Thread by @codyave

A Spin Doctor with Ties to Russia Allegedly Fed the Steele Dossier Before Fighting to Discredit It

Isaac Stanley-Becker (6-Nov-2021)

#Dolan
archive.ph/ricxU

"The public relations executive had an offer for Tucker Carlson. Did he want first dibs on an interview with Val Gurvits, the attorney for Aleksej Gubarev, the tech entrepreneur who was accused of hacking into Democratic servers in 2016?"

"That question was posed in a February 2017 email from Charles Dolan Jr., a diligent spin doctor with Irish Boston flair who, former colleagues said, boasted ties to Democratic politics and extensive contacts inside the Kremlin."

"The media blitz formed part of an effort by Dolan to discredit claims in the Steele dossier. The day after BuzzFeed published it, Dolan wrote to his client, Aleksej Gubarev: 'I’m hoping that this is exposed as fake news. I may be wrong but I have doubts about the authenticity.'"

"Dolan, who helped handle global public relations for the Russian Federation for eight years ending in 2014, fed the dossier before he fought against it. And his contacts and credibility in both instances rested on his extensive work for Russia." #Ketchum #Gazprom

"Dolan told authorities that campaign officials 'did not direct, and were not aware of' his communications with Danchenko and other Russian nationals. And a longtime aide to both Bill and Hillary Clinton said she had no recollection of Dolan.'"

"The allegations involving Dolan, who moved to the D.C.-based public relations agency kglobal in 2014, according to his LinkedIn profile, came to light as part of charges filed Thursday against Danchenko."

"The two men were introduced by Fiona Hill, the former White House adviser and Trump impeachment witness, who connected Danchenko to Dolan after the analyst asked if she knew anyone at Ketchum."

"Dolan was well-known among Russia experts, and, according to the indictment and recollections of former colleagues, well-connected in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle.

He 'frequently interacted with senior Russian Federation leadership,' the indictment states."

"He did bring a level of interest and expertise beyond the normal influencer-for-hire,' said one former colleague. 'He was very trusted by Putin’s people."

"An attorney for Dolan, Ralph D. Martin, confirmed that his client was the executive identified in the indictment but said he had no comment because he was a 'witness in an ongoing case.' Martin did not respond to detailed follow-up questions."

"He also reportedly said he was unaware of the specifics of Danchenko’s work, or that the information they were trading would be transmitted to the FBI."

"Danchenko, for his part, in addition to denying that he had used specific information from Dolan when he was interviewed by the FBI in 2017, observed that the public relations executive was 'a bit naive in his liking of Russia.'"

"In a since-deleted blog post on kglobal’s website, he underscored the need for accurate transcripts in light of confusion over comments attributed to Putin calling Trump 'brilliant.'"

With Trump in office, Dolan’s online commentary became more biting. He called attention to the indictments of figures within Trump’s circle in messages posted with what appears to be his since-deleted Twitter account, according to screenshots reviewed by The Washington Post.

"Turning Trump’s epithet for Hillary Clinton back on him, Dolan asked, 'Who deserves the Moniker ‘Crooked.'"

h/t @PresidentJohnM
imgur.com/a/a5aw73P