FBI has intel that Russia tried to use Trump advisers, including Carter Page, to infiltrate campaign

[kpete]

Washington (CNN)The FBI gathered intelligence last summer that suggests Russian operatives tried to use Trump advisers, including Carter Page, to infiltrate the Trump campaign, according to US officials.

The new information adds to the emerging picture of how the Russians tried to influence the 2016 election, not only through email hacks and propaganda but also by trying to infiltrate the Trump orbit. The intelligence led to an investigation into the coordination of Trump's campaign associates and the Russians.

These officials made clear they don't know whether Page was aware the Russians may have been using him. Because of the way Russian spy services operate, Page could have unknowingly talked with Russian agents.

Page disputes the idea he has ever collected intelligence for the Russians, saying he helped the US intelligence community. "My assumption throughout the last 26 years I've been going there has always been that any Russian person might share information with the Russian government ... as I have similarly done with the CIA, the FBI and other government agencies in the past."

But the intelligence suggests Russia tried to infiltrate the inner-workings of the Trump campaign by using backdoor channels to communicate with people in the Trump orbit, US officials say.



........................
http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/21/politics/russia-trump-campaign-advisers-infiltrate/index.html

Link to tweet

[Chevy]

1. This would explain the Enquirer throwing

all of them under the bus to give cover to the Orange Turnip. "He didn't know" defense.

[Achilleaze]

2. ...and they were warmly welcomed by the freakin KGOP

[Wellstone ruled]

3. Page was given

Documents to pass to a Russian Agent. You just can not make this crap up. But,some try.

[NCTraveler]

4. This doesn't paint as bad picture for them.

The words used are much different than a lot of what we have been hearing. Seems some words even give cover.

[stuffmatters]

5. Yeah, kind of "the buck stops with Page."

Very troubling

[Docreed2003]

13. It is worrisome the way this is worded...

"Attempted" to use Page....like they didn't have a clue what was happening. This is giving them cover to say, "Yeah the Russians tried some stuff but he didn't cave...we even let Page go during the summer".

[Frustratedlady]

6. So, is that going to be their defense? I didn't know I was helping the Russians?

Give me a break.

I suppose those who were paid grand sums of money have an explanation for that, too?

Is that why this investigation has taken so long? Figuring out a CYA solution? The Republicans may be naïve, but I don't think you'll find many Democrats who are. Sorry, this doesn't compute.

If they knew this much last summer, why didn't they stop the election until it was looked into further? It may have stretched the rules, but it would have saved a lot of distress later on. We may never know how deep into our governmental workings Russia was/is. I doubt anyone will see bars for this.

[kentuck]

7. Carter Page, Manafort, Jeff Sessions, General Flynn, and probably others...

...including Donald J Trump himself?

[FakeNoose]

9. What about Pence

Pence had to at least know about Flynn and Manafort, if nothing else.

AND Ryan and McConnell knew as much as the guys in the White House.
They came in later, but they knew long before the actual election.

[kentuck]

15. Agreed.

Ryan and McConnell knew a lot.

[Eyeball_Kid]

14. The intel sources tell us...

That Trumpy made a tape recording of his quid pro quo for Putin, delivered by Carter Page to Russian officials in the middle of last year. A number of intelligence agencies abroad obtained copies and delivered it to the FBI. Reportedly, Comey told DiFi and Grassley about this a few weeks ago. That's supposedly why Feinstein looked like death warmed over when she spoke before cameras.

The quid pro quo? Help with pres campaign for lifting sanctions if Trumpy wins.

[woodsprite]

8. They might have a hard time making Trump look innocent

With his SIL and other family interactions with the Russians, plus that open invite Re: Hillary's emails during the debate.

[Leith]

17. I Think That Jared Is a Top Insider for Putin

I read the Steele dossier a couple days ago. In it, it says that they have people in top positions, of Russian ancestry (Jewish people, too), and ones that have been to Russia.

Well, the SIL goes to Russia often, he's a tRump favorite, and his grandmother was born in Belarus according to Wikipedia. Would anybody here be surprised?

[tanyev]

10. Why, it's like trying to crash a party that has flyers stapled up all over town.

[Squinch]

11. Kick.

[Mr. Ected]

12. Oh, for God's sake, the case against Trumpco is of the RICO variety

It started long before he ever announced his candidacy. The man sat atop of a racketeering operation of the highest order, and his comrades in Russia were more than happy to supply the cabbage to run through his eponymous laundromat.

