Russian ambassador told Moscow that Kushner wanted secret communications channel with Kremlin

[brooklynite]

Source: Washington POst

Jared Kushner and Russia’s ambassador to Washington discussed the possibility of setting up a secret and secure communications channel between Trump’s transition team and the Kremlin, using Russian diplomatic facilities in an apparent move to shield their pre-inauguration discussions from monitoring, according to U.S. officials briefed on intelligence reports.

Ambassador Sergei Kislyak reported to his superiors in Moscow that Kushner, then President-elect Trump’s son-in-law and confidant, made the proposal during a meeting on Dec. 1 or 2 at Trump Tower, according to intercepts of Russian communications that were reviewed by U.S. officials. Kislyak said Kushner suggested using Russian diplomatic facilities in the United States for the communications.

The meeting also was attended by Michael Flynn, Trump’s first national security adviser.

The White House disclosed the fact of the meeting only in March, playing down its significance. But people familiar with the matter say the FBI now considers the encounter, as well as another meeting Kushner had with a Russian banker, to be of investigative interest.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/russian-ambassador-told-moscow-that-kushner-wanted-secret-communications-channel-with-kremlin/2017/05/26/520a14b4-422d-11e7-9869-bac8b446820a_story.html

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If THIS doesn't generate a tweetstorm...

[BumRushDaShow]

1. Friday dump

As an edit - Seth Abramson had a series of tweets back in March that laid out some of the timeline and included the below that may be related to the OP-

Link to tweet

[Leghorn21]

34. Stay strong, Jared!!

Or - whatever

[L. Coyote]

70. Seth has since proven unreliable. He's in a spat with Mensch and Taylor.

He was only pushing other people's stories to begin with and had some useful mega-threads (which I even posted), but he's fallen off the radar lately a la Greenwald.

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

[BumRushDaShow]

71. That tweet that I posted

was from one of the "mega threads" (from back in March).

I think the gist being the issue of the Rosneft & CITCO (which I have seen in regular news articles) and how that might tie in to those December "meetings" and the (apparently) clandestine comings and goings of Kislyak. I think the other names associated with that (Flynn & Page & Manafort) were pretty much established but having Kushner in that mix is interesting (although perhaps not unexpected given his direct obvious link to Drumpf). I.e., he appears to be the "trusted" lieutenant in handling the affairs of the TFEE.

[L. Coyote]

72. I'm confortable with consigliere.

con·si·glie·re
noun: consigliere; plural noun: consiglieri
an adviser, especially to a crime boss.

Of course, the crime boss calls the consigliere his buffer.

[BumRushDaShow]

73. LOL

[calimary]

75. That's certainly something we can say about trump's impact. No more Friday Night News Dumps.

I remember on "The West Wing" they referred to it as "Take Out the Trash Night".

But the whole premise for that is long gone.

Used to be if you had some - um - less-than-flattering info that had to be released, and you needed to do it at the most strategically protected time, you released it late Friday afternoon or into Friday evening. Because the network news shows were over by then, and the weekend was coming and nobody aired much in terms of news coverage. Maybe the Weekend Nightly News or some such thing - so there's a mere half-hour on Saturday evening and another one on Sunday evening. Which means probably about 20 minutes of actual news content because of the commercial load on each of those half-hour programs. So the expectation was - by the time the news shows could sink their teeth into those stories, it'd be Monday morning and nobody'd care that much about what had happened the previous Friday afternoon. It probably wouldn't even lead the newscast.

So THAT'S when you wanted to drop bad news about your operations into the public pool.

Well, that's NOT how it is anymore! The news goes on, and these days, the news goes on IN EARNEST. I notice on MSNBC, for example, that stupid cheap-ass "Lockup" programming has been starting later and later and later. Hell, on some weekends, it hasn't run AT ALL. Because there's so much news to cover. Their default these days, when there may not be quite as much, is a rerun of the Friday evening block of Hayes/Maddow/O'Donnell. We NEVER saw that. NEVER. Til just recently, that is.

[BumRushDaShow]

76. Yup

and you can tell the level of "crisis" when every day is a "news dump" and weekends aren't stifling the hits much anymore.

[calimary]

77. Full disclosure, what immediately crosses my mind is -

with all those shows either extended, or replayed, or more live anchors and producers and bookers and writers and techies needed for more live coverage, all that means to me is more people getting more pay. They're all gonna have to put in for more overtime, and in a situation like this, management really can't say no.

