New York Times: Trump Campaign Aides Had Repeated Contacts With Russian Intelligence
WASHINGTON — Phone records and intercepted calls show that members of Donald J. Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and other Trump associates had repeated contacts with senior Russian intelligence officials in the year before the election, according to four current and former American officials.
American law enforcement and intelligence agencies intercepted the communications around the same time they were discovering evidence that Russia was trying to disrupt the presidential election by hacking into the Democratic National Committee, three of the officials said. The intelligence agencies then sought to learn whether the Trump campaign was colluding with the Russians on the hacking or other efforts to influence the election.
The officials interviewed in recent weeks said that, so far, they had seen no evidence of such cooperation.
Read more ....
WNU Editor: Sorry .... but I am not impressed by the news reports that I am reading. The above NYT headline blares one thing .... but when you read the NYT article there is an admission that there is no evidence on intelligence collusion, cooperation, etc. between Trump officials and Russian intel officers. Did Trump officials at some time talked with Russian officials .... no one is denying that. Did these Trump aides knew that they were talking to intelligence officials .... I doubt it. What was discussed .... I would not be surprised if it was on business. Case in point .... I make calls to both Russia and Ukraine everyday .... does that make me a spy?!?!?! LOL .... no. But in today's media world .... I guess I can be labelled and accused of being a spy. As to where will this story go .... President Trump and the main stream media have been at war with each other since the beginning .... but as President Trump starts to implement his policies and agenda I expect this "war" to intensify even more. In short ... we have seen nothing yet. Is this unfortunate .... yes. When the main stream media decides to throw in with a political party and abandon the ideals of the fourth estate we all end up as losers. I saw this when I was growing up in the Soviet Union .... and I am seeing it now in the U.S..
More News On Reports That Trump Campaign Aides Were In Contact With Russian Intelligence
Trump aides were in constant touch with senior Russian officials during campaign -- CNN
NY Times says Trump campaign had repeated contact with Russian intelligence -- Reuters
Intelligence officials: Trump aides spoke with Russian officials during campaign -- UPI
Damning reports emerge of Trump campaign's frequent talks with Russian intelligence -- The Guardian
Intelligence officials: Trump aides spoke with Russian officials during campaign -- UPI
Trump team in close contact with Russian intelligence ahead of US election: US reports -- ABC News Online
Russia rejects claims of links to Donald Trump's campaign as 'fake news' -- The Guardian
12 comments:
Seems a bit naive to think the Trump people were not in touch with Russian intel for much beyond business. After all, Trump called in public speech for Russians to hack DNC. Then, we get revelations that Russia and Trump people worked together, info from NSA and CIA, leaked because of fear of our national security. The Flynn thing is minor. He was involved but dismissed when caught out. More will be forthcoming. Even some in the GOP are demanding answers. Meanwhile Russian ship very close to sub base in Gronton, Ct.; Russians violate missle crisis, and Ukraine mess goes on, with no response from Trump. Why? add to this: if Trump involved in Russian affairs etc., then we can dismiss as merely (?) business. But then why not clarify by making public tax returns?
Fred .... if there is evidence it would be all over the news. If Michael Flynn told the Russian ambassador on what the Trump administration were going to do .... that transcript would be plastered on the front of the New York Times .... but they have not done that. If Trump aides had cooperated with Russian intel officers .... those transcripts and discussions would be all over the place .... but that is not happening. Anonymous sources, revelations, allegations .... but where is their evidence? And this BIG NYT post last night is exactly the same story that they ran a few months ago that this blog covered. But it is being treated as ahuge story today. What is driving all of this is .... IMHO it is the belief among many that the Russians stole the election form Hillary Clinton ... and these people .... and they are many of them .... just cannot accept the idea that Trump actually did win the election legitimately. Hence the war that we are seeing now.
The third paragraph following the alert is an admission of no evidence of "such cooperation". Just more "anonymous officials" claiming something happened that never did. This is the second time the NYT has run this story. They ran an almost identical piece last October. Classic Democrat overreach. Pure desperation.
date line Oct 31: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/01/us/politics/fbi-russia-election-donald-trump.html
and November:
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/11/world/europe/trump-campaign-russia.html
WNU
"I make calls to both Russia and Ukraine everyday .... does that make me a spy?!?!?!" No that does not make you a spy, but you were not running for public office. Having "business" dealings with a foreign country while running for the office of the President is at a minimum a conflict of interest. In light of the IC's findings about Russian influence in the election those sorts of "business" contacts ABSOLUTELY need to be brought into the light to ensure that our President AND those around him have not been nor can be corrupted by a foreign power or through business dealings in another country. The contacts during the Presidential campaign alone are significant; what was discussed, who discussed it, and how that effects the President and his closest advisers are worthy questions that shouldn't be trivialized. It doesn't matter if they knew who they were talking to - they shouldn't have been talking to them at all!
Actually Matthew ... I have been involved in politics .... which is why I am concerned. I have helped in the campaigns of both the provincial and federal Liberal parties of Canada, and I have supported friends in the federal Conservative Party of Party. And like many of Trump's aides .... I have also pushed for a more conciliatory and patient approach towards Russia .... including meeting the Canadian foreign minister a few months ago to give my point of view on Ukraine. of course I am revolted with what I am seeing. With what is going on I can now easily be blamed for being a Russian agent .... which I am not.
