Senate Intelligence Committee report on Russian interference in the 2016 United States presidential election

Last updated
The redacted report, first volume of five volumes, of the Report of the Select Committee on Intelligence United States Senate on Russian Active Measures Campaigns and Interference in the 2016 U.S. Election was released to the public on July 25, 2019. Report of the Select Committee on Intelligence United States Senate on Russian Active Measures Campaigns and Interference in the 2016 U.S. Election Volume 1.pdf
The redacted report, first volume of five volumes, of the Report of the Select Committee on Intelligence United States Senate on Russian Active Measures Campaigns and Interference in the 2016 U.S. Election was released to the public on July 25, 2019.

The Senate Intelligence Committee report on Russian interference in the United States presidential election , officially titled Report of the Select Committee on Intelligence United States Senate on Russian Active Measures Campaigns and Interference in the 2016 U.S. Election, is the official report in five volumes documenting the findings and conclusions of the United States Senate Intelligence Committee concerning the Russian attack efforts against election infrastructure, Russia's use of social media to affect the election, the U.S. government's response to Russian activities, review of the Intelligence Community Assessment, and counterintelligence threats and vulnerabilities. The redacted report is 1,313 pages long. It is divided into five volumes.

Contents

The first volume of the report was released on July 25, 2019, and the fifth and last volume was released to the public on August, 18, 2020. [1] [2] The Senate Intelligence Committee's investigation extended more than three years, includes interviews of more than 200 witnesses, and reviews more than one million documents. [2] Marco Rubio, acting committee head, [lower-alpha 1] said that "no probe into this matter has been more exhaustive.” [4] On the stature of the report, the Senate Intelligence Committee said the report is "the most comprehensive description to date of Russia's activities and the threat they posed". [5]

The Republican-led Senate Intelligence Committee submitted the first part of its five-volume report in July 2019 in which it concluded that the January 2017 intelligence community assessment alleging Russian interference was "coherent and well-constructed". The first volume also concluded that the assessment was "proper", learning from analysts that there was "no politically motivated pressure to reach specific conclusions". The final and fifth volume, which was the result of three years of investigations, was released on August 18, 2020, [6] ending one of the United States "highest-profile congressional inquiries." [7] [8] The Committee report found that the Russian government had engaged in an "extensive campaign" to sabotage the election in favor of Donald Trump, which included assistance from some of Trump's own advisers. [7]

Like the Mueller report that preceded it, the report does not find a criminal conspiracy between Russia and the Trump campaign, but it does go further than the Mueller report in detailing the many suspicious links between Trump associates and Russian officials and spies. In particular, it describes Paul Manafort as "a grave counterintelligence threat". According to the report, "some evidence suggests" that Konstantin Kilimnik, to whom Manafort provided polling data, was directly connected to the Russian theft of Clinton-campaign emails. [9] [10] In addition, while Trump's written testimony in the Mueller report stated that he did not recall speaking with Roger Stone about WikiLeaks, the Senate report concludes that "Trump did, in fact, speak with Stone about WikiLeaks and with members of his Campaign about Stone's access to WikiLeaks on multiple occasions". [11]

Contents

The report was completely released on August 18, 2020, when the fifth volume was released. [2] Much of the report is redacted, shown as  .

Volume I: Russian Efforts Against Election Infrastructure

Volume I of the report is 67 pages long. In it, the committee describes "an unprecedented level of activity against state election infrastructure" by Russian intelligence in 2016. [12] The activity occurred in "all 50 states" and is thought by "many officials and experts" to have been "a trial run ... to probe American defenses and identify weaknesses in the vast back-end apparatus—voter-registration operations, state and local election databases, electronic poll books and other equipment" of state election systems. [13] The report warned that the United States "remains vulnerable" in the 2020 election. [12]

Of "particular concern" to the committee report was the Russians' hacking of three companies "that provide states with the back-end systems that have increasingly replaced the thick binders of paper used to verify voters' identities and registration status."

Volume II: Russia’s Use of Social Media

Volume II of the report is 85 pages long.

Volume III: U.S. Government Response to Russian Activities

Volume III of the report is 54 pages long.

Volume IV: Review of the Intelligence Community Assessment

Volume IV of the report is 158 pages long.

