The Senate Intelligence Committee has released what it calls "the most comprehensive description to date of Russia's activities and the threat they posed." intelligence.senate.gov/sites/default/…
Here's how the report describes Paul Manafort's business partner, Konstantin Kilimnik —
"Kilimnik is a Russian intelligence officer."
No equivocation, just a statement of fact.
"Kilimnik is a Russian intelligence officer."
No equivocation, just a statement of fact.
The report clearly describes Moscow's goals in 2016 — "harm the Clinton Campaign, tarnish an expected Clinton presidential administration, help the Trump Campaign after Trump became the presumptive Republican nominee, and undermine the U.S. democratic process."
Of course, this is very similar to what Russia is trying to do this year too. latimes.com/politics/story…
Compare this excerpt from Senate Intelligence Committee's bipartisan report to the president's repeated claims of "no collusion." 
In summary, the president's campaign knew the meddling was coming from Russia, and they tried to capitalize on it anyway. His reelection campaign is doing the same thing now.
Trump's associates tried to use his public praise of Putin to advance his business interests with the Moscow Tower proposal.
The candidate's foreign policy rhetoric was intertwined with his attempts to profit during the campaign.
The candidate's foreign policy rhetoric was intertwined with his attempts to profit during the campaign.
The Logan Act may be an archaic law, but it's worth reading how the report describes the Trump transition team.
"The Transition Team repeatedly took actions that had the potential, and sometimes the effect, of interfering in the Obama Administration's diplomatic efforts."
"The Transition Team repeatedly took actions that had the potential, and sometimes the effect, of interfering in the Obama Administration's diplomatic efforts."
Obama administration officials were much more willing to talk with the committee than Trump aides. They made claims of executive privilege that "have no basis in law."
Here's something I missed on my earlier read through the introduction —
"The Committee obtained some information suggesting Kilimnik may have been connected to the GRU's hack and leak operation targeting the 2016 U.S. election."
"The Committee obtained some information suggesting Kilimnik may have been connected to the GRU's hack and leak operation targeting the 2016 U.S. election."
After Michael Cohen lied to Congress, a lawyer for the president allegedly called him to say he did great and might receive a pardon.
Here are some tantalizing redactions on a page where the report says "information suggests that a channel for coordination on the GRU hack-and-leak operation may have existed through Kilimnik."
According to the Senate Intelligence Committee, Paul Manafort represented a "grave counterintelligence threat" at the top of President Trump's campaign.
Always read the footnotes.
Manafort, Gates and Kilimnik would refer to messages in code, telling each other to check the "tea bag" or "updated travel schedule." And Gates and Manafort described some communications devices as "bat phones."
Manafort, Gates and Kilimnik would refer to messages in code, telling each other to check the "tea bag" or "updated travel schedule." And Gates and Manafort described some communications devices as "bat phones."
Why did Manafort share internal polling data with Kilimnik? Another unfortunate redaction.
