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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThe Time I Got Recruited to Collude with the Russians - by Matt Tait (@pwnallthethings )
https://lawfareblog.com/time-i-got-recruited-collude-russiansOfficials identified in the document include Steve Bannon, now chief strategist for President Donald Trump; Kellyanne Conway, former campaign manager and now White House counselor; Sam Clovis, a policy adviser to the Trump campaign and now a senior adviser at the Agriculture Department; and retired Lt. Gen. Mike Flynn, who was a campaign adviser and briefly was national security adviser in the Trump administration.
Im writing this piece in the spirit of Benjamin Wittess account of his interactions with James Comey immediately following the New York Times story for which he acted as a source. The goal is to provide a fuller accounting of experiences which were thoroughly bizarre and which I did not fully understand until I read the Journals account of the episode yesterday. Indeed, I still do not fully understand the events I am going to describe, both what they reflected then or what they mean in retrospect. But I can lay out what happened, facts from which readers and investigators can draw their own conclusions.
For the purpose of what follows, I will assume readers are already familiar with the Wall Street Journals reporting on this matter.
My role in these events began last spring, when I spent a great deal of time studying the series of Freedom of Information disclosures by the State Department of Hillary Clintons emails, and posting the parts I found most interestingespecially those relevant to computer securityon my public Twitter account. I was doing this not because I am some particular foe of ClintonsIm notbut because like everyone else, I assumed she was likely to become the next President of the United States, and I believed her emails might provide some insight into key cybersecurity and national security issues once she was elected in November.
<snip>
A few weeks later, right around the time the DNC emails were dumped by Wikileaksand curiously, around the same time Trump called for the Russians to get Hillary Clintons missing emailsI was contacted out the blue by a man named Peter Smith, who had seen my work going through these emails. Smith implied that he was a well-connected Republican political operative.(!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
MORE AT LINK. This was linked by Wittes today here:
Link to tweet
Loki Liesmith
(4,602 posts)Loki Liesmith
(4,602 posts)Talked with him a little. Always thought he was skeptical on the Russia angle. Interesting.
grantcart
(53,061 posts)MelissaB
(16,420 posts)I read this and kept saying, "Holy shit!".
MelissaB
(16,420 posts)blogslut
(37,990 posts)HOLY SHIT
MelissaB
(16,420 posts)Snarkoleptic
(5,997 posts)Explains why Drumpf was in full-on distraction mode over the last couple of days.
Stallion
(6,474 posts)I find this more interesting than the WSJ II story because of the detail. Ka-BOOM!!
Story needs to be rec'ed for visibility because title is kind of obscure to its importance
HipChick
(25,485 posts)wishstar
(5,268 posts)The author was shocked that the involvement of Russians didn't seem to matter to Repub operative Smith, who only cared about helping Trump. The author is not an American citizen though, which may explain why he was stunned that Repub operatives could be so ruthless and careless that they would work with Russians. He apparently never had much experience observing American politics or he would have not been shocked over treasonous depths of Republican dirty tricks.
NBachers
(17,096 posts)I want to see this document in circulation; or at least booked into evidence.
herding cats
(19,558 posts)It lays out the premise for collusion and then goes on to explain the mechanism of how it was being perpetrated with a timeline and an active actor.
I personally know a couple of people at lawfare blog, and the ones I know I'd vet as legit. However, I'm nowhere near cool, or relevant enough to know Benjamin Wittes. He's forever out of my league. Which may be the best endorsement I can give him now that I think of it.
alfredo
(60,071 posts)herding cats
(19,558 posts)Thank you for reminding me!
alfredo
(60,071 posts)I have a feeling that Mueller wants to present an ironclad case against the Trump crime family.
susanna
(5,231 posts)The plot thickens.
alfredo
(60,071 posts)Squinch
(50,934 posts)blood boil because it comes juuuuuuuuusssst an inch short of proof.
The author is very clear to point out that it is possible that the guy was just collecting names, though that is unlikely. And from the story we can see it is very unlikely, but the conspirators can all claim that and get away with it.
alfredo
(60,071 posts)SweetieD
(1,660 posts)to make of this Smith guy.