Volume V: Counterintelligence Threats and Vulnerabilities

Volume V of the report, with 966 pages, was released to the public on August 18, 2020, albeit heavily redacted. [14] [15] The report concluded that "the Russian government engaged in an aggressive, multi-faceted effort to influence, or attempt to influence, the outcome of the 2016 presidential election". [14] The report investigated "many aspects of the counterintelligence threat posed by the Russian influence operation", which targeted both the Trump campaign and the election. [15]

Findings on the hack and leak of Democratic Party material

The Senate Intelligence Committee concluded that Russian president Vladimir Putin had ordered the 2016 Democratic National Committee cyber attacks and the subsequent leaks of stolen material damaging to Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. [16]

The committee described that Trump's presidential campaign "sought to maximize the impact of those leaks to aid Trump’s electoral prospects". The Trump campaign "created messaging strategies to promote and share" the material, and "encouraged further leaks". The Trump campaign tasked Trump associate Roger Stone to gather information about WikiLeaks' release of the material; Stone reported to Trump or senior campaign members. [17]

Findings on Paul Manafort and Konstantin Kilimnik

The Senate Intelligence Committee assessed that Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort's "high-level access and willingness to share information with individuals closely affiliated with the Russian intelligence services" was a "grave counterintelligence threat". [15] The foremost individual was Manafort's employee Konstantin Kilimnik, a Russian. [15] The committee identified Kilimnik as a "Russian intelligence officer"; describing that Manafort and Kilimnik had a "close and lasting relationship" even through the 2016 election. [18] Manafort repeatedly tried to "secretly share internal Campaign information with Kilimnik", including "sensitive internal polling data or Campaign strategy". [18]

The Senate Intelligence Committee introduced a new allegation regarding Kilimnik, that he "may have been connected" to the Russian military intelligence's hack and leak of Democratic Party material. However, the report's discussions on this topic are redacted. [19] Manafort's connection with the Russian hack and leak operation is "largely unknown", but possible, given "two pieces of information" the committee found; the details of such information were also redacted. [18]

Findings on the Transition

The report in the Transition section of the report, mentions that "Russia took advantage of members of the Transition Team's relative inexperience in government, opposition to Obama Administration policies, and Trump's desire to deepen ties with Russia to pursue unofficial channels through which Russia could conduct diplomacy." [20] [21]

Background on Page and Limitations on the Committee's Investigation

Inspector General of the Department of Justice found serious FBI errors applying for surveillance on Carter Page, a former Trump campaign aide, while concluding that Page's travels in Russia and his past connections with Russian intelligence officers justified the FBI's concern. [11] [22] Despite Page producing electronic documents and sitting for an interview that lasted six and a half hours, "The Committee had significant challenges in its attempt to understand Page's activities, including his role as a foreign policy adviser to the Trump Campaign." [11] [23]

The Steele Dossier: Its Origins and Handling

The report notes that the Steele dossier, a private intelligence report written by Christopher Steele, alleging a "well-developed conspiracy of co-operation" between the Trump campaign and the Russian government, "found that the tradecraft reflected in the dossier is generally poor relative to IC standards; the Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) and many who the Committee spoke with at the FBI also found serious fault with Steele's tradecraft." [11] [24]

Additional Views of Senators Risch, Rubio, Blunt, Cotton, Cornyn, and Sasse

The aforementioned Republican Senators stated:

"The committee found no evidence that then-candidate Donald Trump or his campaign colluded with the Russian government in its efforts to meddle in the election... After more than three years of investigation by this Committee, we can now say with no doubt, there was no collusion." [25] [26]

Additional Views of Senators Heinrich, Feinstein, Wyden, Harris, and Bennet

The aforementioned Democratic Senators stated:

"It is our conclusion, based on the facts detailed in the Committee's Report, that the Russian intelligence services' assault on the integrity of the 2016 U.S. electoral process[,] and Trump and his associates' participation in and enabling of this Russian activity, represents one of the single most grave counterintelligence threats to American national security in the modern era." [27] [28]

Reactions

President Donald Trump

President Donald Trump, when asked about the report on August 18, 2020, said he "didn't read it". [29] [30]

Democrats

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer responded to the fifth volume release by saying "Despite nearly four years of repeated warnings from America’s national security officials, President Trump has failed to protect America’s elections and even opened the door for Vladimir Putin to again attack our country in the same insidious way." [31]

Russia

Russian state news service TASS responded to the release of the fifth volume on August 18, citing a statement by Dmitry Peskov, a spokesperson for Russian president Vladimir Putin, saying "The Kremlin regrets that as the U.S. presidential elections in November 2020 approach, more and more reports of alleged attempts by Russia to interfere in the electoral process will appear," such statements "have nothing to do with the truth." [32]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ The committee had been led by Senator Richard Burr (R-NC), until he stepped down from the chair position when the FBI began a probe of his stock-trading activities. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Manafort</span> American political consultant (born 1949)

