Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Bolton Warned His Staff To Stay Away From Russia-Aligned Rudy Giuliani
https://www.thedailybeast.com/john-bolton-warned-staff-to-stay-away-from-russia-aligned-rudy-giuliani
As early as the spring of 2019, the former New York mayor was seen as a conduit for Russia’s evolving efforts to manipulate the forthcoming election.
Erin Banco
Spencer Ackerman
Asawin Suebsaeng
Updated Oct. 16, 2020 7:54PM ET / Published Oct. 16, 2020 7:56PM ET
Former National Security Adviser John Bolton repeatedly told his staff to actively remove themselves from conversations and meetings with Rudy Giuliani after Bolton received warnings from intelligence officials that the president’s personal lawyer was propagating conspiracy theories that aligned with a Russian operation to undermine the 2020 presidential election.
Bolton even warned his subordinates to avoid meetings in which Giuliani or his agenda might be raised. According to three sources with direct knowledge of the situation, Bolton told his team not to attend an Oval Office meeting May 23, 2019 with President Donald Trump following the inauguration of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The meeting, over Bolton’s objections, included former European Union Ambassador Gordon Sondland, former Energy Secretary Rick Perry, deputy national security adviser Charles Kupperman, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) and ex-Special Envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker. In the meeting, Trump told the group to “talk to Rudy,” who did not attend, about setting up a White House visit with Zelensky. Two sources said that the May directive from Bolton followed a series of warnings not to participate in meetings where Giuliani may attend.
The reluctance of Bolton’s NSC team to engage with Giuliani shows that as early as the spring of 2019, the former New York mayor was seen as a conduit for Russia’s evolving efforts to manipulate the forthcoming election. One former senior White House official recalled a series of discussions in the early days of 2019 that Russia was working on a scheme to leak “forged” or “fake” emails through intermediaries in the weeks leading up to the 2020 election. Officials viewed Giuliani as a possible target for such a leak, that person said. Another former official said Russia’s penetration of the servers of Ukranian energy company Burisma—where Hunter Biden once sat on the board—prompted “informed speculation among professionals that this would be the entree to fabricate material connecting Hunter Biden to corruption inside Burisma, and it wouldn’t take more than 10 percent truth.”
The Washington Post reported Thursday that in December 2019 Bolton’s successor Robert O’Brien warned the White House that Giuliani was a target of Russian intelligence operation to feed disinformation to Trump. But according to three individuals familiar with the matter, including two in the intelligence space, the warnings began in January 2019 about Giuliani’s possible links to Ukrainian officials with close ties to Russia and active in the spreading of disinformation.
-/snip-
As early as the spring of 2019, the former New York mayor was seen as a conduit for Russia’s evolving efforts to manipulate the forthcoming election.
Erin Banco
Spencer Ackerman
Asawin Suebsaeng
Updated Oct. 16, 2020 7:54PM ET / Published Oct. 16, 2020 7:56PM ET
Former National Security Adviser John Bolton repeatedly told his staff to actively remove themselves from conversations and meetings with Rudy Giuliani after Bolton received warnings from intelligence officials that the president’s personal lawyer was propagating conspiracy theories that aligned with a Russian operation to undermine the 2020 presidential election.
Bolton even warned his subordinates to avoid meetings in which Giuliani or his agenda might be raised. According to three sources with direct knowledge of the situation, Bolton told his team not to attend an Oval Office meeting May 23, 2019 with President Donald Trump following the inauguration of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The meeting, over Bolton’s objections, included former European Union Ambassador Gordon Sondland, former Energy Secretary Rick Perry, deputy national security adviser Charles Kupperman, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) and ex-Special Envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker. In the meeting, Trump told the group to “talk to Rudy,” who did not attend, about setting up a White House visit with Zelensky. Two sources said that the May directive from Bolton followed a series of warnings not to participate in meetings where Giuliani may attend.
The reluctance of Bolton’s NSC team to engage with Giuliani shows that as early as the spring of 2019, the former New York mayor was seen as a conduit for Russia’s evolving efforts to manipulate the forthcoming election. One former senior White House official recalled a series of discussions in the early days of 2019 that Russia was working on a scheme to leak “forged” or “fake” emails through intermediaries in the weeks leading up to the 2020 election. Officials viewed Giuliani as a possible target for such a leak, that person said. Another former official said Russia’s penetration of the servers of Ukranian energy company Burisma—where Hunter Biden once sat on the board—prompted “informed speculation among professionals that this would be the entree to fabricate material connecting Hunter Biden to corruption inside Burisma, and it wouldn’t take more than 10 percent truth.”
The Washington Post reported Thursday that in December 2019 Bolton’s successor Robert O’Brien warned the White House that Giuliani was a target of Russian intelligence operation to feed disinformation to Trump. But according to three individuals familiar with the matter, including two in the intelligence space, the warnings began in January 2019 about Giuliani’s possible links to Ukrainian officials with close ties to Russia and active in the spreading of disinformation.
-/snip-
3 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
infiltrated the scheme...send in the moles...we do it all the time..
