News Analysis 🔎 | The author of the #SteeleDossier told a @StateDept official that his client wanted allegations against Trump out before elections, and claimed #Russia had an agent planted in @DNC.

(Thread 👇) theepochtimes.com/memo-shows-ste…

A recently released @StateDept memo revealed that #SteeleDossier author #ChristopherSteele met with Kathleen Kavalec, then-deputy assistant secretary for European and Eurasian affairs, on Oct. 11, 2016—10 days prior to the @FBI obtaining a #FISA warrant on Carter Page.

Noted in a May 10 letter by Sen. @LindseyGrahamSC to @SecPompeo & IG #Horowitz: “Ms. Kavalec’s contacts with Steele may have been the most significant and memorialized communications with him by a U.S. government official prior to the issuance of the Carter Page FISA warrant.”

#Kavalec was mentioned during the Aug 2018 testimony of #DOJ official #BruceOhr, who stated she was an “official at the State Department and she had also, I believe, spoken with Chris Steele at some point…”

Kavalec is misspelled as Cavilick in the Bruce Ohr transcript.

It appears at least one meeting between #Ohr and #Kavalec took place on or prior to Nov. 21, 2016, based on dates in emails from Kavalec to Ohr in which a meeting between the two was referenced.

#BruceOhr reiterated that he “reported the conversation to the FBI.”

On Oct. 11, 2016, #Kavalec met with #Steele and Tatyana Duran, who was referenced as being with Steele’s firm Orbis Security.

The meeting was likely brokered by Jonathan Winer, whom #ChristopherSteele had known since at least 2010.

Winer, a former deputy assistant secretary of state for international law enforcement and former special envoy for Libya, was thanked by #Kavalec on the following day in an email released as part of the @StateDept documents obtained by @Citizens_United through a #FOIA request.

Winer received a separate dossier, very similar to #Steele’s, from longtime #Clinton confidant Sidney Blumenthal.

This “second dossier,” compiled by longtime Clinton operative and former journalist Cody Shearer, echoed claims made in the #SteeleDossier .

Winer gave #Steele a copy of the “second dossier.” Steele then shared it with @FBI, which may have used it as a means to corroborate Steele’s own dossier.

“J. Winer” is also listed at the top of notes from the meeting taken by Kavalec.

Also included in Kavalec's notes:
• #CarterPage
• #PaulManafort
• Sergei Millian, often described as a source for #SteeleDossier
• #MichaelCohen
• #Russian #AlfaBank. (Interestingly, “Alfa” is spelled correctly in Kavalec’s notes while #SteeleDossier spelled it "Alpha.")

It seems clear from #Kalevec’s notes, which contain redactions, that #Steele gave a full rundown of the unverified information compiled in his dossier to that date.

Unknown is if info was provided back to Steele by Kavalec or the @StateDept.

As a British citizen, Steele would…

… have no right to any information on any American citizen, including Carter Page, #PaulManafort, Sergei Millian, and #MichaelCohen.

#Kavalec says in her notes that #Steele told her, “The institution approached them [Orbis] based on the recommendation of Glenn Simpson and Peter Fritch (specialists in economic crime, formerly of the WSJ) and is keen to see this information come to light prior to November 8.”

Notably, we know from an Oct. 24, 2017, response letter sent by #PerkinsCoie that the law firm engaged #FusionGPS “to assist in its representation of the DNC and Hillary for America” in April 2016.

Fusion, in turn, hired #ChristopherSteele. See more: assets.documentcloud.org/documents/4116…

#Steele and his source claimed to have direct knowledge of what @WikiLeaks had in their possession:

“According to their source, while there will continue to be leaks of DNC material, ‘all the best stuff’ has already been leaked and there will not be any bombshells coming.”

Item 3 from #Kavalec’s notes is short but also a potential bombshell: “…the Russians have succeeded in placing an agent inside the DNC.”

It doesn’t appear that @FBI ever investigated this, nor is there any additional detail or clarity provided in Kavalec’s notes.

This presents a problem for @FBI: either #Steele is a credible witness, or he isn’t.

If #FBI took him seriously, there should've been investigations of these equally serious claims. If the info was proven false, why did they use Steele as a source of evidence for the Page #FISA?

The @FBI told the #FISA court that #Steele’s “reporting has been corroborated and used in criminal proceedings and the FBI assesses [Steele] to be reliable.”

Source: int.nyt.com/data/documenth…

#AlfaBank Allegations:
On Sept. 19, 2016, @FBI General Counsel James Baker met with Perkins Coie partner Michael Sussmann. #Baker told congressional lawmakers in an Oct. 3, 2018, testimony that #Sussmann presented him with documents and electronic media. theepochtimes.com/baker-testimon…

The info that #Sussmann gave to #Baker was related to alleged communications between #AlfaBank and a server in #TrumpTower.