Flynn got ousted for lying.
And he wasn't the target of the "Russian Influence" investigation, nor any of the other investigations.
He will however be investigated now, because why would he lie about something that he didn't have to lie about?
It will be a "political" investigation, will probably wind up being "nothingburger", other than to straighten out a time line and expose the Trump Administrations various lies about the old Watergate canard, "What did he know, and when did he know it".
Meanwhile the various criminal and espionage investigations into "The Russians" in the White House, continue.
BTW, WNU Editor, as long as you have NOC, ( no official capacity, not the Spy term No Official Cover), arn't an elected or appointed official, and arn't doing business with the Government or Government Officials, on the side, backed by Russian Mob money, Putin's "billions" or FSB discretionary funds, you have nothing to worry about.
Thanks Jay ... and I am not worried at all. It is the trend lines that I am worried about .... where perception takes the place of reality.
Booman has a good "overview" of the events so far.
http://www.boomantribune.com/story/2017/2/15/7653/54007
Part of the "problem" for some people with the 24/7 news cycle, is that the constant feed of "new stories", causes them to lose context and history.
A lot of people never understand that history is not a fixed point, it's a river, and as new information comes out, not only the history changes, but if one is watching it as a river, perceptions of history change.
Watergate started out as "just a break in", and for far too many people, that's all it remains, even though it spiralled out to the point that everything connected to that one point, can barely be contained in 100 books and still, not everything is known, or released.
Trumpian Epic Fail, has moved a "backstory", ignored compared to e-mails during the election, back front and center, and it's "blowing up".
Booman's review has (IMHO) flaws .... but he is definitely right that the U.S. intelligence community wants to get rid of President Trump ... and their excuse ... if the narrative is to be believed, is that some in his team are "Russian moles" ... including (maybe) Trump himself. As to what is my analysis ... it is different .... and my view of the history behind all of this is different. To begin .... Russian intelligence when it comes to U.S. politics has always been a failure .... correction .... epic failures. That is why I know that all this talk of Russia influencing the U.S. election is bullshit ... because I know only too well on how out of touch they really are in understanding how U.S. politics works. The Russian establishment .... like the U.S. establishment .... never believed that Trump would win the Presidency. The Kremlin's focus was always on Hillary Clinton .... until after election day. I will never forget how shocked everyone was that night .... and how angry everyone was in the main stream media, progressive blogs, the foreign press, and the establishment in Washington DC. An outsider like Trump who has upset everyone's expectations is going to suffer blow-back ... especially in Washington where only 4% of the population voted for Trump.
And this anger has not dissipated .... in fact .... it has intensified to a level that I have never seen. I see it in the courts where judges ignore the law and focus their rulings on what is their opinion and perception of Donald Trump. I see it in Washington DC where leaks, allegations, and personal attacks .... through media surrogates .... has become the rule and not the exception. That is why I know that this attack on the Trump administration is not based on the intel community's fears that Trump and some of his aides are moles .... nope .... this is a political attack .... by people who have made the decision that Trump's election victory was illegitimate, that his policies and agenda cannot be adopted, and that he must be removed .... and they are using the tools of government to do it. If this is a Watergate .... the burglars are not the Trump administration .... it is those who have made the decision to abuse their oath and position to focus on smearing and destroying people that they disagree with .... while at some time blaming Trump for doing just that.
Will they succeed .... I doubt it. Trump's support among his base is solid .... and many are getting angry seeing how the Trump administration is being treated. Time is on the President's side. His people are being hired, and being put in positions to manage these bureaucracies. And the main stream media has been discredited to a level that I have never seen ... and at this rate it is only going to be discredited further.
Is this a good thing .... no. That is why I am becoming angry. Checks and balances are always needed .... and President Trump is definitely someone who has to be checked all the time. Unfortunately .... his opponents have blown it .... their credibility and biases are clear for everyone to see .... they have been losing elections and will now lose even more in the future because they will be tainted for being obstructionist and intolerant .... and the sad part of this story is that I do not think they even know it ... because they are so sure that they are right.
We have very different world views.
The Founder's set the US up with three equal, but seperate branches of government, the Executive, the House and Senate, and the Courts, to ensure as Adam's put it, "The Rule of Law, not of Man".
They wanted to ensure that here could be no King, and that no President, could set up an Imperial Presidency.
I've noticed a lust, and a longing on the Right since Clinton, for a King, an Imperial President, an Empire, a Hair Furour.
On the Russian's not understanding the US, we agree.
Why else would the Russian's, knowing full well how much surveillance they are constantly under, would they have tried to run cover and interference for Flynn?
That's because in Russia, the Executive, and Flynn's counterpart can bury the tapes, the transcripts, and shut down most of the media.
Not yet in America,
But as we have seen over the years with the Clintons, the Republican's have abandoned the Rule of Law, and have abandoned their role as a check on an Imperial Presidency, when it's a Republican, any Republican in office.
I think you are a spy.
Andrew
LOL LOL LOL
Thank you
My first laugh in the morning.
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