I had visions of the bureau chief or executive producer calling out for a big order of Chinese food or directing the assignment editor to go ahead and call some staffers at home and get 'em in here. All hands on deck. That's what happened at the AP in LA on election night or when covering a hot story - like the LA riots or the OJ "slow-speed chase" and verdict. There'd be local newspaper people in there and stringers in there and regional TV people in there and other professional brother/sister guests and fellow travelers. Suddenly, on an otherwise ordinary night, there was standing room only in the newsroom, people doubling up on work stations, every TV monitor everywhere was not only on but had several pairs of eyes on it, all the phone lines had people on them, and photo guys were racing around everywhere. And the whole conference room table was covered, end-to-end, with freshly-delivered Chinese food, ordered by the bureau chief (who himself was staying on duty long past when he'd usually call it a day at the end of the week). LOVED that guy! Our bureau chief was COOL!

Breaking stories were AMAZING events to be part of, even on a side-bar level. Even better than Oscar night - which, every year, was a pretty amazing scene in and of itself.

[BumRushDaShow]

78. But then what does happen in those situations

is that when they go live coverage on these breaking stories, they often stop running commercials, so that would probably mean the running around rescheduling them (or perhaps reimbursing).

I remember 9/11 when the networks literally ran 24/7 from that Tuesday all the way until I think late Friday night or Saturday morning with no break and no commercials.

[dalton99a]

2. What were they trying to hide?

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

3. We don't get news bombshells any more. We get news carpet bombing.

[Cattledog]

4. Criminal activity.

[wildeyed]

5. Whoa!

Never a slow news day in Trump's America..... Kushner suggested a plot so brazen and corrupt, that even the Russians were like, Dude! No! That's crazy!

[DUgosh]

6. Omg

No words

[blitzen]

7. This is treason of the highest order...

Any repuke congressperson who aids, abets, or obstructs the prosecution of Kushner ought to be impeached or charged with treason themselves.

[Calista241]

13. Kushner hasn't done anything illegal, at least as presented in this article.

There's nothing illegal about setting up a backchannel. Unless Kislyak actually said what Trump wanted, and if what he wanted was criminal, then its all just a conversation between future political powers.

And this leak, if it's true, is very compromising to our intelligence community. The Russians will almost surely patch this compromised communications channel and we won't be able to continue monitoring them in this fashion.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

14. It's as dodgy as hell, though.

Kislyak, besides being an ambassador, is a big kahuna in the Russian intelligence system (a major spy recruiter, it's said). It will depend on what kind of information, if any, passed between them. Why would they want this channel of communication to be secret if it was all on the up-and-up?

[Ccarmona]

19. He Didn't Report The Meeting on His SF86 Form

That's the crime, even though his lawyers say it was an "error." Lying on that form is five years in prison.

[SergeStorms]

60. Could you imagine......

trying to use the, "it was an error" defense when dealing with the IRS? "I didn't report that $500,000 I got in "tips" last year". It was an honest error, I wasn't trying to hide it from the IRS".

I'm certain the IRS would be very understanding about that "error".

[Kablooie]

20. Not illegal in itself but take a look at this line in the article...

"Kushner conveyed to the Russians that he was aware that it would be politically sensitive to meet publicly, but it was necessary for the Trump team to be able to continue their communication with Russian government officials."

There's certainly something very, very, very underhanded about this since it is coming from President elect's office.

[Madam45for2923]

49. Why the need for so much communications?

[onetexan]

51. Bingo

[blitzen]

22. Oh come on...the article says it is "of investigatve interest"

Hard to spin that into anything other than it being investigated as criminal...But y'all are still blaming the so-called leaker. Ridiculous. Trump is incessantly leaking everything everywhere all the time. But the sources telling what they know to the press are not leaflets, they are whistle blowers. And probably the most important and truly patriotic whistle blowers in the past several decades.

[SunSeeker]

38. Hey Calista241, please explain why Kushner did this behind the intelligence community's back.

I mean, why have an enemy nation's spy service set up the back channel?! Why not have our intelligence community set it up? It is this fucked up grifter hotline that Jared tried to set up that is compromising the intelligence community, not a leaker who exposed the treachery. JESUS H. CHRIST.

