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Timeline of Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections#20160506 for "investigation was initiated after" the Australian government notified American authorities that its diplomat Alexander Downer had a chance encounter with Papadopoulos, who boasted about possible access to Hillary Clinton emails supposedly held by the Russian government.
attempt to combine semi-redundant sentence; move fragment: ", that had circulated among Trump allies in conservative media."
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On May 23, 2019, Trump ordered the [[United States Intelligence Community|intelligence community]] to cooperate with the inquiry and granted Barr unprecedented<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-william-barr-declassification-intelligence-information-1435676 |title=Legal experts accuse Donald Trump and William Barr of engaging in a "corrupt act of political retribution" |last=Alexandra Hutzler On 5/24/19 at 2:42 PM EDT |date=2019-05-24 |access-date=2019-10-20 |language=en}}</ref> full authority to [[Declassification|declassify]] any intelligence information related to the matter.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/23/us/politics/trump-barr-intelligence.html |title=Trump Gives Attorney General Sweeping Power in Review of 2016 Campaign Inquiry |last=Haberman |first=Maggie |last2=Schmidt |first2=Michael S. |date=2019-05-23 |website=The New York Times |language=en-US |access-date=2019-10-21}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://apnews.com/eb4c8e7b1a8c4a5d9d618464249a8be8|title=Critics worry AG will reveal Russia probe info to help Trump|first=Deb|last=Riechmann|date=May 24, 2019|website=[[Associated Press]] |accessdate=September 29, 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=May 24, 2019 |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2019/05/24/trump-justice-department-intelligence-1344958|title=Trump puts DOJ on crash course with intelligence agencies |first=Natasha |last=Bertr |website=[[Politico]] |accessdate=September 29, 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/barr-could-expose-secrets-politicize-intelligence-with-review-of-russia-probe-current-and-former-officials-fear/2019/05/24/58f822f8-7e2f-11e9-8bb7-0fc796cf2ec0_story.html |authorlink=Shane Harris |first=Shane |last=Harris |date=May 24, 2019 |title=Barr could expose secrets, politicize intelligence with review of Russia probe, current and former officials fear|website=Washington Post}}</ref> DoJ investigators, led by [[John Durham (lawyer)|John Durham]], planned to interview senior [[Central Intelligence Agency]] (CIA) officers to determine how they concluded in 2016 that Russian president [[Vladimir Putin]] had [[Russia under Vladimir Putin|personally authorized]] election interference to benefit candidate Trump.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/12/us/politics/russia-investigation-cia.html|title=Justice Dept. Seeks to Question C.I.A. in Its Own Russia Investigation|first1=Julian E.|last1=Barnes|first2=Katie|last2=Benner|first3=Adam|last3=Goldman|first4=Michael S.|last4=Schmidt|date=June 12, 2019|work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> ''The New York Times'' reported in July 2018 that the CIA had long nurtured a Russian source who eventually rose to a position close to Putin, allowing the source to pass key information in 2016 about Putin's direct involvement.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/18/world/europe/trump-intelligence-russian-election-meddling-.html|title=From the Start, Trump Has Muddied a Clear Message: Putin Interfered|first1=David E.|last1=Sanger|first2=Matthew|last2=Rosenberg|date=July 18, 2018|work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> In parallel, Trump and his allies – most notably Trump's personal attorney [[Rudy Giuliani]] — promoted an alternative narrative that the Ukrainian government had interfered to benefit Hillary Clinton, in coordination with Democrats, the [[digital forensics]] company [[CrowdStrike]] and the FBI, alleging the Russian government had been [[Frameup|framed]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/29/us/politics/tom-bossert-trump-ukraine.html|title=Trump Was Repeatedly Warned That Ukraine Conspiracy Theory Was 'Completely Debunked'|first1=Sheryl Gay|last1=Stolberg|first2=Maggie|last2=Haberman|first3=Peter|last3=Baker|date=September 29, 2019|newspaper=The New York Times}}</ref> Trump falsely asserted that CrowdStrike, an American company, was actually owned by a wealthy [[Ukrainian oligarchs|Ukrainian oligarch]].<ref name="NYT-fringe" />
