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@harrygod Me too (need to study and reflect). On the surface, seems like it broadens the universe of collaborating parties (to include Ukrainian oligarchs, each no doubt with their own ties to Russia), while keeping the original focus on Putin/GRU. +
@harrygod Kilimnik flew to Moscow, on Deripaska's jet, immediately after dining w/ Manafort in NYC on evening of Aug. 2, 2016. Deripaska then immediately took the plane from Moscow to Norway, where he boarded a yacht and discussed the U.S. election w/ Russian Dep. PM Prikhodko. +
@harrygod Whatever Manafort's instructions to Kilimnik may have been re. the intended recipients of the Trump campaign data, it strains credulity to think that Deripaska wasn't immediately briefed on the Manafort/Kilimnik dinner +
@harrygod (Deripaska wouldn't have had time, or ability, to review or mentally process the data before jetting to Norway, but he surely was given the 'gist'), or that Kilimnik, a GRU alum if not active GRU, would not also have given the data to GRU when he touched down in Moscow. +
@harrygod The fact that, per NYT, Kilimnik's instructions were to give the data to two Ukrainian oligarchs adds a facet to the collaboration investigation (what were the Ukrainians supposed to do with it ? what was their part in the scheme ?). It doesn't, however, disturb the conclusion +
@harrygod that, once placed in Kilimnik's hands, the data was always going to up with the GRU. In terms of Manafort's *intention,* a necessary element of the crime of conspiracy, this may make a difference, which is probably why whoever is pushing the story's correction is making a fuss.