[Calista241]

55. Could it have been nefarious? Hell yeah.

Has that been proven? Nope. And it's not like this meeting took place in a dark alley with no witnesses, it happened at Trump Tower. Kislyak went through the Secret Service to get into that meeting.

I swear, if people here found out Trump farted at dinner, people would want to see him jailed. When you scream out "JAIL HIM!" And "impeach everyone", you better have a good, provable, convincing reason. Kushner holding a meeting in the President Elect's offices isn't any of that stuff.

[JustAnotherGen]

67. Lying on his disclosure form

Was a criminal act by Kushner.

We chip away at 45 one by one in his inner circle. It's not complicated. Maybe he will stroke out if we keep it up.

[SunSeeker]

74. OFFS. No, people here do not want Trump jailed for farting.

We want him impeached for obstruction of justice, treason, bribery and money laundering. You insulting us and equating those serious offenses to an inconsequential fart says a lot about you.

[displacedtexan]

39. Espionage Act of 1917

Covert communication with a hostile nation using Russian cryptographic measures is a very serious crime, according to Malcolm Nance.

[SunSeeker]

42. Yep. So is treason, bribery...

All of which Jared tried to enable with this grifter-spy hotline.

[onenote]

63. Which section of the Espionage Act does Nance claim this violates?

I ask because I don't see any provision of the Act that would be the likely basis for a prosecution of Kushner based on what has been reported.

And whether or not Russia is a "hostile" nation isn't necessarily the standard under the Espionage Act -- it's whether the person disclosing information does it with the intent to harm the US.

[alcibiades_mystery]

43. It's conspiracy to commit espionage, in addition to the security form non-disclosure

Multiple felonies. He asked that comms be run through Russian diplomatic facilities, i.e., out of the proverbial Rezidentura.

Are you fucking daft?

[George II]

48. Please reread the first paragraph - what he was doing is illegal. Trump hadn't been sworn in yet...

...and apparently Kushner hadn't gotten any security clearance yet.

A private citizen trying to make deals with a foreign government, particularly an adversarial foreign government, is illegal.

[sheshe2]

54. Why did he not go through our goverment channels?

Why Russia's?

And why the hell is there so much communications with the Russians by team trump in the first place? This smells.

[not fooled]

59. Perhaps Scrofulous Steve Bannon

had something to do with bringing this story to life. Revenge on his archrival Jarhead?

[blitzen]

8. The Trump crime/espionage family is way worse....

than we imagined. As in way worse than the worst traitors in our history.

[Control-Z]

9. That makes perfect sense.

Sneaking in and out the back of maggot Tower and other public places to hold their secret meetings was getting tiresome.

"...Kushner, President-elect Trump’s son-in-law and confidant, made the proposal during a meeting on Dec. 1 or 2 at Trump Tower, according to intercepts of Russian communications... "

[pepperbear]

10. hmm...secret un-monitor-able backchannel or private e mail server

which many politicians, including mike pence, have used.

oh, and there was nothing on the server.

and there was no attempt on clinton's part to secretly communicate with a "hostile" government.

which one spells "criminal" to you?

[FailureToCommunicate]

47. +1

[OliverQ]

11. Jack Kingston on CNN defending this

Saying it's good for the campaign to open up communications with the Russians.

[renate]

23. that guy is so repellent

He makes my skin crawl. He's the human embodiment of the sound of nails on a chalkboard. It's not just because he's stupid and says stupid things... he's just extra weird.

[pnwmom]

24. Then you have the NSA set up your secure line -- not Russian intelligence. n/t

[SunSeeker]

37. Exactly, pnwmom. WHY was Trump hiding this from the intelligence community?

Fucking traitorous grifters.

[Amaryllis]

12. On MSNBC right now.

[NastyRiffraff]

15. When do we start using the T-word?

I think it's past time.

[C_U_L8R]

16. шпионаж

The Trump team seems awfully close to espionage/treason/someweirdshit

[angrychair]

17. Are you guys missing the main point

TRUMP TOOK AN OWNERSHIP SHARE IN A RUSSIAN CORPORATION AND GOT HACKER AID TO WIN ELECTION IN TEADE FOR LIFTING SANCTIONS ON RUSSIA...WHICH IS IS ON THE VERGE OF DOING AS WE READ THIS

[benld74]

18. Kushner in same league as Strump

Just check their eyes
Cold
Dead


Strump daughter fell for Kushner because he is LIKE her father!!