Paul John Manafort Jr. is an American lobbyist, political consultant, and attorney. A long-time Republican Party campaign consultant, he chaired the Trump presidential campaign from June to August 2016. Manafort served as an adviser to the U.S. presidential campaigns of Republicans Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and Bob Dole. In 1980, he co-founded the Washington, D.C.–based lobbying firm Black, Manafort & Stone, along with principals Charles R. Black Jr. and Roger J. Stone, joined by Peter G. Kelly in 1984. Manafort often lobbied on behalf of foreign leaders such as former President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych, former dictator of the Philippines Ferdinand Marcos, former dictator of Zaire Mobutu Sese Seko, and Angolan guerrilla leader Jonas Savimbi. Lobbying to serve the interests of foreign governments requires registration with the Justice Department under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA); on June 27, 2017, he retroactively registered as a foreign agent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections</span>

The Russian government used espionage to interfere in the 2016 United States elections with the goals of sabotaging the presidential campaign of Hillary Clinton, boosting the presidential campaign of Donald Trump, and increasing political and social discord in the United States. According to the U.S. intelligence community, the operation—code named Project Lakhta —was ordered directly by Russian president Vladimir Putin. The 448-page Mueller report, made public in April 2019, examined over 200 contacts between the Trump campaign and Russian officials but concluded that there was insufficient evidence to bring any conspiracy or coordination charges against Trump or his associates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steele dossier</span> Political opposition research report regarding the 2016 US election

The Steele dossier, also known as the Trump–Russia dossier, is a controversial political opposition research report written by Christopher Steele that was published without permission as an unfinished 35-page compilation of unverified raw intelligence reports—"not established facts, but a starting point for further investigation". It was written from June to December 2016 and contains allegations of misconduct, conspiracy, and cooperation between Donald Trump's presidential campaign and the government of Russia prior to and during the 2016 election campaign. Several key allegations made in June 2016 were later corroborated by the January 2017 report by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, namely that Vladimir Putin favored Trump over Hillary Clinton; that he personally ordered an "influence campaign" to harm Clinton's campaign and to "undermine public faith in the US democratic process"; that he ordered cyberattacks on both parties; and that many Trump campaign officials and associates had numerous secretive contacts with Russian agents. While Steele's documents played a significant role in initially highlighting the general friendliness between Trump and the Putin administration, the veracity of specific allegations is highly variable. Some have been publicly confirmed, others are plausible but not specifically confirmed, and some are dubious in retrospect but not strictly disproven.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections</span>

This is a timeline of events related to Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Links between Trump associates and Russian officials</span>

Since Donald Trump was a 2016 candidate for the office of President of the United States, myriad suspicious links between Trump associates and Russian officials have been discovered by the FBI, Special counsel, and several United States congressional committees, as part of their investigations into the Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections. Following intelligence reports about the Russian interference, Trump and some of his campaign members, business partners, administration nominees, and family members were subjected to intense scrutiny to determine whether they had improper dealings during their contacts with Russian officials. Several people connected to the Trump campaign made false statements about those links and obstructed investigations. These investigations resulted in many criminal charges and indictments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mueller special counsel investigation</span> US investigation into Russian interference in US elections

The Robert Mueller special counsel investigation was an investigation into 45th U.S. president Donald Trump regarding Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections and was conducted by special prosecutor Robert Mueller from May 2017 to March 2019. It was also called the Russia investigation, the Mueller probe, and the Mueller investigation.

Konstantin Viktorovich Kilimnik is a Russian–Ukrainian political consultant. In the United States, he became a person of interest in multiple investigations regarding Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections, particularly due to his ties with Paul Manafort, an American political consultant, who was a campaign chairman for Donald Trump.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of investigations into Donald Trump and Russia (January–June 2017)</span>

This is a timeline of major events in the first half of 2017 related to the investigations into links between associates of Donald Trump and Russian officials and spies that are suspected of being inappropriate, relating to Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections. Following the timeline of Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections before and after July 2016 up until election day November 8 and the post-election transition, this article begins with Donald Trump and Mike Pence being sworn into office on January 20, 2017, and is followed by the second half of 2017. The investigations continued in the first and second halves of 2018, the first and second halves of 2019, 2020, and 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of investigations into Donald Trump and Russia (January–June 2018)</span>

