The Crossfire Hurricane investigation was opened based on this single paragraph, which was itself based on a conversation overheard at a bar between Papadopoulos and an Australian diplomat.
The conversations happened on May 6 and May 10, 2016.
Over two months later, ON THE EXACT SAME DAY THAT HILLARY CLINTON APPROVED THE PLAN, July 26, Australia gives the notes on this conversation to U.S. State Dept officials in the U.K. and then hand it off to the FBI official at the London Embassy.
That was enough to spark an FBI investigation, which led to a FISA warrant on @GeorgePapa19 and then FISAs on other people (Page, @GenFlynn ) associated with the Trump campaign, and the full-fledged Crossfire Hurricane investigation had "oil poured into the fire" from the Steele Dossier, Alfa Bank, Yotophone...
But before there was the Paragraph Five iNtEl, with its "vague", "unclear," and "some kind of suggestion from Russia" bar talk, there were literally THREE ACTUAL PIECES OF SENSITIVE INTELLIGENCE FROM ACTUAL INTELLIGENCE PROFESSIONALS WHO HAD ACCESSED THE ACTUAL INTEL OPS OF RUSSIAN HACKERS!
@GeorgePapa19 @GenFlynn Dutch AIVD had infiltrated APT 29, Cozy Bear, and were CTRL+C/CTRL+V'ing the intelligence reports that group was sending to Moscow.
@GeorgePapa19 @GenFlynn Here are the reports the Dutch gave us—the "Sensitive Intelligence" from the Durham Report's Classified Appendix. 👇
@GeorgePapa19 @GenFlynn January 2016
@GeorgePapa19 @GenFlynn March 2016
@GeorgePapa19 @GenFlynn July 2016
@GeorgePapa19 @GenFlynn They also sent U.S. intel agencies some emails that were included with memoranda the Russian hackers were forwarding. These emails were apparently hacked from the DNC, DCCC, think tanks, and Hillary Campaign staffers, but there were different versions of them.
As best Durham could figure, some of the emails are composites of other emails. But he was able to match up the various versions to actual emails recovered from the original senders and/or recipients and corroborate specific verbiage and language.
In other words, though some are composites, what they contain is authentic.
@GeorgePapa19 @GenFlynn More
Authentic.
It was possible that there could be alteration or fabrication involved, but [REDACTED.........]
@GeorgePapa19 @GenFlynn Here's one of the recovered emails which matches portions of the hacked emails included in the Russian hackers reports.
Both Benardo and Maurer said they didn't write the emails
HOWEVER, Benardo stated that one of the remarkable lines in the emails sounded like something he would have said.
And Maurer said he DID write one of the referenced emails and that language in another email was IDENTICAL to something he wrote to a colleague.
@GeorgePapa19 @GenFlynn This indicates the emails the Russian hackers were attaching to their memos were composites that contained actual information obtained through hacking these U.S. individuals.
When Durham interviewed Julianne Smith, she denied drafting or receiving the emails and said she did not recall such a plan as described in them.
However, she did offer that it was possible these things were discussed, proposed, and perhaps approved, but she didn't recall the specific conversations.
And she was certain that such a proposal would NOT involve enlisting the FBI's help.
@GeorgePapa19 @GenFlynn Podesta, Sullivan, Hillary... they remarked upon seeing the information during an interview with Durham that it was "ridiculous."
@GeorgePapa19 @GenFlynn Palmieri said she and others were aware of a project involving Perkins Coie...
But she didn't think Hillary was aware of it.
Sure, Jan.
@GeorgePapa19 @GenFlynn But...
Durham found additional support for the idea that the Clinton campaign WAS engaged in an effort or plan to do what was alleged in the "Sensitive Intelligence" the Dutch were sending.
@GeorgePapa19 @GenFlynn July 5, 2016
@GeorgePapa19 @GenFlynn July 25, 2016
@GeorgePapa19 @GenFlynn Durham: the emails included in the "Sensitive Intelligence" were composites of several emails that were obtained through Russian intelligence hacking of U.S. think tanks
So, let's look back the famous letter now @CIADirector sent to @LindseyGrahamSC in 2020
The "Russian intelligence analysis" I shared in this thread and which was declassified today in the Durham Appendix is the "insight" that U.S. intelligence agencies received in July 2016.
And in March 2016.
And in January 2016.
@GeorgePapa19 @GenFlynn @CIADirector @LindseyGrahamSC And the emails attached to it STRONGLY indicate that the the Russian analysis is based on real "confidential conversations" taking place within Democrat think tanks, orgs, and the Hillary campaign.
@GeorgePapa19 @GenFlynn @CIADirector @LindseyGrahamSC In other words, the "Clinton Plan intelligence" was credible.
Compare all of that—all of that real intel from actual intel pros who are maintaining a LIVE look-in on Cozy Bear's comms—to the "vague", "unclear," and "some kind of suggestion from Russia" bar talk that was in the so-called Paragraph Five iNteL which predicated Crossfire Hurricane.
🧵Late last night, DOJ filed responses in both the Epstein and Maxwell cases, addressing each judge’s questions regarding the unsealing of grand jury materials.
DOJ also submitted the following ex parte and under seal:
-An index of the grand jury materials
-A complete set of unredacted grand jury transcripts
-A complete set of redacted grand jury transcripts
-A description of other grand jury materials (exhibits, etc.)
DOJ's effort to unseal the Epstein grand jury material in SDFL was recently denied due to the 11th Circuit's binding opinion in Pitch v. United States, which restricted the judge in that case from unsealing them.
DOJ knew this going in and conceded it in their filing. They made the filing, knowing it would be denied, for purposes of appeal later.
In the 2nd Circuit, where SDNY is, that court has held that “there are certain ‘special circumstances’ in which release of grand jury records is appropriate..."
Investigative Referral of Possible Clinton Campaign Plan
Late July 2016, U.S. intel “obtains insight” into Russian intel analysis that alleges a Clinton Plan to frame Trump for collusion with Russia
CIA Director Brennan briefs President Obama
(Note: Crossfire Hurricane begins just days later on July 30 2016)
An investigative referral is made by the CIA a month later on September 7, 2016 and forwarded to Comey and Strzok
Special Counsel Durham (referred to as The Office in this report) considered the Clinton Plan Intelligence relevant for two reasons:
1. It “arguably suggested that private actors affiliated with the Clinton campaign were seeking in 2016 to promote a false or exaggerated narrative to the public and to U.S. government agencies…”
“The Clinton Plan Intelligence prompted the Office to consider”
-Was there a plan?
-If there was, did it involved “intentionally [providing] knowingly false and/or misleading information to the FBI or other agencies in furtherance of such a plan”
*cough* CONSPIRACY *cough* RICO *cough*
2. The Clinton Plan was interested Durham because “it was part of the mosaic of information that became known to certain U.S. officials at or before the time they made critical decisions” re: Crossfire Hurricane and in related LE and intel efforts.
🧵UPDATE RE: Unsealing of federal grand jury transcripts in United States v. Ghislaine Maxwell (SDNY), United States v. Jeffrey Epstein (SDNY), and United States v. Jeffrey Epstein (SDFL).
On July 22, counsel for Maxwell, one of whom also represents Hillary Clinton in Trump's civil RICO case against her, filed a letter motion requesting access to the grand jury transcripts prior to submitting their response to the DOJ's request for their unsealing.
Today, July 23, Judge Engelmayer denied that motion.
"It is black-letter law that defendants generally are not entitled to access grand jury materials."