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(THREAD) This thread offers comments on—and analysis of—Carter Page's recent testimony before the House Intel Committee (transcript, 243pp). 
1/ The first 30 pages are a rant against Obama, Clinton, and Harry Reid—who are portrayed as criminals of international scope and dimension.
2/ The first 30 pages also serve as a massive apologia—across several letters and documents—for Vladimir Putin, the Soviet Union and Russia.
3/ Page depicts himself as the victim of an international conspiracy to cover up President Obama and Hillary Clinton's transnational crimes.
4/ Page came without counsel—in context, itself nearly a sign of mental instability—after recanting his raising of his 5th Amendment rights.
5/ The next 10 pages are an "opening statement" of the same general tone/character as Carter Page's earlier rants (see transcript pp. 1-30).
6/ (NB: pp. 1-40 are interrupted on occasion by 1/3rd-page transcripts of threatening answering machine messages and other like marginalia.)
7/ Page first sought to volunteer for the 2016 Trump campaign very, very early on: late 2015. At that point, only Russia was supporting him.
8/ Page—like Papadopoulos—tried to claim he wasn't "on the campaign" until Trump announced his name March 31, 2016. But he began in January.
9/ Page acknowledged what I reported here: there were multiple meetings of the NatSec committee. But he said only the first was "official."
10/ Page says he missed the only "official" meeting of his team because he was meeting with "military commanders" at a far-distant location.
11/ Page said the Mayflower Hotel was (as I've reported) the turning point for the NatSec team: they began having their meetings after that.
12/ (Keep in mind a key aim of the NatSec team was to change the GOP platform to benefit Putin's Ukraine interests. It was disbanded after.)
13/ (It was only after Trump's Mayflower VIP hour with Sessions and Kislyak—and his speech—that it was "game on" for a Russia quid pro quo.)
14/ Tweet #8 correction: Page said he was on the NatSec team only as of his announcement by Trump (with Papadopoulos) on March 21st, 2016.
15/ Page now *officially* establishes the "de facto organizer" of Trump's National Security Advisory Committee as J.D. Gordon—not Sessions.
16/ Page (whose office building has a private walkway to Trump Tower) says he has never communicated directly with Trump by any means/media.
17/ Page says that he first heard about everything involving Russian hacking from TV and internet—despite regular NatSec meetings for Trump.
18/ Page *chose* to honor a "standing invite" to go to Moscow *after* he knew of Russian hacks. He talked to Gordon about it several times.
19/ But Page talked with many people about a possible Moscow trip, he says—NatSec team members (e.g. Gordon) *and* Trump campaign officials.
20/ (Incredible that—though he was telling them he wouldn't go if they didn't want him to and Russian hacking was *known*—*no one* said no.)
21/ (That said, little enough was publicly known of Russia's actions at the time that Page's obsessive emails re: his trip seem suspicious.)
22/ MAJOR REVEAL #1: Page admits he told HOPE HICKS he was going to Moscow. You'd *only* do that if you wanted to make sure that Trump knew.
23/ MAJOR REVEAL #2: HICKS lied in saying the campaign had no Russia contacts. She knew Page asked her—i.e. Trump—for permission re: Moscow.
24/ I've called Page a potential perjury machine and we see that here. He says he "never" spoke to Manafort—a moment later he retracts that.
25/ He goes from I "never" emailed him to—in effect—"I sent him a lengthy detailed email about Russia." In two questions. Very reckless man.
26/ MAJOR REVEAL #3: Page says Manafort never responded to him. So it's telling that Manafort *did* think he had to respond to Papadopoulos.
27/ This confirms Gordon's claim to Sky News that people—including Papadopoulos' supervisors—treated him in a special way to "appease" him.
28/ That said, the date of Page's Manafort contact is unclear, so it might've been at a point it was unwise for Manafort to acknowledge him.
29/ Even so, Page claiming a long list of top Trump folks he never spoke to underscores how odd it was that *Papadopoulos* reached so many.
