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Spicer Personally Arranged Calls with Intelligence Officials

February 27, 2017 at 7:14 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer personally picked up the phone and connected outside officials with reporters to try to discredit a New York Times article about Trump campaign aides’ contact with Russia, then remained on the line for the brief conversations,” Mike Allen reports.

“The officials reached by Spicer were CIA Director Mike Pompeo and Senate Select Intelligence Committee Chair Richard Burr (R-NC), according to a senior administration official. The reporters were from The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal, the official said. Spicer provided reporters’ phone numbers to House Intelligence Committee Chair Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), who offered to make the calls himself.”

GOP Senators Seemingly Embrace Russia Probe

February 25, 2017 at 7:30 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“A Senate Intelligence Committee investigation of Russia’s effort to influence last year’s U.S. election is shaping up as an unexpectedly bipartisan effort that could take months to complete as it explores the most significant controversy shadowing the new Trump administration,” Bloomberg reports.

“The investigation, which will involve scouring highly classified material, is still in its early stages, but Republicans are so far joining Democrats on the panel in pledging to conduct it in a serious manner.”

Issa Calls for Special Prosecutor on Russia Ties

February 25, 2017 at 7:01 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) called for a special prosecutor to oversee the investigation into Trump associates’ contacts with Russia, the San Diego Union Tribune reports.

Said Issa: “You cannot have somebody, a friend of mine Jeff Sessions, who was on the campaign and who is an appointee. You’re going to need to use the special prosecutor’s statute and office to take — not just to recuse. You can’t just give it to your deputy. That’s another political appointee.”

White House Sought Help to Counter Russia Stories

February 24, 2017 at 7:45 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The Trump administration has enlisted senior members of the intelligence community and Congress in efforts to counter news stories about Trump associates’ ties to Russia, a politically charged issue that has been under investigation by the FBI as well as lawmakers now defending the White House,” the Washington Post reports.

“Acting at the behest of the White House, the officials made calls to news organizations last week in attempts to challenge stories about alleged contacts between members of President Trump’s campaign team and Russian intelligence operatives… The White House insisted the officials speak on the condition of anonymity — a practice President Trump has condemned.”

Most Want Investigation Into Trump’s Russia Ties

February 24, 2017 at 5:27 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll finds that 53% of Americans believe that Congress should investigate whether Donald Trump’s presidential campaign had contact with the Russian government in 2016, while only 25% say that lawmakers should not probe the issue.

A similar share — 54% — believe that Congress should look into Russian interference in the election generally, while 29% disagree.

Russia Was Surprised Trump Won

February 24, 2017 at 7:50 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

New Yorker: “For many national-security officials, the e-mail hacks were part of a larger, and deeply troubling, picture: Putin’s desire to damage American confidence and to undermine the Western alliances— diplomatic, financial, and military—that have shaped the postwar world.”

“The working theory among intelligence officials involved in the case is that the Russian approach—including hacking, propaganda, and contacts with Trump associates—was an improvisation rather than a long-standing plan.”

Said one official: “After the election, there were a lot of Embassy communications — to Moscow — saying, stunned, ‘What we do now?'”

FBI Refused to Knock Down Trump-Russia Stories

February 23, 2017 at 6:29 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The FBI rejected a recent White House request to publicly knock down media reports about communications between Donald Trump’s associates and Russians known to US intelligence during the 2016 presidential campaign,” CNN reports.

“White House officials had sought the help of the bureau and other agencies investigating the Russia matter to say that the reports were wrong and that there had been no contacts.”

“The direct communications between the White House and the FBI were unusual because of decade-old restrictions on such contacts. Such a request from the White House is a violation of procedures that limit communications with the FBI on pending investigations.”

Russian State Media Stops Talking About Trump

February 22, 2017 at 9:56 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

The Economist: “In the months following Donald Trump’s election, Russian media fell hard for their brash new beau. Television anchors and columnists lauded Mr Trump’s promises to rebuild relations with Russia… In January, Mr Trump was mentioned more often in the Russian press than Vladimir Putin himself. ”

“Yet just as suddenly as he appeared, the triumphant image of Mr Trump has largely vanished from Russian television sets. In the past week, as the Trump administration has issued increasingly conflicting signals on its policy toward Russia, the country’s news programmes have overlooked his activities, and commentators have taken up a decidedly more skeptical spirit. The firing of the Russia-friendly Michael Flynn as national security adviser may have caused some consternation in the Kremlin. So too did the White House’s statement last week that it expected Russia to ‘return’ Crimea to Ukraine.”

One Republican Would Subpoena Trump’s Taxes

February 22, 2017 at 5:44 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) told Maine Public Radio that she wants a vigorous investigation into Russia’s attempts to influence last fall’s presidential election.

“Asked whether that could include issuing a subpoena for the tax returns that Trump has refused to release, Collins said it could if that is what is required to find out if the president had undisclosed connections to the Russians.”