This is a timeline of major events in first half of 2018 related to the investigations into links between associates of Donald Trump and Russian officials and spies that are suspected of being inappropriate, relating to Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections. It follows the timeline of Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections before and after July 2016 up until election day November 8, the transition, and the first and second halves of 2017, but precedes the second half of 2018, the first and second halves of 2019, 2020, and 2021. These events are related to, but distinct from, Russian interference in the 2018 United States elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of investigations into Donald Trump and Russia (January–June 2019)</span>

This is a timeline of events in the first half of 2019 related to investigations into the many suspicious links between Trump associates and Russian officials and spies relating to the Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections. It follows the timeline of Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections, both before and after July 2016, until November 8, 2016, the transition, the first and second halves of 2017, the first and second halves of 2018, and followed by the second half of 2019, 2020, and 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crossfire Hurricane (FBI investigation)</span> 2016–2017 US counterintelligence investigation of Donald Trumps associates

Crossfire Hurricane was the code name for the counterintelligence investigation undertaken by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) from July 31, 2016, to May 17, 2017, into links between Donald Trump's presidential campaign and Russia and "whether individuals associated with [Trump's] presidential campaign were coordinating, wittingly or unwittingly, with the Russian government's efforts to interfere in the 2016 U.S. presidential election". Trump was not personally under investigation until May 2017, when his firing of FBI director James Comey raised suspicions of obstruction of justice, which triggered the Mueller investigation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Topical timeline of Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections</span>

This is a timeline of events related to Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections, sorted by topics. It also includes events described in investigations into the many suspicious links between Trump associates and Russian officials and spies. Those investigations continued in 2017, the first and second halves of 2018, and 2019, largely as parts of the Crossfire Hurricane FBI investigation, the Special Counsel investigation, multiple ongoing criminal investigations by several State Attorneys General, and the investigation resulting in the Inspector General report on FBI and DOJ actions in the 2016 election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of post-election transition following Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections</span>

This is a chronology of significant events in 2016 and 2017 related to the many suspicious links between Trump associates and Russian officials and spies during the Trump presidential transition and the Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections. Following the timeline of Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections before and after July 2016, this article begins on November 8 and ends with Donald Trump and Mike Pence being sworn into office on January 20, 2017. The investigations continued in the first and second halves of 2017, the first and second halves of 2018, the first and second halves of 2019, 2020, and 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conspiracy theories related to the Trump–Ukraine scandal</span> Dispute about Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. elections

Since 2016, then-presidential candidate Donald Trump and his allies have promoted several conspiracy theories related to the Trump–Ukraine scandal. One such theory seeks to blame Ukraine, instead of Russia, for interference in the 2016 United States presidential election. Also among the conspiracy theories are accusations against Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden, and several elements of the right-wing Russia investigation origins counter-narrative. American intelligence believes that Russia engaged in a years long campaign to frame Ukraine for the 2016 election interference, that the Kremlin is the prime mover behind promotion of the fictitious alternative narratives, and that these are harmful to the United States. FBI director Christopher A. Wray stated to ABC News that "We have no information that indicates that Ukraine interfered with the 2016 presidential election" and that "as far as the [2020] election itself goes, we think Russia represents the most significant threat."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of investigations into Donald Trump and Russia (July–December 2018)</span>

This is a timeline of major events in second half of 2018 related to the investigations into the many suspicious links between Trump associates and Russian officials and spies relating to the Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections. It follows the timeline of Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections before and after July 2016 up until election day November 8, and the transition, the first and second halves of 2017, and the first half of 2018, but precedes that of the first and second halves of 2019, 2020, and 2021. These events are related to, but distinct from, Russian interference in the 2018 United States elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of investigations into Donald Trump and Russia (July–December 2017)</span>

This is a timeline of major events in the second half of 2017 related to the investigations into the many suspicious links between Trump associates and Russian officials and spies relating to the Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections. It follows the timeline of Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections before and after July 2016 up until election day November 8, the post-election transition, and the first half of 2017. The investigations continued in the first and second halves of 2018, the first and second halves of 2019, 2020, and 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections (July 2016 – election day)</span> Major events prior to Trumps inauguration

This is a timeline of events related to Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of investigations into Donald Trump and Russia (2020–2022)</span>

This is a timeline of events from 2020 to 2022 related to investigations into the many suspicious links between Trump associates and Russian officials and spies relating to the Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections. It follows the timeline of Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections, both before and after July 2016, until November 8, 2016, election day, the transition, the first and second halves of 2017, the first and second halves of 2018, and the first and second halves of 2019.