It got interesting when the same Russians he was laundering money for got hold of him AFTER he became a candidate. That's when his felonies became treasonous.

One way or the other or both, Trump is staring down a couple decades in the clink.

This is puff and misdirection. Get used to seeing a lot of it in the coming months.

[kentuck]

16. Shakespearean in scope.

Tragic, even.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

24. Yes. RICO also easier to prove & you can seize all his assets & make him sue to get a few back. . nt

[spanone]

18. TRIED????? how about SUCCEEDED!!!!

[JDC]

19. Sounds like the narrative is trying to be changed

They are caught and are now trying to make it seem as though:

1). It was an "attempt" - indicating that it was unsucccesful and/or Trump was able to see through it

<or>

2). Trump was ignorant to what was going on around him

This is what you do to get ahead of and soften the forthcoming blow(s)

[zentrum]

21. Yup, as another poster

...wrote this morning, The National Inquirer front page is all about 'What Trump didn't know'.

But on the other hand, doesn't this make Trump seem like a bungling fool? Hardly the best leader-brain he touts himself as being. So he's either a traitor and crook or an idiot and fool.

Saw the above headline on-line at the supermarket, next door to The Globe (British?) which had this headline: "Who was the Real Russian Spy?" under a picture of HRC.

Anyway, on all fronts, they are trying very hard to change the narrative.

[JDC]

23. I'll have to look for the enquirer thread. Thanks

It's hard to believe that he would be fooled because he's "like a smart person"

There is not bigger bungler fool on the planet.

[Maven]

20. Careful. This is CNN and Trump's pal Zucker trying to downplay the story

and create a low-level fall guy in Page. No dice. This goes straight to the top - Flynn, Manafort, Sessions and Trump are all in it up to their eyeballs.

Link to tweet

[Moral Compass]

22. If this is true

If this is true… when is somebody going to do something about it?

I'm afraid Trump has put his finger on the fatal flaw in our Constitution. There's nothing in it about do overs, removal from office for anything other than incredible disability or via impeachment. When all branches of government are in the hands of a single party you no longer even have a functioning oligarchy. What you have is some strange version of a tyrranucsl Republic. We now resemble Kazakhstan more than we resemble what the founding fathers really had in mind. They intended our nation to be a highly functioning oligarchy where competing interests made sure that one party could not dominate the other. Because the Supreme Court was co-opted decades ago we now have a situation where the rules have been rewritten in the Republicans favor over and over and over again. It is hard to imagine anything happening based on what the FBI now knows happened.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

25. Majority winner Hillary should get it. The stolen election was by Republican TICKET. No Pres. Pence.

[tandem5]

26. Well I do declare! Poor, poor, innocent, unsuspectin' Trump! Them mean ol' Russians

tryin' to do their very worst to a good, honest, godly man! What a cryin', I say, cryin' shame! (Feel free to read this in the voice of Foghorn Leghorn)

[Hekate]

27. Kick....

[NRaleighLiberal]

28. I am so sick of the "tried to" and "allegedly" - call it what it is MSM!

[tiptonic]

29. benedict

'Benedict donald'.

[MedusaX]

30. Interesting Spin ...

IMHO....

Effectively Page describes himself as having been a domestic IC asset since 1991.....

The US officials are quoted as saying that evidence shows that Russian Operatives sought to infiltrate the inner workings of the Trump Campaign via backdoor communication channels....

And that Russian Operatives attempted to utilize Page as a 'backdoor communication channel'...
But Page was not sure if they were truly Russian Gov. Agents.... or if they were just (low-level) Russian assets being used as operatives...,

Page played the bumbling - not so bright but really really enthusiastic role until he could ascertain their position/ legitimacy ...

Meanwhile, he gets tapped by the Trump team to go do some direct marketing of the quid pro quo in Russia..
If he has been a domestic IC asset for any period of time, he knew that access to that 'quid pro quo' tape was worth a zillion times its weight in gold as an eternal get out of jail free card....

So yeah Page wasn't sure if the specific Russians who were approaching him were actual Gov. Agents ...
Or just assets being used as Operatives...
basically Russian versions of himself..,

[stillsoleft]

31. Rachel pointed to end of article

FBI has found evidence of collusion, but doesn't have enough to say if it's a crime. Then talked ominously about McCord leaving

[dalton99a]

32. Kick.