Latest Updates

Updated Further Reading

September 7, 2018

To help clarify the law on bribery, we have recently updated our link on Section 18 of USC 201. Visit the Further Reading page, or download it here.  

Carter Page meets with Russian and Rosneft Officials

August 28, 2018

On December 8, 2016, one day after Russia’s transfer of 19.5%  interest in Rosneft to a Cayman Island Limited Liability Company, Carter Page arrived in Russia.  (Who visits Russia in the winter?).   Page left Russia on December 13, 2016.    Later Page testified before Congress that during his December trip to Russia, he met with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich and Rosneft’s Investor Relations Chief…

Trump Administration Media Briefing

August 6, 2018

On August 2, 2018, in a media briefing at the White House, the Trump Administration launched an effort to convince the public that the Administration has a program designed to protect future American elections from Russian interference. The participants included Trump appointees Dan Coates, Director of National Intelligence, Kristen Nielsen, Secretary of Homeland Security, Christopher…

Trump Announces Plans for Putin to Visit US

July 19, 2018

On July 19, 2018, Trump announced plans to invite President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia to visit Washington in the fall, the White House — an invitation that stunned the nation’s top intelligence official, Senator Dan Coats, who said he was still groping for details of what the two leaders had discussed in their encounter…

Trump Meets Putin in Helsinki

July 16, 2018

On July 16, 2018, Trump meets Putin in Helsinki. No other American officials were allowed in the meeting. Not even Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Was this so Trump could try to re-negotiate his bribe agreement with Putin? Trump has tried to lift sanctions but failed. He apparently failed to make a new deal in…

All Articles

Flynn Discusses Lifting 2014 Russian Sanctions

By trump2018 | December 29, 2016 | Comments Off on Flynn Discusses Lifting 2014 Russian Sanctions

Later on December 29th, 2016 Flynn discussed Trump’s lifting of Obama’s 2014 sanctions with Kislyak during six telephone calls (Sally Yates, acting Attorney General of the United States, was listening and Flynn has been indicted and convicted of having lied to FBI about the calls).

Election Interference Sanctions

By trump2018 | December 29, 2016 | Comments Off on Election Interference Sanctions

On December 29, 2016, then President Obama imposed additional sanctions on Russia for election interference. These election related sanctions remain in place today.

Payment to Hackers

By trump2018 | December 13, 2016 | Comments Off on Payment to Hackers

On December 13th 2016, the last report by Steele (p.35) alleges hackers who helped Trump win were paid by Cohen and by Russians. Cohen reportedly raised more than $750,000 in cash in Fall of 2016; $130,000 was used to pay Stormy Daniels; the disposition of the remaining $620,000 remains unknown.

Meeting with Qatari Investment Authority

By trump2018 | December 12, 2016 | Comments Off on Meeting with Qatari Investment Authority

On December 12, 2016, Cohen and Flynn met with Ahmed Al-Rumaihi at Trump Tower. An online picture of meeting participants was provided by Michael Avenatti. Al-Rumaihi is CEO of Qatari Investment Authority. And while Qatar’s role in the Rosneft scheme is not clear, it could be as escrow agent for the 19% interest in Rosneft.

Meeting with Russian Ambassador

By trump2018 | December 1, 2016 | Comments Off on Meeting with Russian Ambassador

On December 1, 2016, Jared Kushner (Trump’s son-in law and advisor) and Michael Flynn (Trump’s campaign national security advisor) met with Sergey Kislyak, Russian Ambassador to the United States, to discuss setting up secret back-channel between Trump and Putin using Russian embassy communications facilities; not U.S. facilities at White House, State Department or the CIA.

Steele Dossier Delivered

By trump2018 | October 15, 2016 | Comments Off on Steele Dossier Delivered

October 15th, 2016, the Steele dossier was delivered to FBI. It describes the Rosneft deal. Steele had met with FBI twice before; once in London (on July 5th, 2016) and later in Rome (in early October 2016).

Cohen’s Cleanup

By trump2018 | August 19, 2016 | Comments Off on Cohen’s Cleanup

On August 19th, 2016, Manafort is fired as Trump’s campaign manager. Michael Cohen, Trump’s personal lawyer (who paid $130,000 to Stormy Daniels), takes over Page’s Russian activities with the added task of cleaning up mess created by Manafort’s activities in Ukraine. Steele’s Dossier says Cohen met with Russians in Europe; Cohen denies that he did.…

Transfer of Interest in Rosneft

By trump2018 | July 27, 2016 | Comments Off on Transfer of Interest in Rosneft

December 7th, 2016 Rosneft announced a transfer of 19.5% interest in the company. That transferee is a Limited Liability Company formed in Cayman Islands. The interest transferred was owned by the Russian government. The new beneficial owner of the 19.5% interest in Rosneft remains a secret today.

Russian Accommodations

By trump2018 | July 18, 2016 | Comments Off on Russian Accommodations

On July 18th, 2016, Trump allies at Republican National Convention amended Republican Platform in a way that accommodated Russia (by weakening provision that called for arming anti-Russian forces in Ukraine). Was this move a signal?

Meeting with Russian Officials

By trump2018 | July 7, 2016 | Comments Off on Meeting with Russian Officials

On July 7 or 8, 2016, Carter Page, a specialist in oil and gas production in Russia and one of Trump’s foreign policy advisors, meets Igor Sechin in Moscow. Sechin, who was Deputy Prime Minister of Russia and is a close ally of Putin, is also the Executive Chairman of Rosneft, Russia’s largest oil and…