<i>Where Law Ends</i> 2020 non-fiction book by Andrew Weissmann

Where Law Ends: Inside the Mueller Investigation is a best-selling non-fiction book written by Andrew Weissmann, a former Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA), and later a General Counsel of the Federal Bureau of Investigation from 2011 to 2013. Released by Random House on September 29, 2020, the widely read book gives an insider's view into Department of Justice special counsel Robert Mueller's highly controversial investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election of Donald Trump.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Ukraine Hoax: Impeachment, Biden Cash, and Mass Murder</span> Documentary film

The Ukraine Hoax: Impeachment, Biden Cash, and Mass Murder is a documentary film. Several news outlets have suggested that this documentary was propaganda produced by Russian intelligence agents Konstantin Kilimnik and Andrii Derkach, an inference made after a declassified US intelligence report stated that a "documentary that aired on a US television network in late January 2020" was Russian propaganda but did not specify the network or documentary.

References

  1. ↑ Farrington, Dana (25 July 2019). "READ: Senate Intelligence Report On Russian Interference In The 2016 Election". NPR.org. Archived from the original on 2021-02-15. Retrieved 2020-08-19.
  2. 1 2 3 "Press | Intelligence Committee". www.intelligence.senate.gov. Archived from the original on 2021-02-15. Retrieved 2020-08-19.
  3. ↑ Bolton, Alexander (May 15, 2020). "Burr problem grows for GOP". Archived from the original on February 15, 2021. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  4. ↑ "Senate Intel Committee Concludes Russia Took Advantage of 'Inexperienced' Trump Team, FBI Gave Steele Dossier Too Much 'Credence'". news.yahoo.com. 18 August 2020. Archived from the original on 2021-02-15. Retrieved 2020-08-19.
  5. ↑ "Trump campaign Russia ties were 'grave threat'". BBC News. 2020-08-19. Archived from the original on 2021-02-15. Retrieved 2020-08-19.
  6. ↑ Treene, Zachary; Basu, Alayna (August 18, 2020). "Senate report finds Manafort passed sensitive campaign data to Russian intelligence officer". Axios. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
  7. 1 2 Mazzetti, Mark; Fandos, Nicholas (August 18, 2020). "G.O.P.-Led Senate Panel Details Ties Between 2016 Trump Campaign and Russian Interference". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on February 9, 2021. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
  8. ↑ "Russian Efforts Against Election Infrastructure With Additional Views" (PDF). Report Of The Select Committee On Intelligence United States Senate On Russian Active Measures Campaigns And Interference In The 2016 U.S. Election (Report). Vol. 1. 2020. p. 67. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2019-07-27. Retrieved 2020-08-19.
  9. ↑ Mallin, Alexander; Mosk, Matthew; Pecorin, Allison. "Senate report details Russia's efforts to meddle in 2016, ties to Trump associates". ABC News . Archived from the original on 2021-02-15. Retrieved 2020-08-19.
  10. ↑ Miller, Greg; Demirjian, Karoun (August 18, 2020). "Senate report details security risk posed by 2016 Trump campaign's Russia contacts". Washington Post. Retrieved 2020-08-25.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Dilanian, Ken (August 18, 2020). "Six revelations in Senate intel report on 2016 Russian interference". NBC News . Archived from the original on February 15, 2021. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  12. 1 2 Sanger, David E.; Edmondson, Catie (25 July 2019). "Russia Targeted Election Systems in All 50 States, Report Finds". The New York Times. New York Times. Archived from the original on 27 July 2019. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
  13. ↑ Rosenberg, Matthew; Perlroth, Nicole; Sanger, David E. (10 January 2020). "'Chaos Is the Point': Russian Hackers and Trolls Grow Stealthier in 2020". The New York Times. New York Times. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