[OnDoutside]

21. There's also the possibility that the Russians leaked this ?

Funny how it follows Gary Cohn's statement that sanctions might be increased.

[pnwmom]

26. But the original leaker letter was sent in December, when Russia

would have had ZERO interest in pushing the idea that Jared was colluding with them.

[OnDoutside]

31. Good point. The Russians must be furious so that their

Comms channel has been compromised.

[bagimin]

25. k&r

[SummerSnow]

27. right now , Trump is screaming at Kushner

[democratisphere]

28. Collusion by drumpf with Russia is no longer in any doubt.

[MFM008]

29. Why??

Why would any American want a back channel or secret communications with the former Soviet Union?

[mchill]

33. Money

[BigmanPigman]

32. Is this when Ivanka wore black at the Vatican along with Melania?

Maybe "God" gave them a heads up on what was coming down the pike.

[MelissaB]

35. Jesus! Jaw dropping news on a Friday night.

[videohead5]

36. Don't Forget

One of Trump's servers was communicating with a Russian bank.

[Chicago1980]

40. Malcolm Nance is whispering espionage.

[SunSeeker]

41. K & R for expsoure of grifter-spy hotline. nt

[riversedge]

44. This headline implicates the " Trump campaign"--not just Kushner....

The Baxter Bean? @TheBaxterBean

BREAKING: Trump campaign tried to evade U.S. intelligence agencies by using Russian communications systems w/ Russia

Link to tweet

[Achilleaze]

45. KGOP traitors suck

[ButSeeYa]

46. Run, Jared, Ruuuunnnn!!!!

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

50. Guess he thought he was Mr. Bigshot now

[Enoki33]

52. What the hell is it going to take before the Repugs in Congress

start putting country before power and party?.

[Dorn]

53. Treason

Treason treason, treason treason treason, treason.

Treason!

[jimlup]

56. Fucking A! These people wanted to sell the country to the Russians

Wow! If nothing else the news stream is amusing...

[CONN]

57. So now the Russians know we intercept their communications...

and, ironically, this was the system JK wanted to use for "back-channel communications"

this is a disaster for the USA.

[Tatiana]

58. This leak is intentional and directed at Trump and Kushner.

I'm pretty sure the source for this information has already been plugged. I think the IC is trying to force Trump and Kushner into a state of paranoia. As Malcolm Nance puts it, the goal is for them to start getting "buggy." Imagine if someone reported on every single thing you did on random days -- who you talked to, what you ate, even when you thought you were in private. You start suspecting everyone and eventually, your paranoia leads you to slip up.

The leaks will continue until the spooks have the evidence they need. I'm fairly certain Kushner is going to be charged with something.

[Blue_Roses]

62. I agree

but I think there is more to this than what we are seeing here. Just a gut feeling that all is not as it appears.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

61. "His name is Jared. His name is Jared and he likes the secret bandwidth-es."

[DeminPennswoods]

64. The odd part is Trump was open about Russia

and wanting better relations with them. It was a main campaign theme. During the transition they could have easily established a transparent front channel through the State Dept. After Jan 20, the WH could have all the contact with Russia they wanted since they were in charge of the govt and foreign affairs. But trying to set up communications in the Russian Embassy using Russian communication equipment to bypass all of America and its gov't? That's John LeCarre' level spy stuff.

But, imho, with Trump, his family and his inner circle, it's all about the money. There is no loyalty or patriotism involved. I've thought all along Russia/Russians have financial hooks in the Trumps and that's what driving all the secrecy. It's why he won't release his taxes or other financial information and probably why he won't divest from his business.

[BumRushDaShow]

65. "There is no loyalty or patriotism involved."

It is the real life version of this -

[Stuart G]

66. k and r...nt

[Danascot]

68. How did we know what Kislyak said about his meeting with Kushner? - Answered

Because a high-level Russian spy isn't likely to spill those tidbits to the the press. I wondered about this question and found the answer in an Atlantic article.

"It came to the attention of American officials through intercepts of Russian communications in which Kislyak relayed the request to his superiors in Moscow"

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/05/kushner-kislyak-flynn-trump/528402/

[orangecrush]

69. K&R

This is bigly.