30/ So I'd say the third reveal here is just that the workings of Trump's NatSec team make Trump aides' handling of Papadopoulos an outlier.
31/ MAJOR REVEAL #4: The WH says NatSec met once; Page says it met so many times Papadopoulos only attended "some" of the "group sessions."
32/ Page says he had "many" meetings with the FBI about the allegations in the dossier—it matters because they *must* have possible charges.
33/ I say that because Page is a perjury machine—reckless talker—so in "many" FBI meetings with no lawyer he would've made false statements.
34/ The FBI are trained to know as much as possible before an interrogation so they can set you up to lie to them—which gives them leverage.
35/ Page concedes he'd heard of Sechin when he first saw the dossier—but claims he'd never met him. (He met Rosneft execs in December 2016.)
36/ This is hard to read. I've questioned *many* witnesses and—how to say it—this witness would strike me as having several personal issues. 
37/ Rooney and Gowdy let him testify, at one point, "by narrative"—which is when you let a liar or troubled person just talk themselves out.
38/ It's the equivalent—in trial advocacy—of throwing up your hands and saying, "I don't give a sh*t anymore—just say what you want to say."
39/ Page claims the FBI hasn't told him they will indict him. I think one possible reason is—again, how to say this—there may be no...point.
40/ Page presents here as the sort of man you don't imprison, but just try to—almost by accident—squeeze a single drop of useful info from.
41/ Page's limited understanding, as a pro se witness, of how the Fifth Amendment works is so embarrassing I'm starting to feel bad for him.
42/ Attorneys: read pp. 61-63 of the PDF if you want instant recall of every interrogation you've done of a borderline incompetent witness.
43/ I just... I mean... this man was brought on STAFF? By a PRESIDENTIAL campaign? To... *do* things? Like, human things? In a...a... place?
44/ Sorry, it's just...man, so much of this is incomprehensible. He doesn't seem to fully appreciate where he is—or *why* he is where he is.
45/ If this is an act—exquisite. At the same time, a person with these issues could act improperly, then "de-grid" that data in their head.
46/ MAJOR REVEAL #5: The man Page spoke to in July (Russian Deputy Prime Minister) he then met with—AND with Rosneft execs—in December 2016.
47/ That would seem to suggest the July 2016 "greeting" Page says he gave Russia's deputy PM actually was more substantial—led to something.
48/ Page plays it off as Russia's deputy PM *randomly* dropping by a December 2016 dinner that Page *happened* to be at but, sorry, just no.
49/ BOMBSHELL #1: Page *lied to FBI investigators and Congress*. He in fact *told the campaign he had a private meeting with the Deputy PM*. 
50/ This means: (a) Page went to Moscow as a Trump rep and lied about that; (b) had a private meeting with Kremlin agents and lied about it;
51/ (c) during that secret meeting he later lied about talked Trump's Russia policy with Russia's Deputy PM; (d) told the campaign about it;
52/ (e) many members of the campaign then lied as to whether they knew Page had this secret contact with the Kremlin on Trump Russia policy;
53/ (f) the aim of this significant Kremlin contact Page and the Trump campaign/administration lied about was to *negotiate Russia policy*.
54/ This BOMBSHELL establishes that Page's dissembling is *consciousness of guilt* and *not* what otherwise could seem like personal issues.
55/ This would also seem to confirm the FBI could charge Page at any time, as it's clear he *wasn't* honest with Congress or investigators.
56/ The implications of this are STAGGERING. Page didn't go to Russia as a "private citizen"—he lied. The campaign and Trump lied. Remember:
57/ PAGE briefed HICKS *before* going to Moscow, then emailed the top brass his after-action report—surely, again, to HICKS. So Trump knew.
58/ Page admits withholding that smoking-gun document from Congress under what—I'll tell you—is a totally invalid Fifth Amendment exercise.
59/ BOMBSHELL #2: Page admits meeting multiple Kremlin agents and discussing Kremlin "outreach"—offers to cooperate—with *top Trump aides*. 
