Lawmakers Dig Into GOP Operative Who Sought Clinton Emails From Russia

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Talking Points Memo


By ALLEGRA KIRKLAND Published OCTOBER 16, 2017 5:33 PM

Congressional investigators are digging into a Republican operative’s efforts to obtain Hillary Clinton’s private emails from Russian hackers and his claims to be carrying out that hunt on behalf of members of the Trump campaign, CNN reported Monday.

The Senate and House Intelligence Committees are both reaching out to individuals recruited by the late Peter W. Smith, a veteran Chicago-based opposition research, for inside knowledge about how exactly his email hunt worked. Smith himself was found dead in an apparent suicide weeks after after the Wall Street Journal first reported on his email campaign.

Special counsel Robert Mueller’s team is also probing Smith’s work and whether, as he claimed, he was working “in coordination” with former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn or other high-level Trump campaign officials.

An anonymous source told CNN that British security analyst Matt Tait told the House committee that he believed Smith had close ties to Flynn, former chief White House strategist Steve Bannon and White House aide Kellyanne Conway. Tait went public with Smith’s efforts to recruit him in a June blog post for Lawfare, where he wrote that it was “apparent that Smith was both well connected within the top echelons of the campaign” and that he displayed a “reckless lack of interest in whether the emails came from a Russian cut-out.”

Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/muckraker/house-senate-intelligence-committees-investigate-peter-smith-clinton-emails

[Perseus]

1. Someone should investifate that quote...

"Smith himself was found dead in an apparent suicide weeks after after the Wall Street Journal first reported on his email campaign."

Isn't it interesting that a guy who, apparently was in good health, did not give signs of depression, or anything suspicious that would raise some red flags is found dead and thought of having committed suicide? One would think he was celebrating every day after his success with helping the orange guy become president...champagne every day...

[Alice11111]

2. Wow, found dead, we have become like Russia.

Sleep with the dogs, and you get fleas, as they say...no offense to dogs intended. My cat sleeps with me.

[Ellipsis]

3. About time.

[riversedge]

4. the committee's need to get Conway, Bannon and Rep Rohrabacher in for interviews!

....Conway and Bannon have previously denied any knowledge of this plot. Flynn’s attorney, Robert Kelner, declined CNN’s request for comment.

The Senate Intelligence Committee has also requested an interview and documents from far-right blogger Chuck Johnson, who told CNN he had done neither and would refuse any requests for a closed-door interview. Johnson recently joined pro-Russia congressman Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) for a trip to meet with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, where they discussed their shared assessment that Russia played no role in providing Clinton campaign emails to Assange’s publication during the campaign.

[mpcamb]

5. I agree. Make them deny it in front of Committee. Then prove they've lied.

Let 'em think about jail time for purjury and this house-of-cards will come tumbling down.

[red dog 1]

6. "apparent suicide"?

No note?

No apparent depression?

Sounds fishy to me.

Was there an autopsy?


K&R, thanks for posting, Judi Lynn

[mr_lebowski]

7. Cue Hannity and his "He Was Investigating Clinton Emails!!?! SEE!!!' bullshit

This story will NOT be made to work in our favor, I guarantee it.

The 'facts' that point to the implication of a Trump/Russia connection are too convoluted and require too much explanation for about 80% of 'the public' to catch on.

Rather, I'd bet that if the Senate/House Committees are looking into it it's most likely GOP-driven, and an attempt add to the so-called (meaning: utter bullshit) 'Clinton Body Count'.

Look for Hannity/Breitbart/et al to take it up as a 'cause' anyday now ... MORE DIED looking into HER EMAILS!?!?!

THAT, you see, is simple enough propaganda to be catapulted. GOP specializes in this shit, as we all well know. And the Dems in the House/Senate in general are malleable and/or dumb enough to go along (at first, at least) thinking they'll 'explain the truth and the public will get the REAL meaning'. Yah, right.