Thread by @lrozen

PM attorney saying whoever elected POTUS Russia sanctions wd continue is absurd.
manafort, flynn, don jr etc said wd reconsider if Trump won

seems clear that Manafort is saying discussion of Ukraine peace plan with Kilimnik was “back door” to US lifting sanctions on Russia

& this polling Kilimnik was discussing with Manafort after the inauguration was about legitimating Russian annexation of Crimea->sanx relief

and the Ru-Uk oligarchs/clients backing the Ukraine polling/“peace plan”/Russia sanctions relief effort

this was all part of this effort to make this be a sanitized poll..that wd supporting the lifting of US sanx for Russia annexation of Crimea

Manafort attorney: The government has theories about what it may have meant...but there’s no evidence of any of that...purely conjecture

pp. 84-86, Manafort telling Gates to give the internal Trump polling to Kilimnik, Manafort fears admitting hurts chances of getting pardon

Weissman: there r different aspects to what we have to look at, 1 is RU efforts to interfere in elex, other is contacts..by Americans w RU

then whether those contacts were more intentional or not. & 4us, the issue of [] is in the core of what the SC is supposed 2B investigating

e.g., the issue of Manafort directing Gates to give internal Trump polling to Kilimnik—Russia—goes to core of what investigating.

Russia interferes in elex to hurt Clinton/help Trump, unpaid campaign chief compensated from Ukraine/RU, works on plan to lift RU sanx

sends internal Trump campaign info to Russia via Kilimnik...

this would seem to fall in Weissman’s category of American contacts with Russia during campaign that were more intentional

Oh. The Court has Manafort email telling Gates to print the internal polling to give to Kilimnik at their secret meeting w Kilimnik on Aug 2

Manafort attorney: it just says to print it on the same day of the meeting with Kilimnik. & Gates said Manafort told him to give it.

The Court: Doesn’t it say to bring it to the meeting?
Manafort attorney: to a scheduling meeting...just on the same date

The Court: All right.
Then Manafort attorney seems to make case for why the internal polling they gave Kilimnik was so special & expensive

Manafort attorney on internal polling he/Gates gave Kilimnik: This is very detailed [redacted] on a level that is very focused