Timothy Snyder: The McGonigal/Russian connections....

[pbmus]

https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1618309363084718080.html

In April 2016, I broke the story of Trump and Putin, using Russian open sources. Afterwards, I heard vague intimations that something was awry in the FBI in New York, specifically counter-intelligence and cyber. We now have a suggestion as to why. 0/20

The person who led the relevant section, Charles McGonigal, has just been charged with taking money from the Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska. Follow this thread to see just how this connects to the victory of Trump, the Russian war in Ukraine, and U.S. national security. 1/20

The reason I was thinking about Trump & Putin in 2016 was a pattern. Russia had sought to control Ukraine, using social media, money, & a pliable head of state. Russia backed Trump the way that it had backed Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych, in the hopes of soft control 2/20

Trump & Yanukovych were similar figures: interested in money, & in power to make or shield money. And therefore vulnerable partners for Putin. They also shared a political advisor: Paul Manafort. He worked for Yanukovych from 2005-2015, taking over Trump's campaign in 2016. 3/20

You might remember Manafort's ties to Russia from 2016. He (and Jared Kushner, and Donald Trump, Jr.) met with Russians in June 2016 in Trump Tower as part of, as the broker of the meeting called it, "the Russian government's support for Trump" (#RoadToUnfreedom, p. 237).

4/20
Manafort had to resign as Trump's campaign manager in August 2016 when news broke that he had received $12.7 million in cash from Yanukovych. But these details are just minor elements of Manafort's dependence on Russia. (#RoadToUnfreedom, p. 235).

5/20
Manafort worked for Deripaska, the same Russian oligarch to whom McGonigal is linked, between 2006 and 2009. Manafort's assignment was to soften up the U.S for Russian influence. He promised "a model that can greatly benefit the Putin government." (#RoadToUnfreedom, p. 234).

6/20
While Manafort worked for Trump in 2016, though, Manafort's dependence on Russia was deeper. He owed Deripaska money, not a position one would want to be in. Manafort offered Deripaska "private briefings" on the campaign. He was hoping "to get whole." (#RoadToUnfreedom, 234)

7/20
Reconsider how the FBI treated the Trump-Putin connection in 2016. Trump and other Republicans screamed that the FBI had overreached. In retrospect, it seems the exact opposite took place. The issue of Russian influence was framed in a way convenient for Russia and Trump. 8/20

The FBI investigation, Crossfire Hurricane, focused on the narrow issue of personal connections between the Trump campaign and Russians. It missed Russia's cyber attacks and the social media campaign, which, according to Kathleen Hall Jamieson, won the election for Trump. 9/20

Once the issue of Russian soft control was framed narrowly as personal contact, Obama missed the big picture, and Trump had an easy defense. Trump knew that Russia was working for him, but the standard of guilt was placed so high that he could defend himself. 10/20

It is entirely inconceivable that McGonigal was unaware of Russia's 2016 cyber influence campaign on behalf of Trump. Even I was aware of it, and I had no expertise. It became one of the subjects of my book #RoadtoUnfreedom. 11/20

The FBI did investigate cyber later, and came to some correct conclusions. But this was after the election, and missed the Russian influence operations entirely. That was an obvious counterintelligence issue. Why did the FBI take so long, and miss the point? 12/20

I had no personal connection to this, but will just repeat what informed people said at the time: this sort of thing was supposed to go through the FBI counter-intelligence section in New York, where tips went to die. That is where McGonigal was in charge. 13/20

The cyber element is what McGonigal should have been making everyone aware of in 2016. In 2016, McGonigal was chief of the FBI's Cyber-Counterintelligence Coordination Section. That October, he was put in charge of the Counterintelligence Division of the FBI's NY office. 14/20

We need to understand why the FBI failed in 2016 to address the essence of an ongoing Russian influence operation. The character of that operation suggests that it would have been the responsibility of an FBI section whose head is now accused of taking Russian money. 15/20

Right after the McGonigal story broke, Kevin McCarthy ejected Adam Schiff from the House intelligence committee. Schiff is expert on Russian influence operations. It exhibits carelessness about national security to exclude him. It is downright suspicious to exclude him now. 16/20

Back in June 2016, Kevin McCarthy expressed his suspicion that Donald Trump was under Putin's influence. He and other Republican members concluded that the risk of an embarrassment to their party was more important than American security. #RoadToUnfreedom, p. 255. 17/20