  14. 1 2 Prokop, Andrew (August 18, 2020). "The Senate Intelligence Committee's new Russia report, explained". Vox . Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  15. 1 2 3 4 Scribner, Herb (August 18, 2020). "The Senate Intelligence Committee released a new report on the 2016 election investigation. Here's what it said". Deseret News . Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  16. ↑ Mallin, Alexander; Mosk, Matthew; Pecorin, Allison (August 19, 2020). "Senate report details Russia's efforts to meddle in 2016, ties to Trump associates". ABC News . Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  17. ↑ Spencer, Saranac (9 October 2020). "Partisan Claims of 'Russia Hoax' Revived Ahead of 2020 Election". FactCheck.org. Archived from the original on February 15, 2021. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  18. 1 2 3 Bump, Philip (August 18, 2020). "New evidence revives an old question: What counts as Trump-Russia collusion?". The Washington Post . Archived from the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  19. ↑ Wire, Sarah; Megerian, Chris (August 18, 2020). "Senate panel: Trump 2016 camp contacted Russian intelligence". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on September 16, 2020. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  20. ↑ "Senate Intel Committee Concludes Russia Took Advantage of 'Inexperienced' Trump Team, FBI Gave Steele Dossier Too Much 'Credence'". news.yahoo.com. 18 August 2020. Archived from the original on 2021-02-15. Retrieved 2020-08-19.
  21. ↑ "(U) Russia took advantage of members of the Transition Team's relative inexperience in government, opposition to Obama Administration policies, and Trump's desire to deepen ties with Russia to pursue unofficial channels through which Russia could conduct diplomacy." Counterintelligence Threats and Vulnerabilities" Archived 2021-01-22 at the Wayback Machine , p. xii
  22. ↑ "3663 (U) The Carter Page FISA order and renewals are examined in detail in the DOJ OIG FISA Report. While there were several problems with the FBI's FISA renewals for Page, the Committee assesses that Page's previous ties to Russian intelligence officers, coupled with his Russian travel, justified the FBI's initial concerns about Page." "Volume V: Counterintelligence Threats and Vulnerabilities" Archived 2021-01-22 at the Wayback Machine , p. 555
  23. ↑ "(U) The Committee had significant challenges in its attempt to understand Page's activities, including his role as a foreign policy adviser to the Trump Campaign." "Volume V: Counterintelligence Threats and Vulnerabilities" Archived 2021-01-22 at the Wayback Machine , p. 529
  24. ↑ "The Committee found that the tradecraft reflected in the dossier is generally poor relative to IC standards; the Department ofJustice (DOJ) Office of the Inspector General (OIG)5651 and many who the Committee spoke with at the FBI also found serious fault with Steele's tradecraft. For example, FBI and DOJ OIG investigations discovered that Steele's sources were sometimes several steps removed from the information they provided, and Steele did not adequately convey that separation in the memos. Further, some information Steele logically would have known did not appear in the documents for unclear reasons, and the Committee found several opportunities for interested parties to insert disinformation." "Volume V: Counterintelligence Threats and Vulnerabilities" Archived 2021-01-22 at the Wayback Machine , p. 846
  25. ↑ "Volume V: Counterintelligence Threats and Vulnerabilities" Archived 2021-01-22 at the Wayback Machine , p. 941
  26. ↑ Blake, Aaron (August 19, 2020). "Analysis - Marco Rubio's curious summary of his committee's Russia report". The Washington Post . Retrieved May 26, 2022. In other words [Blake writes], it's not a report that treats this as a settled issue in any way. It seems to go out of its way to say precisely the opposite and raise the possibility of coordination. It repeatedly calls the Manafort-Kilimnik nexus the centerpiece of its investigation. It notes that we unfortunately have limited insight into these very significant events, but that some evidence does indeed point to the Trump campaign chairman's potential implication in Russia's efforts.
  27. ↑ "Volume V: Counterintelligence Threats and Vulnerabilities" Archived 2021-01-22 at the Wayback Machine , p. 948
  28. ↑ "Trump campaign Russia contacts were 'grave threat', says Senate report". BBC News . August 19, 2020. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  29. ↑ "Trump campaign Russia ties were 'grave threat'". BBC News. 2020-08-19. Archived from the original on 2021-02-15. Retrieved 2020-08-19.
  30. ↑ Colson, Thomas. "Trump told Putin 'I'm a big fan of yours' and asked him to be the guest of honor at a Miss Universe pageant, in a series of fawning letters". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 2021-02-15. Retrieved 2020-08-19.
  31. ↑ Marks, Riley, Joseph, Tonya (August 19, 2020). "The Cybersecurity 202: Democrats use Senate's Russia report to make their closing argument against Trump". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on February 15, 2021. Retrieved August 19, 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  32. ↑ Shinkman, Paul D. (August 18, 2020). "Russia Fires Back at Senate Report on 2016 Election Interference, Trump Ties". U.S. News & World Report. Archived from the original on 2021-02-15. Retrieved 2020-08-19.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.