Thread by @McFaul

An article today posted by @JusticeTristan claims that “some Democratic elites who engaged in the conspiracy are outright whitewashing their earlier claims.” He claims that "Michael McFaul… is no exception.” This claim is false. LONG THREAD 1/

I engaged in no “conspiracy” to “whitewash” anything. In fact, my actual words and video clips in this piece demonstrate as much. Go look at them and judge for yourself. (Not posting the piece deliberately because I do not want to amplify, but easy to find.) 2/

To reaffirm (for the last time), the Trump administration – not me – stated repeatedly & unambiguously that the Russian government was propagating disinformation about the Bidens to influence he 2020 campaign. It was not a "hoax." 3/

On August 7, 2020, The Trump Administration’s NCSC Director William Evanina issued a blunt statement warning about Russian disinformation. dni.gov/index.php/news… 4/

NCSC Director William Evanina stated, “We assess that Russia is using a range of measures to primarily denigrate former Vice President Biden and what it sees as an anti-Russia “establishment.” 5/

"This is consistent with Moscow’s public criticism of him when he was Vice President for his role in the Obama Administration’s policies on Ukraine and its support for the anti-Putin opposition inside Russia." 6/

"For example, pro-Russia Ukrainian parliamentarian Andriy Derkach is spreading claims about corruption – including through publicizing leaked phone calls – to undermine former Vice President Biden’s candidacy and the Democratic Party." 7/

I echoed Evanina many times, including in this excerpt in the @JusticeTristan piece: “It is exactly the same. And what I think Vladimir Putin wants, is he wants polarization, he wants delegitimization...8/

, he wants us not to hold a free and fair election that the majority of Americans will recognize and this is part of achieving that ultimate objective,” McFaul said. “They are playing with us. They are trying to do their disinformation tactics.” 9/

"In particular, I echoed Evanina’s warning about Andriy Derkach and his ties with Trump affiliates, including Mr. Giuliani, in this piece and many other times on television:
“Why the Senate's Russia report should be one of America's biggest stories” nbcnews.com/think/opinion/… 10/

Many in the Trump administration also seemed worried about ties between Rudy and Derkach. Read this: “U.S. Intel Repeatedly Warned About Rudy’s ‘Russian Agent’ Pal,”
thedailybeast.com/us-intel-repea… 11/

Or read this: "Exclusive: How a Ukrainian Oligarch Wanted by U.S. Authorities Helped Giuliani Attack Biden" bit.ly/2MICvdg 12/

And then on September 10, 2020, the Trump Administration’s own Treasury Department sanctioned Mr. Derkach. "Treasury Sanctions Russia-Linked Election Interference Actors | U.S. Department of the Treasury" home.treasury.gov/news/press-rel… 13/

Trump’s Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin (not me) stated, “Andrii Derkach and other Russian agents employ manipulation and deceit to attempt to influence elections in the United States and elsewhere around the world …" 14/

"Treasury designated Andrii Derkach... for his efforts to influence the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Derkach ... has been an active Russian agent for over a decade, maintaining close connections with the Russian Intelligence Services." 15/

"From at least late 2019 through mid-2020, Derkach waged a covert influence campaign centered on cultivating false and unsubstantiated narratives concerning U.S. officials in the upcoming 2020 Presidential Election..." 16/

"Between May and July 2020, Derkach released edited audio tapes and other unsupported information with the intent to discredit U.S. officials, and he levied unsubstantiated allegations against U.S. and international political figures." 17/

In my commentary on this Russian disinfo campaign, I never once mentioned China. Check the @JusticeTristan article. I never claimed ever to know what were the contents of the laptop. I still don’t know. You don't either. To date, all we know is based on leaked information. 18/

I try really hard to avoid commenting on leaked government information, especially secret information. First, it’s illegal and wrong to leak this information. I therefore try not to amplify it. I criticized damaging links to Trump many times. 19/

Second, I know from my own time in government that these leaks are always only part of the story. So its imprudent to speculate about stories when you only know a fraction of the facts. Third, I am not an intelligence expert and don’t pretend to be on tv. I stay in my lane. 20/

I do know that it is wild speculation to write “the Post reported emails verified by Fox News showing Joe Biden stood to personally rake in millions from Chinese businessmen with deep ties to the Chinese Communist Party funneled through his son, Hunter.” 21/

That is exactly the kind of speculation I try to avoid. I'll wait for the facts. 22/

I did make two mistakes in my commentary. First, I automatically assumed that anything sourced to Giuliani was untrue. That’s a mistake. I do not consider Giuliani a credible source, so I automatically questioned the veracity of his claims. 23/

In the sea of crazy, unsubstantiated conspiracies, it could be possible that some things he said are true. I have not seen the hard evidence to support that hypothesis yet, but will keep an open mind. 24/

Second, as reminded by @JusticeTristan, I criticized Bo Erickson for asking Vice-President Biden a question. That was wrong. It is the job of journalists to ask questions. For that, I apologize to @BoKnowsNews. NOW MOVING ON FOREVER ON THIS! END THREAD /25