The Russian influence operation to get Trump elected was real. It serves no one to pretend otherwise. We are still learning about it. Denying that it happened makes the United States vulnerable to ongoing Russian operations. 18/20

I remember a certain frivolity from 2016. Trump was a curiosity. Russia was irrelevant. Nothing to take seriously. Then Trump was elected, blocked weapon sales to Ukraine, and tried to stage a coup. Now Ukrainians are dying every day in the defining conflict of our time. 19/20

The McGonigal question goes even beyond these issues. He had authority in the most sensitive possible investigations within U.S. intelligence. Sorting this out will require a concern for the United States that goes beyond party loyalty. 20/20

[2naSalit]

1. K&R

[dmr]

2. All of this angers me. It also breaks my heart from

all the unnecessary pain, vulnerability and strife this has caused all of us, and our beautiful nation.

When I heard about McGonigal, my first thoughts went to the Mueller investigation. Today, I wonder who else in the FBI is involved, or at least knew of, or was suspicious of the goings on back then, and present day.

The pit in my stomach is very real. Can we as a nation ever become healthy again? Who the hell can we trust?

[blm]

21. Those at FBI who DID the work just to have

it blocked or downplayed would have an idea.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

3. K&R

[Scrivener7]

4. The saddest thing is that so much of this was done in full view. Rachel reported

on many parts of it. There were many articles at the time detailing other parts. There was even a three part documentary out of England about Cambridge Analytica - which is still operating with impunity under a different name.

If our intelligence agencies were not completely corrupted - and I'll eat my house if McGonigal is the only rat in the woodpile - this should have been a cakewalk to uncover and stop.

[msfiddlestix]

6. Indeed. It should have been a cakewalk to nail all those rats in the woodpile to the tree.

to be skinned and gutted. bosses heads on a pike.

(I never claimed to be a pacifist, not even in my hippy days)

[blm]

19. Rigged from even before he got in the WH

[Kid Berwyn]

5. FBI got rid of the wrong "problem."

In the Oval Office in the merry month of May 2017

President Trump gestures to Russia's ambassador to the U.S., Sergey Kislyak, as he speaks to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in the Oval Office on Wednesday, May 10, 2017. (Alexander Shcherbak/TASS/Getty Images)

“I just fired the head of the FBI. He was crazy, a real nut job," Trump said, according to The Times. "I faced great pressure because of Russia. That's taken off.”



"I'm not under investigation," he added.

Sources:

https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/05/10/527755991/trump-meets-with-russias-lavrov-at-the-white-house-today

https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-nut-job-james-comey-russia-2017-5

[hedda_foil]

7. He spells it out.

[triron]

8. Did Hillary know?

[Scrivener7]

10. She warned us about it. At the time.

[peggysue2]

11. Hillary Clinton said shortly after the 2016 election that . . .

Her loss was not simply because of her admitted failure to adequately pound the ground in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.

"That's not why I lost," she said.

So yes, I think she knew because she understood Putin and his influence operations around the world and she was aware of Russia's desire to get 'their man into the WH." Trump was Putin's puppet and had the GOP that willingly turned a blind eye. Because winning was/is everything. In addition, too many Republicans were complicit in their own seditious/fraudulant acts.

Tragically, our own press enabled and amplified Putin's operation.

Putin and his henchmen scored big in 2016, the most successful intelligence infiltration and political heist in the history of the United States.

We're still suffering the repercussions.

[triron]

12. Wonder if she was suspicious of the FBI.

[peggysue2]

13. Quite possible, triron

I remember she said Comey's remarks about the email case shortly before the election was a CYA moment, rather than the 'boy-scout' moment we were fed.

Infuriating!

[Wounded Bear]

9. K & R...nt

[blm]

14. Kicking.

It’s crazy that this thread isn’t on fire.

[triron]

17. Yep. Often DUers responces to critical topics are tepid

[Sky Jewels]

15. Excellent summary.

I have a hard time processing the masses of Russia-Trump information, and this cuts to the chase. It's a good, clear outline.

[blm]

18. Exactly right.

This needs attention. Spreading where I can.

[MerryBlooms]

16. r&k Excellent. Thank you!

[blm]

20. Kick