On May 23, 2019, Trump ordered the [[United States Intelligence Community|intelligence community]] to cooperate with the inquiry and granted Barr unprecedented<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-william-barr-declassification-intelligence-information-1435676 |title=Legal experts accuse Donald Trump and William Barr of engaging in a "corrupt act of political retribution" |last=Alexandra Hutzler On 5/24/19 at 2:42 PM EDT |date=2019-05-24 |access-date=2019-10-20 |language=en}}</ref> full authority to [[Declassification|declassify]] any intelligence information related to the matter.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/23/us/politics/trump-barr-intelligence.html |title=Trump Gives Attorney General Sweeping Power in Review of 2016 Campaign Inquiry |last=Haberman |first=Maggie |last2=Schmidt |first2=Michael S. |date=2019-05-23 |website=The New York Times |language=en-US |access-date=2019-10-21}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://apnews.com/eb4c8e7b1a8c4a5d9d618464249a8be8|title=Critics worry AG will reveal Russia probe info to help Trump|first=Deb|last=Riechmann|date=May 24, 2019|website=[[Associated Press]] |accessdate=September 29, 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=May 24, 2019 |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2019/05/24/trump-justice-department-intelligence-1344958|title=Trump puts DOJ on crash course with intelligence agencies |first=Natasha |last=Bertr |website=[[Politico]] |accessdate=September 29, 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/barr-could-expose-secrets-politicize-intelligence-with-review-of-russia-probe-current-and-former-officials-fear/2019/05/24/58f822f8-7e2f-11e9-8bb7-0fc796cf2ec0_story.html |authorlink=Shane Harris |first=Shane |last=Harris |date=May 24, 2019 |title=Barr could expose secrets, politicize intelligence with review of Russia probe, current and former officials fear|website=Washington Post}}</ref> DoJ investigators, led by [[John Durham (lawyer)|John Durham]], planned to interview senior [[Central Intelligence Agency]] (CIA) officers to determine how they concluded in 2016 that Russian president [[Vladimir Putin]] had [[Russia under Vladimir Putin|personally authorized]] election interference to benefit candidate Trump.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/12/us/politics/russia-investigation-cia.html|title=Justice Dept. Seeks to Question C.I.A. in Its Own Russia Investigation|first1=Julian E.|last1=Barnes|first2=Katie|last2=Benner|first3=Adam|last3=Goldman|first4=Michael S.|last4=Schmidt|date=June 12, 2019|work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> ''The New York Times'' reported in July 2018 that the CIA had long nurtured a Russian source who eventually rose to a position close to Putin, allowing the source to pass key information in 2016 about Putin's direct involvement.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/18/world/europe/trump-intelligence-russian-election-meddling-.html|title=From the Start, Trump Has Muddied a Clear Message: Putin Interfered|first1=David E.|last1=Sanger|first2=Matthew|last2=Rosenberg|date=July 18, 2018|work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> In parallel, Trump and his allies – most notably Trump's personal attorney [[Rudy Giuliani]] — promoted an alternative narrative that the Ukrainian government had interfered to benefit Hillary Clinton, in coordination with Democrats, the [[digital forensics]] company [[CrowdStrike]] and the FBI, alleging the Russian government had been [[Frameup|framed]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/29/us/politics/tom-bossert-trump-ukraine.html|title=Trump Was Repeatedly Warned That Ukraine Conspiracy Theory Was 'Completely Debunked'|first1=Sheryl Gay|last1=Stolberg|first2=Maggie|last2=Haberman|first3=Peter|last3=Baker|date=September 29, 2019|newspaper=The New York Times}}</ref> Trump falsely asserted that CrowdStrike, an American company, was actually owned by a wealthy [[Ukrainian oligarchs|Ukrainian oligarch]].<ref name="NYT-fringe" />