Also curious that he died so soon after wsj interview. At first I thought it was just old age and it could be. But he was obviously conversing with some people over the dark web and probably Russian spies online and in real life.
HipChick
(25,485 posts)Conway's husband worked with Smith when he funded Paula Jones suit against B Clinton. He's no stranger to them.
YCHDT
(962 posts)... these are some shady fuckers
HipChick
(25,485 posts)nocalflea
(1,387 posts)@ BradMossEsq 4h
Anyone want to place bets on whether the FBI has Smith's emails, phone records and text messages by now?
https://mobile.twitter.com/BradMossEsq/status/880968011313799169?p=v
YCHDT
(962 posts)Ellipsis
(9,124 posts)Thanks for posting.
Barack_America
(28,876 posts)...or whatever he received suggests...
1. He never received anything, and this was all to lay the groundwork for a rapid response in case he did. (This is probably most likely)
-or-
2. That he did receive something and was under very tight control by the Trump/GOP to sit on what he must have been foaming at the mouth to release.
Either way, the fact that this guy wasn't out there ranting and raving on the daily (his absolute contempt for the Clintons is not in doubt) strongly suggests something official was holding him back. Was it the promise of something lucrative that never materialized? (It's doubtful he could have contained his Clinton hate through Election Day) -or- Was he actually officially tied to the campaign in some capacity, and kept on a legal leash? That he did not speak publicly until Flynn was out strongly supports an official connection to at least Flynn. Now I'm curious to know more about what date Smith went to the media, and why then?
That, to me, is the key to how closely connected to Trump he was. His death obviously looms large over this.
Not Ruth
(3,613 posts)They are probably being shopped around again by the original seller. Not that hard to copy a flash drive. So it should not be difficult to track down the seller and get the full story from a living source.
politicat
(9,808 posts)The con artists who've gone semi-straight often say that the easiest person to con is someone who wants to buy. Someone who thinks they're pulling the fast one, or getting revenge. Smith isn't unknown; Russian Intelligence at minimum had a file of clippings and history on him. And the Russians know how to con just like the criminals. They may have had Smith down as an easy mark.
My question is how often do 80 year old men have presences on the dark web? And how often do their pet securities/Intellectual Property people have similar connections? (John Szobocsan, who very interestingly has connections noted in the Bloomberg corporate network listings, but doesn't have a page himself -- it 404's -- and to whom old Pete donated money in February.)
Drugs? Kiddie porn? Prostitution? Organs? What was elderly Mr Smith looking for, if he was digging around in such places? Because sellers of such information shop it veeeeeeery carefully. They're not going to just dig up a public email address for such a common name as Peter W Smith. They're going to do due diligence, and make sure their potential buyer has the funds.
Not Ruth
(3,613 posts)Perhaps that is why the family is not releasing the death certificate. He may have wanted the publicity associated with the questions over his death, as a build up to releasing the email. The family could be complying with his final requests.
muriel_volestrangler
(101,294 posts)Either Smith was a complete fantasist, or he was working with "Steve Bannon, Kellyanne Conway, Sam Clovis, Lt. Gen. Flynn and Lisa Nelson" "in coordination to the extent permitted as an independent expenditure".
DeminPennswoods
(15,273 posts)In addition to all the Watergate comparisons, we also need to realize that people obsessed with the Clintons are making a return appearance here.
If you read Joe Conason and Gene Lyons in the early days of Salon, you'll recognize all the names. David Bossie was one of main actors and he was brought into the Trump campaign. You have to figure that all those involved in the "Arkansas Project" along with their funders came along, too.
I hope some of the journalists persuing this story talk to David Brock, Conason and Lyons about Smith and his role.
Achilleaze
(15,543 posts)must not stand.
lastlib
(23,191 posts)This could very well be the straw that breaks the donald's back!! If AnusMouth Trump himself knows about this activity (which may be difficult to prove now that Peter Smith has "conveniently" died...), he is into impeachable-offense territory!
Response to yodermon (Original post)
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kentuck
(111,069 posts)Especially the "Dark Net" and the hidden "LLC" in Delaware to conduct campaign ops...
The writer seemed to be concerned that his name was on one of the documents and wanted people to know that he had split with the operation, and had refused to sign a non-disclosure agreement.