These allegations, which were investigated by the @FBI and proven false, were widely covered in the media.

Baker’s testimony also shows that Sussmann…

… was speaking with the media about #AlfaBank at the same time he had approached #Baker, who noted #Sussmann told him that “The New York Times was aware of this.”

Several significant articles regarding Alfa Bank would be published on Oct. 31, 2016.

#CarterPage Reveals #Steele in Letter to @FBI:
On Sept 23, 2016, Michael @Isikoff published his article “U.S. intel officials probe ties between Trump adviser and Kremlin,” concerning Page.

Steele was Isikoff’s source, but is not referenced in the article.theepochtimes.com/isikoff-lays-a…

2 days later, Carter Page sent a letter to @FBI Director @Comey:
“I am writing to request the FBI’s prompt end of the reported inquiry regarding my personal trip to Russia in July 2016 – an investigation which has been widely mentioned in the media.”

In the letter, Page noted…

… “the source of these accusations is nothing more than completely false media reports.” Page closed with an offer to meet with the FBI:

“Although I have not been contacted by any member of your team in recent months, I would eagerly await their call to discuss any final…

… questions they might possibly have in the interest of helping them put these outrageous allegations to rest.”

Page had previously met with the @FBI on March 2, 2016, in relation to the case of #Russian #SPY Evgeny Buryakov.

https://twitter.com/carterwpage/status/1038941607054266369

On Oct. 28, 2016, @carterwpage sent another letter.

By this time, he was under active #surveillance, as the #FISA warrant had been obtained. Page references the @Isikoff article and refers to it as being “almost entirely attributable to the ‘Hillary for America’ campaign.”

A bit later, Page dropped this bomb:
“I have learned from a reliable source that a law firm close to the Clinton campaign has hired a London-based private investigator to investigate my trip to Russia.”

Page was aware @DNC law firm Perkins Coie—through #FusionGPS—hired Steele.

Then, @MotherJones’ @DavidCornDC published an article noting “in recent months,” Steele had “provided the bureau with memos based on his recent interactions with Russian sources.”

Which raises a question: Why did Steele decide to go public at this time? motherjones.com/politics/2016/…

On Oct. 28, 2016, then-FBI Director @Comey sent a letter to #Congress informing that he was reopening the #Clinton investigation in response to the discovery of emails contained in #AnthonyWeiner’s laptop.

This event has been noted as the cause for Steele’s outreach to Corn.

It seems more likely that @carterwpage’s letter is what forced #Steele to effectively out himself, which could indicate that the directive to do so came from the @FBI.

Notably, Steele stated in UK court documents that he was instructed to speak with @DavidCornDC by #FusionGPS.

On Jan. 10, 2017, @BuzzFeedNews published the #SteeleDossier , which created some problems, as the document could now be readily examined for inaccuracies.

The dossier referenced several sources, referring to them as “Source A,” “Source B,” and so on.

Later, @WSJ reported that Millian, a Belarusan-American businessman and onetime #Russian government translator, was both “Source D” and “Source E” in the #SteeleDossier.

But there is a problem with the reporting. The dossier appears to conflict with the newspaper’s article in…

… at least one material aspect. According to the dossier, Source E was used as confirmation for Source D—meaning they can’t be the same person.

Notably, since #Steele relied on 2nd- and 3rd-hand sources, Millian wouldn’t have been a direct source to Steele, but instead would…

… have given his information to an intermediary, who then relayed to #Steele what Millian had reportedly said.

Millian has denied being a source for the #SteeleDossier and has stated that “they were protecting their real source and framing others.”

This would seem to make more sense. If Millian was the true source, why would those involved want to expose Millian, as he would, in turn, know the identity of the person who spoke with Steele?

Intentional misdirection away from the true source appears a likelier answer.

There has been some discussion of a #Cohen-#Prague notation contained in the 2nd to last page of #Kavalec’s notes.

The reference appeared noteworthy given that #Steele’s meeting with Kavalec took place on Oct. 11 and prior to an Oct. 19 Steele memo that stated Steele’s source…

… did not know the location of #Cohen’s alleged meeting. However, a close examination of that page reveals a few timing hints, including reference to a “Reuter’s story today.”

On Mar 17, 2017, @Reuters published what appears to be the article in question.reuters.com/investigates/s…

It appears that the final 2 pages contained in the notes are from March 17, 2017, unlike the earlier pages that stem from the Oct. 11, 2016 meeting.

/END/