In September 2019 it was reported that Barr has been contacting foreign governments to ask for help in this inquiry, related to the [[Ukrainian corruption conspiracy theory]]. He personally traveled to the United Kingdom and Italy to seek information, and at Barr's request Trump phoned the prime minister of Australia to request his cooperation.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.vox.com/2019/9/30/20892260/barr-australia-durham-trump-investigation|title=Trump and Barr have been urging foreign governments to help them investigate the Mueller probe's origins|last=Prokop|first=Andrew|date=30 September 2019|work=Vox|accessdate=1 October 2019}}</ref> ''The Wall Street Journal'' reported in October 2019 that Barr faced a backlash from Britain, Australia and Italy by circumventing normal intelligence channels to speak directly with political leaders.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/barrs-requests-for-foreign-help-prompt-backlash-in-australia-italy-u-k-11570369938|title=Barr's Requests for Foreign Help Prompt Backlash in Australia, Italy, U.K.|first=Aruna |last=Viswanatha |first2=Sadie |last2=Gurman |first3=Giovanni |last3=Legorano |newspaper=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |accessdate=October 9, 2019 }}</ref> Barr sought information related to a conspiracy theory that Joseph Mifsud was a Western intelligence operative who allegedly entrapped Trump campaign advisor [[George Papadopoulos]] in order to establish a false predicate for [[Crossfire Hurricane (FBI investigation)|the FBI to open an investigation]] into [[Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections]]. That [[Timeline of Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections#20160506|investigation was initiated after]] the Australian government notified American authorities that its diplomat [[Alexander Downer]] had a chance encounter with Papadopoulos, who boasted about possible access to [[Hillary Clinton]] emails supposedly held by the Russian government.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/30/us/politics/trump-australia-barr-mueller.html|title=Trump Pressed Australian Leader to Help Barr Investigate Mueller Inquiry's Origins|first1=Mark|last1=Mazzetti|first2=Katie|last2=Benner|date=September 30, 2019|newspaper=The New York Times}}</ref> Barr sought information related to a conspiracy theory that had circulated among Trump allies in [[conservative media]] claiming that Mifsud was a Western intelligence operative who was allegedly directed to entrap Trump campaign advisor [[George Papadopoulos]] in order to establish a false predicate for the FBI to open its investigation. That investigation was initiated after the Australian government notified American authorities that its diplomat [[Alexander Downer]] had a chance encounter with Papadopoulos, who boasted about possible access to Hillary Clinton emails supposedly held by the Russian government. On 2 October 2019, Senator [[Lindsey Graham]], a staunch Trump supporter and chairman of the [[Senate Judiciary Committee]], wrote a letter to the leaders of Britain, Australia and Italy, asserting as fact that both Mifsud and Downer had been directed to contact Papadopoulos. [[Joe Hockey]], the Australian ambassador to the United States, sharply rejected Graham's characterization of Downer.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/06/us/politics/barr-and-a-top-prosecutor-cast-a-wide-net-in-reviewing-the-russia-inquiry.html |title=Barr and a Top Prosecutor Cast a Wide Net in Reviewing the Russia Inquiry |last=Mazzetti |first=Mark |last2=Goldman |first2=Adam |date=2019-10-06 |website=The New York Times |language=en-US |access-date=2019-10-21 |last3=Benner |first3=Katie}}</ref><ref>https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/LOG%20to%20Australia%20Italy%20UK.pdf</ref> A former Italian government official told ''The Washington Post'' in October 2019 that during a meeting the previous month, Italian intelligence services told Barr they had "no connections, no activities, no interference" in the matter.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/barrs-review-of-the-russia-investigation-has-won-trumps-favor-but-some-facing-scrutiny-suspect-hes-chasing-conspiracy-theories/2019/10/05/cea0f994-e612-11e9-a331-2df12d56a80b_story.html |title=Barr's review of Russia investigation wins Trump's favor. Those facing scrutiny suspect he's chasing conspiracy theories. |first1=Matt|last1=Zapotosky |first2=Josh|last2=Dawsey |first3=Shane|last3=Harris |first4=Rosalind S.|last4=Helderman |date=6 October 2019 |website=washingtonpost.com}}</ref> American law enforcement believes Mifsud is connected to Russian intelligence.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/30/us/politics/trump-australia-barr-mueller.html |title=Trump Pressed Australian Leader to Help Barr Investigate Mueller Inquiry's Origins |first1=Mark|last1=Mazzetti |first2=Katie|last2=Benner |date=30 September 2019 |website=NYTimes.