And a former senior intelligence officer for a Western country who specialized in Russian counterintelligence tells Mother Jones that in recent months he provided the bureau with memos, based on his recent interactions with Russian sources, contending the Russian government has for years tried to co-opt and assist Trump—and that the FBI requested more information from him.
In June, the former Western intelligence officer—who spent almost two decades on Russian intelligence matters and who now works with a US firm that gathers information on Russia for corporate clients—was assigned the task of researching Trump's dealings in Russia and elsewhere, according to the former spy and his associates in this American firm. This was for an opposition research project originally financed by a Republican client critical of the celebrity mogul. (Before the former spy was retained, the project's financing switched to a client allied with Democrats.) "It started off as a fairly general inquiry," says the former spook, who asks not to be identified. But when he dug into Trump, he notes, he came across troubling information indicating connections between Trump and the Russian government. According to his sources, he says, "there was an established exchange of information between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin of mutual benefit."
This was, the former spy remarks, "an extraordinary situation." He regularly consults with US government agencies on Russian matters, and near the start of July on his own initiative—without the permission of the US company that hired him—he sent a report he had written for that firm to a contact at the FBI, according to the former intelligence officer and his American associates, who asked not to be identified. (He declines to identify the FBI contact.) The former spy says he concluded that the information he had collected on Trump was "sufficiently serious" to share with the FBI.
Mother Jones has reviewed that report and other memos this former spy wrote. The first memo, based on the former intelligence officer's conversations with Russian sources, noted, "Russian regime has been cultivating, supporting and assisting TRUMP for at least 5 years. Aim, endorsed by PUTIN, has been to encourage splits and divisions in western alliance." It maintained that Trump "and his inner circle have accepted a regular flow of intelligence from the Kremlin, including on his Democratic and other political rivals." It claimed that Russian intelligence had "compromised" Trump during his visits to Moscow and could "blackmail him." It also reported that Russian intelligence had compiled a dossier on Hillary Clinton based on "bugged conversations she had on various visits to Russia and intercepted phone calls."
The former intelligence officer says the response from the FBI was "shock and horror." The FBI, after receiving the first memo, did not immediately request additional material, according to the former intelligence officer and his American associates. Yet in August, they say, the FBI asked him for all information in his possession and for him to explain how the material had been gathered and to identify his sources. The former spy forwarded to the bureau several memos—some of which referred to members of Trump's inner circle. After that point, he continued to share information with the FBI. "It's quite clear there was or is a pretty substantial inquiry going on," he says.
Hope someone hacks the russians and leak that stuff
China pls
You'd have to be an idiot to assume you weren't being recorded at all times as a prominent foreign figure in Russia. I mean, you'd have to be incompetent, a real boob, a-FWIW 've read rumors that Russians videotaped Trump doing bad things on his many trips to Russia.
Doesn't mean anything except this is standard KGB procedure so it's believable.
They tried with Clinton as well but she was warned in advance that everything will be monitored.
Wait, former British intelligence officer?
This is the thing Mother Jones was reporting on back in October:
Are they finally dropping the oppo
=/
What a precedent that would be. Our own intelligence community, agencies, working against the will of the voter to save the country from a compromised president elect.
Wait, former British intelligence officer?
This is the thing Mother Jones was reporting on back in October:
He may not have known until after the election.
Worse.
According to the article Comey had it since at least August. McCain on the other hand gave it to the FBI the second he had the info.
😵😵😵😵
Pretty sure if the CIA and FBI come into agreement that this is confirmed, arrests will be made.Unless the CIA comes forward and reveals all their sources and all their proof, nothing will happen.
'SAYING' this stuff happened is pointless. They're going to have to name names and get people on record. THEN, they'll have to put them on trial, and get them to contradict themselves against physical evidence - OR- confess for lesser punishment.
Otherwise, this will be looked at as nothing but a circumstantial smear campaign, which is exactly what I expect Trump to Tweet about at 3AM tonight.
My tinfoil hat is now wondering if Trump's effort to sabotage our Chinese relationships is due to influence from his Russian handlers.
But, nah, that's just paranoia... isn't it?
Lol, I told you so . Okay, wasn't that hard to guess....
Trump is too dumb to "work with the russians". Dude just got played me thinks.
Wasn't it like some child orgy thing?
Nope, elections don't work like that. If Trump were to resign/be impeached, Pence would become president.
Wow, This is crazy if they were blackmailing him all that time.
Wait, former British intelligence officer doing oppo research for Republicans?
This is the thing Mother Jones was reporting on back in October, a little over a week before the election:
Just when I thought it couldn't get any more insane.
Surely at this point the GOP must act and move to impeach Trump immediately, I am sure Pence taking his place would satisfy them.
Now of course they will close ranks, reiterate their support for Trump and jam their fingers in their ears.
It's obvious they were. You don't say, we're going to make our NATO friends pay their fair share or make them back out of the treaty when Russia is knocking on their door. Trump has been a puppet all along. It's ridiculous no one, politics or press, has called him out on being a puppet. It's obvious.
Obama to seize power in 3...2...1...
Imagine being Obama in the room entirely powerless to stop it.
Wait, former British intelligence officer doing oppo research for Republicans?
This is the thing Mother Jones was reporting on back in October, a little over a week before the election: