1 month ago
45
Charles McGonigal, a erstwhile FBI cause who was arrested connected Monday for alleged ties to a Russian oligarch, was 1 of the agents who played a relation successful investigating now-discredited allegations of collusion betwixt Donald Trump’s 2016 statesmanlike run and the Russian government.
On Monday, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced it had arrested McGonigal and charged him with violating and conspiring to interruption the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) by laundering wealth connected behalf of Oleg Deripaska, a sanctioned Russian billionaire.
Announcing the charges against McGonigal, the DOJ described McGonigal arsenic the erstwhile peculiar cause successful complaint of the FBI’s New York Counterintelligence Division earlier helium retired successful 2018.
The DOJ connection besides said that portion moving with the FBI, McGonigal supervised and participated successful investigations of Russian oligarchs, including Deripaska.
Federal agents basal successful beforehand of a location of Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska successful Washington connected Oct. 19, 2021. (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP Photo)FBI records amusement that McGonigal served arsenic the conception main of the Cyber-Counterintelligence Coordination Section astatine FBI Headquarters earlier being reassigned to the New York Counterintelligence Division successful October of 2016.
What the DOJ connection didn’t notation was that McGonigal was involved successful the FBI’s investigations into Donald Trump’s 2016 run advisers Carter Page and George Papadopoulos.
Messages released by the then-Republican-controlled Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee successful 2018 showed that FBI cause Peter Strzok communicated with McGonigal astir the probe involving Trump run members.
George Papadopoulos
Former advisor to US President Donald Trump’s predetermination campaign, George Papadopoulos, and his wife, Simona Mangiante Papadopoulos, get astatine US District Court successful Washington connected Sept. 7, 2018. (Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images)During a gathering with The Washington Post editorial board, Trump announced that Papadopoulos, who was 28-years-old astatine the time, had joined his 2016 statesmanlike run successful May of 2016 arsenic a overseas argumentation advisor.
In April of 2016, Papadopoulos met with Joseph Mifsud, a Maltese professor. Mifsud allegedly told Papadopoulos that helium had accusation that the Russians person “dirt” connected Trump’s 2016 opponent, Hillary Clinton, successful the signifier of “thousands of emails.”
On July 28, 2016, portion McGonigal served arsenic the conception main of the Cyber-Counterintelligence Coordination Section astatine FBI Headquarters, the conception received accusation from a Friendly Foreign Government (FFG) root that Papadopoulos “suggested the Trump squad had received immoderate benignant of proposition from Russia that it could assistance … with the anonymous merchandise of accusation during the run that would beryllium damaging to [Hillary] Clinton (and President Obama).”
Shortly aft receiving this claim, the FBI initiated an probe it called “Crossfire Hurricane,” which looked into claims of coordination betwixt Trump’s run and the Russian government.
FBI agents interviewed Papadopoulos successful January 2017 astir imaginable ties betwixt the Trump run and Russia. The FBI arrested Papadopoulos successful July 2017 connected allegations that helium lied astir gathering with Mifsud earlier joining the Trump campaign, erstwhile the brace successful information met wrong fractional a period of his appointment.
The DOJ alleged that Papadopoulos knew Mifsud had extended ties to Russian intelligence. Papadopoulos yet plead blameworthy to lying to the FBI, and served 12 days successful situation for the offense.
While prosecutors successful Papadopoulos’ lawsuit contended that Mifsud was connected to Russia, different open-source information suggests that Mifsud had ties to occidental quality and the FBI. This is besides what Papadopoulos said helium believed to beryllium existent the clip of meeting.
Carter Page
In summation to his section’s engagement successful the probe into Papadopoulos, McGonigal besides had immoderate engagement successful the FBI probe of Page, different overseas argumentation advisor to the Trump campaign.
Strzok texted McGonigal connected astatine slightest 1 juncture connected Jan. 6, 2017, according to substance messages released by Senate Republicans. The brace whitethorn person had different conversations that stay redacted. In that message, Strzok wrote, “This re holding transcript of study for Trump people? If not, request to speech to you, too.”
It’s not wide what Strzok was referencing successful the message.
Carter Page speaks to the media aft testifying earlier the House Intelligence Committee connected Nov. 2, 2017. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)“Our Team is presently talking to [Carter Page] re Russia,” McGonigal besides reportedly wrote successful different March 16, 2017, substance connection to different FBI employee, the Washington Free Beacon reported.
During the 2016 Trump campaign, Page was the taxable of a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrant, which allowed the DOJ to show his communications. In their FISA application, the DOJ alleged that Page was “collaborating and conspiring with the Russian government” and had been the taxable of past Russian quality recruiting efforts. The DOJ subsequently extended its FISA surveillance warrant against Page aggregate times.
Page has denied moving with the Russian authorities and has ne'er been charged successful transportation with the investigations into the Trump campaign.
In 2020, FBI lawyer Kevin Clinesmith was charged with falsifying records utilized to get a FISA warrant hold against Page. He plead blameworthy to the complaint and was sentenced successful January of 2021 to probation for the offense.
From NTD
English (US)