60/ Rep. Conaway says on the record that Page has wrongly withheld docs from the Committee's majority to the point at which he's "offended."
61/ Page reveals he met with the FBI five or six times—at a minimum—in 2016 and 2017. Wow—that is a *lot* of times.
62/ There's a VERY suspiciously redacted section that suggests Page was interrogated by someone OTHER than the FBI or House Intel Committee.
63/ Only two possibilities I can think if at the moment are (a) the Senate Intel Committee, or (b) the intelligence community (CIA or NSA).
64/ But I don't think—if I'm remembering correctly—that the Senate Intel Committee has ever claimed to have met with Page. Someone check me.
65/ But Page is strange—it's *possible* he's just saying he met with NYPD on an unrelated matter. But you can't tell with the redactions.
66/ Page makes the astounding claim Steele's dossier—barely ever reported pre-election—affected the election more than ANYTHING from Russia.
67/ Though to be clear, he says Russia didn't do anything whatsoever during the election, so his crazy claim about Steele isn't surprising.
68/ Page lied again—said he chose to accepting a standing invite to Moscow, later says he was invited only *after* he joined Trump campaign.
69/ This is *exactly* the sort of lie that got Papadopoulos charged—it's now clear Page was lured to Moscow for a key Kremlin-Trump meeting.
70/ Russia's Deputy PM is connected to the school that invited Page in (Page says) mid-April, i.e. right after collusive activities started.
71/ It's now clear that Kremlin-connected Russians alluded to helping Page get funding for his research while he was in Moscow in July 2016.
72/ Asked if he knows Kremlin agent Josef Mifsud—who tried to develop Papadopoulos for the Kremlin—Page gives *three answers* in 15 seconds: 
73/ BOMBSHELL #3: Jeff Sessions organized the June 2016 Capitol Hill Club NatSec meeting, and let the WH lie that no such meeting occurred.
74/ This is *another* critical lie on Russia by Sessions, especially as—at the dinner *he set up*—he was seated next to George Papadopoulos.
75/ The meeting wasn't short (two hours long), and Sessions used J.D. Gordon—who "may have had a Trump email address"—to set it all up.
76/ Page admits he discussed his upcoming (we now know Kremlin-orchestrated) Moscow trip with the AG at the unreported June '16 NatSec meet.
77/ Process it: the *first time* Page ever meets Sen. Jeff Sessions, the *first thing* he tells him is, "I'm about to go to Moscow." Jesus.
78/ I'm reading this... for the sake of America. I have to keep. telling. myself. that. 
79/ BOMBSHELL #4: Page gives the first ever confirmation, it appears, that Jeff SESSIONS received Papadopoulos emails about Kremlin meeting.
80/ I previously reported Sessions *had* to have gotten Papadopoulos' March email about the Kremlin because Kubic replied citing "the team."
81/ Page now admits "the whole [NatSec] group" received Papadopoulos' note about the Kremlin wanting to meet Trump—Sessions *ran* the group.
82/ Page confirms what we already suspected: the WH lied, and NatSec team had multiple *conference calls* as well as multiple *live events*.
83/ (This is a good time to recall my reporting from a few months ago: RT *deleted* all stories on its website about Page's July 2016 trip.)
84/ Page offered to let the campaign have input into the message he gave in Moscow. He was willing to act as Trump's messenger—that's clear.
85/ BOMBSHELL #5: Page admits to meeting a top Rosneft official during his July 2016 Moscow trip, exactly as alleged in the Steele Dossier.
86/ BOMBSHELL #6: Page admits to talking sanctions/sanctions policy with a top Rosneft executive and Sechin lieutenant during his July trip.
87/ BOMBSHELL #7: Page admits to discussing the sale of Rosneft in July 2016 with a top Rosneft exec. That's what Steele's Dossier alleged.
88/ Carter Page admits to discussing his July 2016 Moscow trip with Trump National Co-Chair Sam Clovis both before *and* after it happened.
89/ Carter Page (at least in Page terms) *concedes* the topic of sanctions came up when he met with Kislyak at the RNC in late July of 2016.
