Back after lunch in the case of Banks v Cadwalladr. The Observer Journalist is being cross examined by Banks’ counsel, William McCormick QC — I’ll 🧵from here 🔽
Cadwalladr is being quizzed over an interview with banks in March 2017 about references to his Russian wife, and her embroilment as a peripheral figure in a spy scandal around an MP
McCormick references a discussion about whether Banks spoke Russian. He wouldn’t engage in speaking Russian with her.
Cadwalladr explains her witness statement focuses on what she knew at the time of the TED talk.
“My witness statement was 40,000 words in the first draft. I set down a lot of things. I certainly did not mean to make an error. The thing that was in my head at the time of the TED talk was the funny exchange” around speaking Russian
Cadwalladr gave a toast “world peace” in Russian and then “cheers” in Czech
Banks replied: “You don’t really speak Russian do you” and suggested he might be fluent in Russian to Cadwalladr
“I scrupulously went to efforts to establish the veracity of that” Cadwalladr says of the Atlantic Council report but “when it comes to your client it’s like nailing jelly to wall.”
“My whole approach to investigation Cambridge Analytica, Leave EU, has been driven by noticing oddities and pursuing them.” Cadwalladr says of the Banks and Russian connections
Onto diamond mines being the “perfect vehicle: for money laundering through diamond mines. Cadwalladr noted to Banks his owned the ‘whole flipping supply chain’: “So you own it from mine to shop, and you just throw some diamonds in.”
Cadwalladr says she ways raising suspicions around the sources of Banks’ wealth in a way that would continue the conversation rather than end it.
Cadwalladr tells the court she wanted to update her witness statement to correct two or three errors.
Legal points. Discussion between Cadwalladr’s QC Gavin Millar and the judge about whether Cadwalladr has ‘waived privilege’. McCormick says this additional question does not amount to a waiver of privilege
Cadwalladr confirms that it was her legal team who told her it was too late to update her witness statement. She has another small correction about the timing of the Gold deal.
These are the only two small corrections she wanted to correct in her witness statement. The other changes to original 50,000 word draft witness statement were only about “where one puts ones emphasis”
Cadwalladr explains how busy she was prior to trial and didn’t have time to check these two minor points.
Some testy exchanges between Cadwalladr and McCormick as she tries to ask for more information, culminating in his put down: “I’ll ask questions, you answer them”
Cadwalladr is asked about an article about Farage and Wikileaks and a major investigation into Trump Russia. Farage was seen in Trump Tower and then in Ecuadorean Embassy during the 2016 election campaign around the leak of a new stash of emails by Wikileaks.
Cadwalladr argues that it was relevant that Banks had denied taking Russian money to her, even though she hadn’t asked her that question
Cadwalladr says this was all relevant because “Mr Banks funded Mr Farage” - she added the line “though she hadn’t asked the question” about Russian money in Brexit “because I hadn’t asked the question”
Cadwalladr added a note on Twitter about Banks denying Russian money in Brexit, because she though there was a “triangulation between Trump, Russia and Brexit that deserved investigation”
There was not a significant investigation into Russian money in Brexit at that time in 2017, though the Electoral Commission had determined Leave EU was worth investigation over breaches of Electoral Law
“You’re selective quoting me, this is half a tweet” says Cadwalladr of Tweet cited by McCormick but she agrees she is challenging Banks again on Twitter
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