Democrats' and media's Trump-Russia collusion narrative falls apart

No narrative is more at the heart of the Democrats’ and media’s Trump-Russia collusion charges than reports that Paul Manafort regularly communicated with Moscow during the 2016 campaign.

Now, that narrative has all but collapsed, according to an examination of the year-old official public record.

The allegations:

Christopher Steele’s Democratic Party-financed dossier said Mr. Manafort worked with Russia to coordinate the hacking of Democratic Party computers.

In addition, a number of media reports last year claimed that Mr. Manafort, Mr. Trump’s erstwhile campaign manager, sought Russia’s help to bolster his candidate. U.S. surveillance captured the collusion in copious amounts of phone records, the stories said.

CNN declared in September: “Special counsel Robert Mueller’s team, which is leading the investigation into Russia’s involvement in the election, has been provided details of these communications.”

But that and similar reports seemed to be dashed by Kevin Downing, Mr. Manafort’s attorney. He filed a brief in U.S. District Court subject to an accuracy review by a federal judge. In a cut-and-dried manner, he said Mr. Mueller has no evidence that Mr. Manafort communicated with Russian officials.

Mr. Downing is defending Mr. Manafort against federal charges that he laundered money paid by Ukrainian politicians and failed to pay income taxes.

In his filing, Mr. Downing said he specifically asked the Mueller team for any such surveillance evidence during mandatory evidence discovery. Mr. Mueller’s prosecutors answered that they had none. Prosecutors risk having charges dismissed if they fail to comply with discovery rules.

“The special counsel has not produced any materials to the defense — no tapes, notes, transcripts or any other material evidencing surveillance or intercepts of communications between Mr. Manafort and Russian intelligence officials, Russian government officials [or any other foreign officials],” Mr. Downing’s filing said. “The Office of Special Counsel has advised that there are no materials responsive to the request.”

Mr. Downing called the CNN report and others an “elaborate hoax.”

The CNN report said: “Some of the intelligence collected includes communications that sparked concerns among investigators that Manafort had encouraged the Russians to help with the campaign, according to three sources familiar with the investigation.”

In August 2017, the cable news channel said: “CNN has learned that investigators became more suspicious when they turned up intercepted communications that U.S. intelligence agencies collected among suspected Russian operatives discussing their efforts to work with Manafort, who served as campaign chairman for three months, to coordinate information that could damage Hillary Clinton’s election prospects, the U.S. officials say. The suspected operatives relayed what they claimed were conversations with Manafort, encouraging help from the Russians.”

Again, Mr. Mueller, according to Mr. Downing, has asserted to him that prosecutors have no such material.

The New York Times has reported repeatedly that the government owns intercepts of Mr. Manafort and other Trump aides talking to Russians.

A story that appeared hours before President Trump was inaugurated said: “American law enforcement and intelligence agencies are examining intercepted communications and financial transactions as part of a broad investigation into possible links between Russian officials and associates of President-elect Donald J. Trump, including his former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, current and former senior American officials said.”

Rest of story above as image

https:// www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/may/27/democrats-and-medias-trump-russia-collusion-narrat/

Rudy Giuliani: Mueller's Russia investigation is 'rigged,' no longer legitimate

Rudolph Giuliani, one of President Trump’s lawyers, said Sunday he no longer thinks special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into Russian ties to the president’s 2016 campaign is legitimate, calling it a “rigged” investigation.

“Not anymore, I don’t,” Mr. Giuliani said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “I did when I came in.

He cited recent allegations that the FBI may have planted a secret informant in Mr. Trump’s campaign, as well as recent comments from Judge T.S. Ellis III expressing skepticism about ties between the financial dealings of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and potential coordination with the Russian government.

He also said Mr. Trump does still want to sit for an interview with Mr. Mueller.

“He is adamant in wanting to do it, but we’re more convinced as we see it that this is a rigged investigation,” Mr. Giuliani said.

FBI and Justice Department officials briefed members of Congress last week about Stefan Halper, who reportedly set up meetings with members of Mr. Trump’s campaign in 2016 while appearing to be working as an informant for the FBI’s counterintelligence investigation into Russian involvement in the 2016 presidential campaign.

