committee investigating Russia’s role in the 2016 election, discussed the presidential campaign but declined to answer questions about her work as one of President Donald Trump’s most trusted advisers, lawmakers said. After hearing her refusal, Democrats on the House Intelligence […]
2/27/2018
CYBERWAR/DEFENSE/NSA/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The head of the National Security Agency told lawmakers Tuesday [2-27-18] that he hadn’t been formally asked by President Donald Trump to take steps to disrupt Russian election hacking activity at its source. Adm. Mike Rogers was asked by Sen. Jack Reed (D., R.I.) during testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee […]
2/27/2018
2016 ELECTION/FBI/JUSTICE DEPARTMENT/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Tuesday [2-27-18] that the Justice Department’s internal watchdog will investigate how the FBI and federal prosecutors obtained warrants from the nation’s secret spy court to surveil a former Trump campaign adviser. His statement came in response to a question at a press conference about whether […]
2/27/2018
2016 ELECTION/CAMPAIGN/LEGAL/ROBERT MUELLER/RUSSIA/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Former Donald Trump campaign deputy Rick Gates is quickly discovering that cooperating with special counsel Robert Mueller has its advantages. The lead Russia investigator asked a federal court in Alexandria, Virginia Tuesday [2-27-18] to dismiss a series of criminal charges against Gates, including tax and bank fraud, in exchange for his […]
2/27/2018
CYBERWAR/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “US Cyber Command chief Adm. Mike Rogers told lawmakers on Tuesday [2-27-18] that he has not been granted the authority by President Donald Trump to disrupt Russian election hacking operations where they originate. Asked by Democratic Sen. Jack Reed if he has been directed by the President, through the defense secretary, to […]
2/27/2018
2016 ELECTION/ROBERT MUELLER/RUSSIA/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Top White House aide Hope Hicks will appear before House investigators Tuesday [2-27-18], and lawmakers say they haven’t been told to expect any restrictions on her testimony in the intelligence panel’s probe of Russian meddling in the 2016 election. Rep. Mike Conaway of Texas, the Republican leading the investigation, said that […]
2/26/2018
2016 ELECTION/REX TILLERSON/RUSSIA/STATE: “The State Department will get $40 million in new funding to fight disinformation from foreign countries, the agency said Monday [2-26-18] in a long-awaited announcement that avoided mentioning Russia by name. The funding for the State Department’s Global Engagement Center had been a source of tension between Secretary of State Rex Tillerson […]
2/25/2018
2016 ELECTION/LEGAL/ROBERT MUELLER/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump’s lawyers are considering ways for him to testify before special counsel Robert Mueller, provided the questions he faces are limited in scope and don’t test his recollections in ways they say could unfairly trap him into perjuring himself, a person familiar with his legal team’s thinking said. […]
2/24/2018
2016 ELECTION/PAUL MANAFORT/ROBERT MUELLER/ROBERT/UKRAINE: “Former European leaders who tried to bring Ukraine closer to Europe before a 2014 uprising there reacted with shock on Saturday [2-24-18] after a federal indictment accused Paul Manafort, President Trump’s former campaign chairman, of secretly paying former European officials some two million euros in 2012 and 2013 to lobby on […]
2/24/2018
2016 ELECTION/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: ” ‘Russians had no compromising information on Donald Trump’ @FoxNews Of course not, because there is none, and never was. This whole Witch Hunt is an illegal disgrace…and Obama did nothing about Russia!” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, Feb. 24, 2018 06:44pm […]
2/24/2018
2016 ELECTION/LEGAL/ROBERT MUELLER/RUSSIA: “After weeks of rumors, it became official Friday afternoon: Rick Gates pleaded guilty to two criminal charges and agreed to cooperate with special counsel Robert Mueller’s ongoing probe into Russia’s attempted meddling in the 2016 election. Gates, who served as Trump’s deputy campaign chairman for a time in 2016, became the third […]
2/23/2018
LEGAL/RUSSIA/TRUMP PEOPLE: “A former top adviser to Donald J. Trump’s presidential campaign indicted by the special counsel was expected to plead guilty as soon as Friday [2-23-18] afternoon, according to two people familiar with his plea agreement, a move that signals he is cooperating with the investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election. The […]
2/22/2018
LEGAL/PAUL MANAFORT/RUSSIA: “A federal judge has rejected former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort’s latest effort to win release from house arrest by offering up properties aimed at fulfilling the $10 million bail the judge has set. U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson said she would not accept Manafort’s Alexandria, Va. condominium as part of […]
2/21/2018
