Walid Phares testimony

CPRT-116IG00-D064

>>9086268 >>9086307 >>9086342 >>9086362

Only thing that really stood out to me was Fabien Baussart and Randa Kassis:

Fabien Baussart (25 January 1973) is the founder and president of the think tank Center of Political and Foreign Affairs (CPFA),[1][2] which organizes events and discussions on various geopolitical topics around the world[3][4] with prominent political figures such as Zbigniew Brzezinski, Kofi Annan, José María Aznar, Mohamed ElBaradei, and Al Gore.[5][6]

Randa Kassis (Arabic: ‎) is a Franco-Syrian politician and a leading secular figure of the Syrian opposition. She is the President of The Astana Platform of the Syrian opposition and the founder of the Movement of the Pluralistic Society.[1]

Q Do you know who a person named Fabien Baussert or, in French, Fabien Baussert is?

A Fabien Baussert? That name, I may have heard that name, but it doesn't bring me any recollection. Is he a lawyer?

Q He is married to a woman named Randa Kassis.

A That is from my region. The best of my recollection now is the names are not totally alien to me, but I don't recall where did I see him, see the names or else.

Q So the public reporting on this trip suggests that this organization, the Center for Political and Foreign Affairs, as well as the Movement for a Pluralistic Society –

A Movement for?

Q A Pluralistic Society. Invited Donald Trump Jr., the son of then-candidate Trump, in October, to speak in Paris, and this organization's primary focus until then had been on the Syria conflict.

A Of the Syria conflict. Okay.

Q Yes. So the Movement for a Pluralistic Society has been reported in the press at least to be, quote/unquote, "close to Russia," and there are questions about whether or not it also has either sympathies for or even possibly contacts with the regime of Bashar Assad. Does any of this ring a bell to you?

A Yes. The more we review, the more my memory starts to shed light on one name, Randa Kassis. That name, I can't tell you anything at this point in time because I don't recall, but that name came in the sphere of those who dealt with Syria, and I could check if you want for later to see if it's the sphere of Assad. That's why I was – when you mentioned the name, I have heard that name. But this is something I cannot report now.

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Q So the second page, which is written by Mr. Papadopoulos on March 24, 2016, was written to several members of what appear to be the foreign policy advisory team, including Carter Page, Sam Clovis, Keith Kellog, Berg Mizusawa, Chuck Kubic, Joseph Schmitz, and then which I believe is your email; is that correct? A That's correct. Q And Michael Glassner, and the title of email is: "Meeting with Russian Leadership, including Putin."

"Furthermore, Mifsud is good friends with the soon-to-be next Prime Minister of Vietnam. He asked for me to join him on a trip there to meet with the next leader. Perhaps this is of interest to the rest of the campaign team as well." So the first question I just have is, you mentioned that you may have records in your own personal email from George Papadopoulos. Do you believe this may be one of them?

A I do know this is one of them.

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A Let me explain it, because I saw it – I was planning on explaining this email. You know, on AOL, if you receive emails, they stay dark thick if you don't open them, and they would become clear when you actually open them. This is an email that I read way after I received it. So it was because we were receiving emails and emails, and that was one among them, and there are others as well.But when I went back and read it, I realized that he had sent it before, but of course, now, I know that he had sent the email.

Q Do you know, roughly, when you would have read it and opened it for the first time?

A It should have been within weeks, but I don't remember exactly when.

Q But, presumably, after the meeting with the Candidate on March 31st?

A After March, yes.

Q And after your – so that would also be after the lunch that you mentioned after the meeting with the Candidate where you discussed –

A In the best of my recollection, it should have been because had I read all that email before, of course I would have seen him in a different lens. But these are all the best I can recollect, of course. From November 9 onward, to now, I have had no communications, neither with the transition team, nor with the administration, except, within the transition team, the media person, Bryan Lanza was in touch with us because we were in a transition ourselves, the former advisers, he would tell us, for example, that when you make those statements, although you are former advisers and you are not in the transition, keep in mind, basically, that if you would be asked to serve, keep in mind those statements won't be reflecting later on. But it had no effect on my statements.

Q Between December 13th and 19th, was there any reply or communication from either you or from Rebecca to Mr. Shevchenko (ph)?

A I can certainly check with Rebecca (ph) if she had answered in between those two dates. I don't have any recall myself that I have responded.

Q And the 19th includes – the email on the 19th addressed to Rebecca (ph) reflects: We're doing a request. This time it's to arrange a meeting between you and Alexi Skosyrev, S-k-o-s-y-r-e-v. Had you ever meet Alexi before?

A I don't remember, the best of my remembrance, I had met with him.

Q And between December 19th and December 29th, did either you or Rebecca (ph) make any reply or response to this offer?

A That, I can ask Rebecca (ph), because I am not aware of every detail

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A To the best of my recollection – and let's keep in mind that it was so intense, we were under the pressure of a lot of information coming in – I don't recall who informed me, but what I've learned is that he was in connection with Mr. Bannon to work on Orthodox communities in America.

Q You mean Orthodox Christian?

A Christian Orthodox communities.

Q Any idea what that means in practice?

A It that's now, I'm explaining, so –

Q No. No. Or what it meant in practice.

A Oh.

Q Like, what was this proposal? If you could flesh out, to the extent that you're aware?

A Well, the one sentence that I've learned was something like, not exactly the words, that George now is working with New York traveling to the inlands, to various places, to –

Q You mean within the United States?