Said Collins: “I don’t know whether we will need to do that. If it is necessary to get to the answers, then I suspect that we would.”

Explaining Trump’s Relationship with Putin

February 20, 2017 at 8:35 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“It’s a bit weird. You’ve been objectively nicer to Vladimir Putin than you have to Meryl Streep.”

Putin Briefed on Trump’s Psychological Makeup

February 20, 2017 at 8:25 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A dossier on Donald Trump’s psychological makeup is being prepared for Russian President Vladimir Putin, NBC News reports.

“Among the preliminary conclusions? The new American leader is a risk-taker but can be naïve, according to a senior Kremlin adviser.”

“It is normal for any president or leader to be fully briefed before entering negotiations for the first time with a rival leader, but preparing a detailed dossier on the mind and instincts of a U.S. leader is unusual.”

Who Gave Flynn the Orders to Talk to Russia?

February 18, 2017 at 11:21 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

New Yorker: “Even before Flynn’s rapid fall, his closest military colleagues had been struggling to make sense of what had happened to the talented and grounded general they once knew… Some of Flynn’s former military colleagues, even those from whom he’s drifted apart in recent years, told me they were skeptical that Flynn would have conducted shadow diplomacy on his own. Despite his reputation as an agitator, he was, in the end, a soldier who followed orders, they said.”

Said one intelligence official: “This story is bigger than Mike Flynn. Who told Mike to go do this? I think somebody said, ‘Mike, you’ve got some contacts. Let them know it’s gonna be all right.’ Mike’s a soldier. He did not go rogue.’”

House Committee Probes Russian Payment to Flynn

February 17, 2017 at 6:22 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“In an unusual bipartisan letter, House Oversight and Government Reform committee chair Rep. Jason Chaffetz and ranking minority member Rep. Elijah Cummings have asked a Washington-based speakers bureau, Leading Authorities, to turn over information on how much Flynn was paid for his appearance at an event celebrating the 10th anniversary of RT — the Russian-government funded news organization — where he sat at the same table for dinner as President Vladimir Putin,” Yahoo News reports.

Meanwhile, The Hill reports the Pentagon says it “has not discovered any evidence former national security adviser Michael Flynn received authorization to accept money for a paid Russian state TV event in 2015.”

Exchange of the Day

February 17, 2017 at 4:28 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

From Sen. Mitch McConnell’s press conference today:

QUESTION: Trump has said nobody in his campaign has been in contact with Russian officials. Do you believe him?

McCONNELL: I have no idea.

Flynn Told FBI He Didn’t Discuss Sanctions with Russia

February 16, 2017 at 5:11 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn denied to FBI agents in an interview last month that he had discussed U.S. sanctions against Russia with that country’s ambassador to the United States before President Trump took office, contradicting the contents of intercepted communications collected by intelligence agencies,” the Washington Post reports.

“The Jan. 24 interview potentially puts Flynn in legal jeopardy, as lying to the FBI is a felony, but any decision to prosecute would ultimately lie with the Justice Department.”

Kremlin Tells Media to Cut Back Coverage of Trump

February 16, 2017 at 11:30 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The Kremlin ordered state media to cut way back on their fawning coverage of President Donald Trump, reflecting a growing concern among senior Russian officials that the new U.S. administration will be less friendly than first thought,” Bloomberg reports.

“The order comes amid a growing chorus of anti-Russian sentiment in Washington, where U.S. spy and law-enforcement agencies are conducting multiple investigations to determine the full extent of contacts Trump’s advisers had with Russia during and after the 2016 election campaign.”

Who Told Flynn to Call Russia?

February 16, 2017 at 8:14 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Daniel Benjamin: “As official Washington and the press home in on the permanent disarray in the White House, whether the disgraced Flynn broke the law and who will succeed him after his three-week tenure, the key question is getting lost in the shuffle: Who told Flynn to call Sergey Kislyak, the Russian ambassador to the United States? Because I’m convinced Flynn didn’t do it of his own accord. Flynn is a bit player in a much larger story regarding the president’s relationship with the Kremlin, and it’s this story the press needs to focus on.”

GOP Senators Wary of Trump’s Ties to Russia

February 16, 2017 at 8:09 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Senate Republicans are expressing growing concerns about the relationship between the Trump administration and Russia,” The Hill reports.

“While Republicans aren’t yet willing to endorse a special investigative committee, GOP senators have indicated that could change.”

Politico: “The GOP needs the president to sign off on its agenda, so Republicans on Capitol Hill are still brushing off calls for an independent investigation into communications between Trump’s team and the Russian government, despite the drip-drip of new revelations. But Republicans readily acknowledge that the investigation chatter is quickly engulfing any legislative momentum they gained after their resounding victories last November.”

For members: What Are Trump’s Ties to Russia?