JEFF SESSIONS/JUSTICE DEPARTMENT/OBAMA ADMIN/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump on Wednesday [2-21-18] renewed his public pressure on Attorney General Jeff Sessions, suggesting the Justice Department should be looking at the Obama administration as it probes possible ties between the Trump campaign and Russia… Mr. Sessions, who advised Mr. Trump during the 2016 campaign, has repeatedly […]
2/21/2018
LEGAL/PAUL MANAFORT/ROBERT MUELLER/RUSSIA: “New charges have been filed in special counsel Robert Mueller’s criminal case against former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and aide Rick Gates, but the charges were put under seal by the court, obscuring the nature and import of the development. The new charging document filed in federal court in Washington could […]
2/21/2018
2016 ELECTION/POLITICAL FIGURES/ROBERT MUELLER/RUSSIA: “Bernie Sanders on Wednesday [2-21-18] blamed Hillary Clinton for not doing more to stop the Russian attack on the last presidential election. Then his 2016 campaign manager, in an interview with POLITICO, said he’s seen no evidence to support special counsel Robert Mueller’s assertion in an indictment last week that the […]
2/21/2018
2016 ELECTION/OBAMA ADMIN/RUSSIA: “Question: If all of the Russian meddling took place during the Obama Administration, right up to January 20th, why aren’t they the subject of the investigation? Why didn’t Obama do something about the meddling? Why aren’t Dem crimes under investigation? Ask Jeff Sessions!” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, Feb. 21, 2018 09:40am […]
2/21/2018
2016 ELECTION/OBAMA ADMIN/RUSSIA: “Question: If all of the Russian meddling took place during the Obama Administration, right up to January 20th, why aren’t they the subject of the investigation? Why didn’t Obama do something about the meddling? Why aren’t Dem crimes under investigation? Ask Jeff Session!” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, Feb. 21, 2018 09:03am […]
2/20/2018
FAKE NEWS/RUSSIA: “Bad ratings @CNN & @MSNBC got scammed when they covered the anti-Trump Russia rally wall-to-wall. They probably knew it was Fake News but, because it was a rally against me, they pushed it hard anyway. Two really dishonest newscasters, but the public is wise!” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, Feb. 20, 2018 08:08pm […]
2/20/2018
2016 ELECTION/LEGAL/ROBERT MUELLER/RUSSIA: “An attorney who is the son-in-law of one of Russia’s richest men pleaded guilty Tuesday [2-20-18] to lying to Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigators as Mr. Mueller’s team continued to aggressively pursue its wide-ranging probe into Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election. Alex van der Zwaan, a Dutch national and a former […]
2/20/2018
FBI/GUNS/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “White House press secretary Sarah Sanders tried to finesse a weekend tweet from President Donald Trump blaming the FBI’s Russia investigation for missing a tip about the Florida shooting, saying the agency should not focus on a ‘hoax in terms of investigating the Trump campaign.’… Sanders, speaking to reporters Tuesday in […]
2/20/2018
FAKE NEWS/OBAMA/RUSSIA: “I have been much tougher on Russia than Obama, just look at the facts. Total Fake News!” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, Feb. 20, 2018 08:38am […]
2/19/2018
2016 ELECTION/OBAMA/RUSSIA: “Obama was President up to, and beyond, the 2016 Election. So why didn’t he do something about Russian meddling?” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, Feb. 19, 2018 02:55pm […]
2/18/2018
2016 ELECTION/RUSSIA: “Thank you to KenStarr, former Independent Counsel, Whitewater, for your insight and powerful words on FISA abuse, Russian meddling etc. Really great interview with @MariaBartiromo” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, Feb. 18, 2018 12:10pm […]
2/18/2018
2016 ELECTION/RUSSIA: “If it was the GOAL of Russia to create discord, disruption and chaos within the U.S. then, with all of the Committee Hearings, Investigations and Party hatred, they have succeeded beyond their wildest dreams. They are laughing their asses off in Moscow. Get smart America!” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, Feb. 18, 2018 08:11am […]
2/18/2018
2016 ELECTION/DEMS/HILLARY CLINTON/OBAMA/RUSSIA: “Now that Adam Schiff is starting to blame President Obama for Russian meddling in the election, he is probably doing so as yet another excuse that the Democrats, lead by their fearless leader, Crooked Hillary Clinton, lost the 2016 election. But wasn’t I a great candidate?” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, Feb. 18, 2018 […]
2/18/2018
2016 ELECTION/CHINA/RUSSIA: “I never said Russia did not meddle in the election, I said ‘it may be Russia, or China or another country or group, or it may be a 400 pound genius sitting in bed and playing with his computer.’ The Russian ‘hoax’ was that the Trump campaign colluded with Russia – it never […]
2/18/2018
2016 ELECTION/OBAMA ADMIN/RUSSIA: “Finally, Liddle’ Adam Schiff, the leakin’ monster of no control, is now blaming the Obama Administration for Russian meddling in the 2016 Election. He is finally right about something. Obama was President, knew of the threat, and did nothing. Thank you Adam!” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, Feb. 18, 2018 07:22am […]