A Within the United States, hinterland, to work with or on American Orthodox.

Q What would that mean, American Orthodox?

A Greeks, Slavs, Arab Orthodox, from these communities, for their votes. One minute.BY

Q For a get-out-the-vote campaign of some kind?

A That's correct.

Q Anything else that you became aware of regarding Mr. Papadopoulos' relationship with those in New York, specific individuals beyond Mr. Bannon he may have been in touch with?

A I don't have any information or recollection of anything beyond what I have mentioned.

Q Okay. Are you aware or were you aware of any other trips that Mr. Papadopoulos made during his tenure – or prior to the election of 2016, I should say? I mentioned, for example, press reports indicate he traveled to Israel.

A The same information that was published and then discussed among Gordon, Tera Dahl, and myself, that's the extent of what I've learned about his trips.

Q Okay. And anything about his relationship with Mr. Flynn? Were you told that he may be in touch with or conversed with Mr. Flynn?

A At this point, I don't recall any information about Mr. Papadopoulos'interaction with General Flynn.

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Q During the entire tenure until the end of the election?

A Yeah, throughout the entire. Now, if I am shown, let's say, a group email where he mentioned I didn't pay attention, I could confirm or infirm (ph). But my memory doesn't tell me any matter about this issue.

Q Thank you for your help.

Q And would you classify each of those contacts you just laid out as in your role as an adviser to the campaign?

A I want to make a distinction here. Thank you for the question.

Q By all means.

A As a secretary general of the transatlantic group, it is my mission to engage with all these lawmakers. But there were some diplomats that we can get a list from, my assistant, who made a request to meet me as a foreign policy adviser but in the United States. And, for example, diplomats from South Korea, from Taiwan, from Japan, from Tunisia, during the campaign made an appointment with me to speak to me as a foreign policy adviser in Washington, D.C. So I could get you the list of those who requested that meeting.

[target aquired]

Then there were other names that I don't remember from New York. Then there was also Hope Hicks. She was part of that hierarchy. And at one point multiple points Mr. Dearborn was in touch with Mr. Manafort when he was the co – the manager or the executive director of the campaign.

Q Okay. Very helpful. If I can go back to the preparations for the meeting with the Egyptian President

A Yes.

Q in September. I'd like to produce as an exhibit an email exchange that ultimately included Jared Kushner, Mike Flynn, Steve Bannon, but it originates from an email from you.

A Oh. [The information follows:] INSERT 3-1 I communicated with General Flynn. I couldn't communicate with anybody else at the beginning. So I communicated with Flynn, and Flynn told me, okay, I'll talk with the team. I'll talk with the team. And from there on, he took it, he and Bannon and everybody else, so I was not following up.

Q And you returned to Washington, D.C.?

A I did, yes.

Q And had conversations about – with the Egyptian mission here, I presume, where it was disclosed to you by them that, in fact, Mr. Bannon and Mr. Papadopoulos were involved in coordinating this meeting? Is that correct?

A Let me clarify a little bit. I will consult my memoir, my memory. I am not sure if the Egyptians in Washington – I mean, in the States – informed me about the fact that there was another track actually working on it, if it was before the meeting between the two principals or after that. That I am not sure. But what happened is that I was in touch with the Egyptian diplomats who are my friends here, and they told me everything is being taken care of, we are in touch with everybody in New York. So there was that lapse of a time where between the embassy here and the government there, when they met me and said we don't have any information, I told them I'm not here on an official mission, but I can make that phone call and email to Flynn and the rest. I asked Ivanka if she likes the idea of her going to the Middle East and meeting with women, with Muslim women, because the image of our candidate was very negative, et cetera.

Q And the circumstances surrounding the meeting with the Egyptian President in late September of 2016, you mentioned Mr. Bannon, George Papadopoulos, Mr. Flynn being involved. Are you aware of Stephen Miller's involvement in that respect and possible interaction with Mr. Papadopoulos as part of that?

A I don't have a recollection about Mr. Miller being in that phase, the chapter of dealing with Egypt. I don't recollect. But I may be wrong if I see documents.

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http://docs.house.gov/meetings/IG/IG00/CPRT-116-IG00-D064.pdf

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Q During the campaign, did you ever receive information about Hillary Clinton or any other individual related to the Democratic party or Clinton's political campaign from an unidentified source or a source you were not familiar with, either by email, by text message, by phone call, by other private direct message?

A Clarification.

Q Please.

A That somebody would have sent a loaded email to my website, I have no control knowing, and sometimes it will go into the trash. That is not what you're talking about?

Q No. It's to what extent are you aware or do you have knowledge of receiving any information? There have been public reports about contacts via direct message on Twitter, for example, or by unsolicited email, or an approach in person where there may have been an offer of information. Are you aware of any of that that may have occurred with you?

A Yes. On Twitter or any direct messaging way, I have not received any of the messages you are mentioning. And to the best of my recollection, I don't recall having received such messages through a website or even direct contact.

Q And in the course of your time on the campaign, did you ever gain knowledge of or hear from others on the campaign who may have discussed having been approached themselves by a third party claiming to have information of value to the campaign that may in some way relate to Hillary Clinton?

A To the best of my recollection, I do not remember hearing from others that either they know or they had received information that would be detrimental to Secretary Clinton during my tenure during the campaign.

I think that concludes the minority's questions.

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