White House Chief of Staff John Kelly and White House lawyer Emmet Flood briefly attended the start of the briefings, but apparently left after making introductory remarks.

Mr. Giuliani defended their presence, saying the president has a right to be kept informed about the situation.

“I think the White House has every right to know. The president has every right to know as commander-in-chief,” he said.

But Rep. Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said he told Mr. Flood at one of the meetings that he had no business being there.

Mr. Schiff said the meeting was always meant to provide Mr. Trump’s legal team with information about an investigation that potentially implicates the president.

“That is completely improper,” Mr. Schiff said on ABC’s “This Week.”

Mr. Schiff also said there is “no evidence” to support the theory that the FBI planted a “spy” in Mr. Trump’s campaign.

“This is part of the propaganda machine: let’s spread a completely fallacious story, and then let’s say that it needs to be investigated and give it a life of its own,” he said.

https:// www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/may/27/rudy-giuliani-robert-muellers-russia-investigation/

Rep. Mark Meadows: 'No question' there was a 'spy' collecting info during 2016 campaign

Rep. Mark Meadows said Sunday there’s “no question” there was a “spy” collecting information during the 2016 Trump presidential campaign, and the real question is when the intelligence-gathering began.

“There is no question that there was a spy that was collecting information, and the definition of that: somebody who does something in secret without the knowledge of another person,” Mr. Meadows said on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”

“You have to ask the question: when did it start?” said Mr. Meadows, North Carolina Republican. “We do know those confidential human sources were engaging prior to the official FBI investigation, so the question [is], at whose direction? What were they collecting and who were they reporting to? Because that was happening before the FBI actually opened an investigation.”

Justice Department officials briefed members of Congress last week about Stefan Halper, who reportedly set up meetings with members of Mr. Trump’s campaign while also working as an informant for the FBI in the bureau’s counterintelligence investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Congressional Democrats issued a joint statement after the briefings saying that nothing changed their view that there isn’t evidence to support allegations from some Republicans that the FBI or any U.S. intelligence agency placed a “spy” in the Trump campaign.

Sen. Marco Rubio said Sunday on CBS that he also hasn’t seen evidence that there was an embedded spy in the Trump campaign.

“I haven’t seen any yet but maybe there is, and if it’s there, we’ll find it and we want to know about it,” said Mr. Rubio, Florida Republican.

“It is the FBI’s job to investigate counterintelligence and that there are people out there with a known history of potential links to a foreign power and they are operating in the orbit of any political campaign or any political office,” he said. “It is the FBI’s job to look at them and find out what they’re up to, and so far that appears to be what happened.”

https:// www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/may/27/rep-mark-meadows-nc-republican-no-question-a-spy-c/

Sen. Roy Blunt on North Korea: Visible results needed before U.S. creates any 'benefits'

Sen. Roy Blunt said Sunday that potential talks with North Korea can produce results, but all sides need to be on the same page before a meeting takes place between President Trump and North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un.

“There needs to be a strong understanding of what both sides, what all three sides, frankly, mean by denuclearization,” Mr. Blunt said on “Fox News Sunday,” referring to the U.S., North Korea and South Korea.

“What was probably surprising to them was the president’s agreement initially to meet and then his willingness to say ‘hey, if this is not a serious meeting, I don’t want to have it,’” said Mr. Blunt, Missouri Republican. “I do think some things need to happen here before we meet and hopefully they will.”

The president abruptly canceled the June 12 summit with Mr. Kim on Thursday before saying over the weekend that things could still proceed.

But Mr. Kim met with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in an impromptu gathering on Saturday in the Demilitarized Zone between the two countries as all parties continue the talks.

“We’ve got the South Korean president, I believe, providing a great benefit in this discussion, unless we are not all communicating in the same way,” Mr. Blunt said.

“You know, what does denuclearization mean? What do they expect to see happen? And I think these talks can produce results. But we need results and they need to be very visible before the United States creates any benefits,” he said.

https:// www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/may/27/roy-blunt-missouri-senator-on-north-korea-visible-/