Clinton ordered leak of bogus ‘Russiagate’ story to press, ex-aide tells court — Analysis

Former Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook told a federal court in Washington, DC on Friday that, in 2016, Hillary Clinton approved leaking to the media a story claiming that the Trump Organization had been in contact with Russia’s Alfa Bank. The story originated with one of Clinton’s lawyers, and is false.

Mook, who ran Clinton’s unsuccessful campaign in 2016, told the court that campaign lawyer Marc Elias approached him claiming to have proof that servers connected with Russia’s Alfa Bank exchanged data with servers belonging to the Trump Organization. He stated that he’d been told that the evidence was from “people that had expertise in this sort of matter.”

Mook claimed that none of the candidates was “totally confident”Clinton was interested in receiving the information and he requested that Clinton release it to media. “She agreed,”He stated that the information had been released. 

After the Slate online news site published the claims, Clinton’s campaign released a statement that described the alleged exchange of servers between Alfa Bank and Clinton. “the most direct link yet between Donald Trump and Moscow.”Jake Sullivan (an ex-Clinton adviser) and the current National Security Advisor wrote the statement. It stated that allegations about Alfa Bank were “rising.” “even more troubling questions in light of Russia’s masterminding of hacking efforts … to hurt Hillary Clinton’s campaign.”

These allegations, however, were false. Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report into “collusion”Russia was not mentioned in the Trump campaign’s server claims, nor were they able to find any evidence. “collusion”Russian “hacking efforts”To influence the 2016 elections

A FBI investigation also found there were allegations of a conspiracy. “nothing there,” the agency’s former general counsel, James Baker, testified in the same courtroom on Thursday. Baker and Mook both testified in the case of Michael Sussmann who brought up the Alfa Bank allegations against the FBI.

Sussman has been charged with lying to Baker about his 2016 statement that he wasn’t employed. “for any client”When he made his claims, he approached FBI. Prosecutors allege that Baker was at that time working for Clinton and that Baker billed Clinton for his services immediately following meeting.

Sussman, who has pleaded not guilty, is being prosecuted by US Department of Justice Special Counsel John Durham, who was appointed by then Attorney General William Barr in 2019 to investigate the FBI’s handling of the ‘Russiagate’ investigation before Mueller took over. 

Since 2016, Trump insists that allegations against him are false. “collusion” against him were a politically-motivated “witch hunt.”