89/ 72 hours before Putin and Papadopoulos are in Athens at the same time, Page sends a cryptic note to Gordon re: a secretive conversation.
90/ After his Moscow trip—right before the Trump campaign changed the GOP platform—Page told Clovis Russia had a positive stance re: Trump.
91/ Page confirms the NatSec team discussed the lifting of sanctions on Russia—so Trump was planning that months before he even got the nom.
92/ Page confirms (though we already knew this) that he was not at the Mayflower Hotel on April 27, 2016. He says he was in Dubai that day.
93/ (Watching cable tonight, media *way* undersells the explosive news that emerged from this Carter Page transcript. Major news was made.)
94/ As has now been widely reported, Page proposed to Trump's campaign that Trump himself take the "Kremlin honey-pot" trip instead of him.
94/ BOMBSHELL #8: As Clovis was saying only a "private citizen" Moscow trip would work, Page was revealing to the team his Moscow trip plan.
95/ Until now, we didn't know if Clovis knew Page was going to Moscow while he was talking about who could credibly make the trip. He *did*.
96/ Carter Page went to Budapest in August 2016. Trump aides loved going there—it's also the European HQ for Russian intelligence (the FSB).
97/ Page admits he discussed Trump's Russia policy when he traveled to Budapest in August 2016. It all sounds fishy as hell, I'll tell you.
98/ And just as I said that, here's Page in the transcript saying the Hungarian Ambassador knew another member of the NatSec team (Schmitz).
99/ Jesus—"The Hungarian Ambassador may have mentioned something about another [NatSec team] member [not Schmitz] passing through Budapest."
100/ Jesus! Page now admits he may have met with a RUSSIAN in Hungary. Remember: Budapest is the European HQ for Russian intelligence (FSB).
101/ I've been saying in interviews the past week the NatSec team *matters* due to it being tasked with changing the platform to help Putin—
102/ —and here's BOMBSHELL #9, which is Page admitting the *whole NatSec team* was on a chain excitedly talking about changing the platform.
103/ So Papadopoulos repeatedly tells the whole team the Kremlin wants to be allies; meanwhile, the team is working on helping the Kremlin.
104/ And the Trump NatSec team's work helping Putin via the GOP platform continues *unabated* after news of Russian hacking hits U.S. news.
105/ It's now clear every member of Trump's NatSec team *had* to have seen the game here: play nice with Putin, continue to get hacking aid.
106/ Bannon managed to cajole Page into cancelling an MSNBC interview right before the inauguration. Page wasn't even on the campaign then.
107/ Coincidences, coincidences! Page bumped into—wait for it—Putin's right-hand man, Peskov, at the HQ of RT in December 2016. How random!
108/ The last 10 pages of the transcript are *fascinating*—Schiff lists off *every* major investigative avenue that House Intel is pursuing.
109/ So, in sum: ~10 bombshells here, all of which should be major U.S. news. And Steele's dossier gets a *massive* increase in credibility.
110/ Countless WH lies were exposed. And Sessions/NatSec team lies. And Hope Hicks suddenly becomes a very interesting Trump-Russia witness.
111/ The picture of what happened between Trump and Russia is now getting *very* clear despite it *still* being early- to mid-investigation.
112/ What we saw in this transcript was enough scandal—proof of WH and Trump campaign lies—for 10 administrations. And Mueller knows *more*.
113/ So I'll sign off now, knowing we're about to get a wave of breaking news on Papadopoulos *and* possibly *two* Miss Universe pageants.
114/ I have a busy week, but I'll keep everyone informed regarding any media I do and post any audio/video. I'm working on some big things.
115/ Today a great blow was struck against the Trump-Russia conspiracy—which is now *undeniable*, and will bring down this presidency. {end}
NOTE/ This Carter Page thread continues, for 25 more tweets, at the link below (apologies again for any confusion):
NOTE/ This Carter Page thread continues, for 20 more tweets, at the link below (apologies again for any confusion):
