Candy indignation
Donald trump started working day on 15 February with a series of tweets in which he criticized the actions of U.S. intelligence. “The real scandal is that the secret information is illegally distributed “intelligence” like candy. Very UN-American!” — wrote the President. In another tweet he said: “Information given illegally failed NYTimes and the Washington Post, the intelligence community (NSA and the FBI?). Just like Russia”.
Two leading American Newspapers — The New York Times and The Washington Post in recent days has published a series of materials in which, citing current and former White house officials reported on investigations that lead law enforcement agencies and special services in respect of a number of members of the President’s team.
The New York Times in the publication of 14 February, on the basis of information of four current and former U.S. officials, says: representatives of the election headquarters of trump and other people close to him had frequent contact with Russian intelligence, what the data indicates about their phone calls. American law enforcement and intelligence agencies intercepted them when found signs of Russian interference in the presidential campaign. The Obama administration accused the Russian authorities in organizing the hacking of the servers of the democratic National Committee and publication of emails of presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
As told sources, contacts with representatives of the Russian special services had, in particular, by Paul Manafort, a few months led a campaign of trump. Whose conversations are examined, the newspaper’s sources said. Manafort called the information absurd.
“I was surprised to read the publication of the newspaper, to comment on we will not” — said “RIA Novosti” spokesman of the foreign intelligence Service Sergei Ivanov.
Talked with the journalists of the NYT officials say they have transferred information is part of the results of the FBI investigation of linkages trump with the Russian authorities. The FBI gained access to Bank data and data about the movements. American law enforcement authorities continue to study the dossier on trump, which was published at the beginning of the year, the portal BuzzFeed.
At the same time in one of the tweets on Wednesday, the President trump praised Bloomberg columnist Eli Lake, who drew attention to the following fact: reporters rarely reported that the telephone conversations of US citizens, especially senior officials, are monitored by the government. He suggests that “drain” of information may be a group of bureaucrats from the system of national security and officials from the administration of outgoing President Barack Obama. The purpose of their actions may be undermining the current administration.
Resignation due to national security
Sources The New York Times said that the investigation of the relations of people trump with Russia is not connected with the scandal surrounding Michael Flynn, until recently presidential adviser on national security. He resigned on 13 February after the Washington Post, citing its sources in the government said that wiretapping conversations Flynn with Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak proves they discussed the possibility of lifting anti-Russian sanctions. Flynn had previously denied that discussed this topic Kislyak, and said the same thing Vice-President Mike Pence. But last week, Flynn said, can not say that the topic was not discussed, and shortly thereafter left the post.
Michael Flynn and Donald trump
Photo: John Locher / AP
Wiretapping advisers trump led the NSA and the FBI, and they acted, rather, at the direction of former U.S. attorney Loretta Lynch, said political analyst Kirill Benediktov. While Flynn headed in 2012-2014 the intelligence Department of the Ministry of defence (RUMO). So the story with the “drain” on the negotiations Flynn may be due to the classic conflict of the civil and military intelligence services, sums up the Benedictine. He also notes that U.S. intelligence there is no single position in relation to the Trump.
The inter-party agreement
After the resignation of Flynn congressmen of the Republican and Democratic parties spoke in favor of “in-depth” examination of all the circumstances of his conversation with Ambassador Kislyak, reports the Associated Press.
The leader of the Democrats in the Senate Charles Schumer called for an “impartial” Federal investigation without the participation of the US attorney General Jeff and Roman sessions, arguing that the attorney General personally connected with a trump and took part in his campaign.
However, the Committee on intelligence in the Senate and in the house of representatives has not yet initiated this investigation. Cause Flynn to testify can the head of the intelligence Committee of the lower house of representatives by Republican Devin Nunes. He said that it is much more concerned about other things: information about the content of the conversation Flynn Kislyak was leaked to the press. “I’m shocked that no one pays attention, what is the real crime. There is an American citizen, a telephone conversation which was recorded and then transferred to the press,” said núñez.
Representatives of the Senate Committee on intelligence otherwise speak out on this issue. The Chairman of the Senate Committee on intelligence, Republican Richard Burr and his Deputy Democrat mark Warner said that as a minimum, you must continue to examine the contacts of Donald trump and his advisors with any official Russian persons. The unanimity of the leaders of the various parties in the Senate intelligence Committee on this issue, “striking”, taking into account party differences, which were in December in relation to the investigation of Russian involvement in cyber attacks on the national Democratic Committee, says The Washington Post.
“Looking at the intensity of the internal struggle and the degree of opposition to Trump as the upstart, it cannot be excluded that we are witnessing the attack on the President. Intelligence agencies don’t trust him” — said the chief editor of the magazine “Russia in global politics” Fyodor Lukyanov. President Obama with a similar attack is not encountered, the part of the opposition-minded bureaucracy seeks to show the President the scope of his authority and the rules of the game, says the program Director of the discussion club “Valdai” by Andrey sushentsov. “If trump will withstand these attacks, he will become master of the situation. If not, his presidency will be a permanent crisis,” says Sushentsov.
Learned the White house about the actions of Russia during the presidential campaign
In December 2016, President Barack Obama instructed the intelligence agencies to check the “cyber-attacks and foreign intervention” in the election campaign. The results of this investigation in January 2017 was prepared two versions of reports — opened and closed. The open part was published, it was declared that U.S. intelligence has “high confidence” believes that the President of Russia Vladimir Putin ordered to launch a campaign of intervention in the US presidential election.
With the closed part was inspected by US President Barack Obama and US President-elect Donald trump. The result of this meeting, trump said that he learned a lot of “secret things.”
Published at the end of December 2016, a joint report by the Department of homeland security and the FBI on the investigation into hacker attacks on the Democratic Committee, they were classified as “advanced persistent threats network” (Advanced Persistent Threat, APT), APT28 levels and APT29. The report’s authors argue that the responsibility for organizing and carrying out lies on two groups of Russian intelligence services — Grizzly Steppe. The document States that these two cases, the activity of Russian special services is not limited and members of the Russian intelligence continues to conduct phishing attacks against us government.
29 Dec 2016 Obama signed an Executive order to expand sanctions list in connection with the investigation of cyber attacks. The list includes Federal security service, the Main Directorate of the General staff (up to 2010 — the Main intelligence Directorate of the General staff), Autonomous noncommercial organization “Professional Association of designers of Informatics systems”, LLC “Special technology center”, “Digital weapons and protection” (DH). It also fell the head of the Department of the General staff Igor Korobov, his first Deputy Igor Kostyukov, Vladimir Alekseev and the Deputy Korobov Sergey Lizunov. Two more people — is a previously declared wanted by US authorities on charges of hacking Alexey Bilan and Evgeny Bogachev. On the same day the State Department declared persona non grata 35 employees of the Russian Embassy in Washington and Consulate in San Francisco. They were given 72 hours to leave the country.