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/02/world/europe/mike-pompeo-italy-joseph-mifsud.html |title=First Barr, Now Pompeo: Italy Is Hub of Impeachment Intrigue for Trump Officials |first=Jason|last=Horowitz |date=2 October 2019 |website=NYTimes.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/07/republicans-use-mueller-testimony-to-push-conspiracy-theories-jim-jordan-matt-gaetz|title=Republicans Use Mueller's Silence to Push Conspiracy Theories|first=Condé|last=Nast|website=Vanity Fair}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/oct/02/us-attorney-general-william-barr-met-italian-officials-to-discuss-russiagate |title=US attorney general 'met Italian officials to discuss Russiagate' |first=Angela|last=Giuffrida |date=2 October 2019 |website=theguardian.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/10/01/government-by-conspiracy-theory-rides-again |title=Analysis &#124; Government-by-conspiracy-theory rides again |first=Philip|last=Bump |date=1 October 2019 |website=washingtonpost.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/the-enigma-of-the-entire-mueller-probe-focus-on-origins-of-russian-investigation-puts-spotlight-on-maltese-professor/2019/06/30/b374fe8c-8185-11e9-bce7-40b4105f7ca0_story.html|title='The enigma of the entire Mueller probe': Focus on origins of Russian investigation puts spotlight on Maltese professor|first1=Rosalind S.|last1=Helderman|website=Washington Post}}</ref>
In September 2019 it was reported that Barr has been contacting foreign governments to ask for help in this inquiry, related to the [[Ukrainian corruption conspiracy theory]]. He personally traveled to the United Kingdom and Italy to seek information, and at Barr's request Trump phoned the prime minister of Australia to request his cooperation.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.vox.com/2019/9/30/20892260/barr-australia-durham-trump-investigation|title=Trump and Barr have been urging foreign governments to help them investigate the Mueller probe's origins|last=Prokop|first=Andrew|date=30 September 2019|work=Vox|accessdate=1 October 2019}}</ref> ''The Wall Street Journal'' reported in October 2019 that Barr faced a backlash from Britain, Australia and Italy by circumventing normal intelligence channels to speak directly with political leaders.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/barrs-requests-for-foreign-help-prompt-backlash-in-australia-italy-u-k-11570369938|title=Barr's Requests for Foreign Help Prompt Backlash in Australia, Italy, U.K.|first=Aruna |last=Viswanatha |first2=Sadie |last2=Gurman |first3=Giovanni |last3=Legorano |newspaper=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |accessdate=October 9, 2019 }}</ref> Barr sought information related to a conspiracy theory that Joseph Mifsud was a Western intelligence operative who allegedly entrapped Trump campaign advisor [[George Papadopoulos]] in order to establish a false predicate for [[Crossfire Hurricane (FBI investigation)|the FBI to open an investigation]] into [[Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections]], that had circulated among Trump allies in [[conservative media]].
That [[Timeline of Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections#20160506|investigation was initiated after]] the Australian government notified American authorities that its diplomat [[Alexander Downer]] had a chance encounter with Papadopoulos, who boasted about possible access to [[Hillary Clinton]] emails supposedly held by the Russian government.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/30/us/politics/trump-australia-barr-mueller.html|title=Trump Pressed Australian Leader to Help Barr Investigate Mueller Inquiry's Origins|first1=Mark|last1=Mazzetti|first2=Katie|last2=Benner|date=September 30, 2019|newspaper=The New York Times}}</ref> On 2 October 2019, Senator [[Lindsey Graham]], a staunch Trump supporter and chairman of the [[Senate Judiciary Committee]], wrote a letter to the leaders of Britain, Australia and Italy, asserting as fact that both Mifsud and Downer had been directed to contact Papadopoulos. [[Joe Hockey]], the Australian ambassador to the United States, sharply rejected Graham's characterization of Downer.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/06/us/politics/barr-and-a-top-prosecutor-cast-a-wide-net-in-reviewing-the-russia-inquiry.html |title=Barr and a Top Prosecutor Cast a Wide Net in Reviewing the Russia Inquiry |last=Mazzetti |first=Mark |last2=Goldman |first2=Adam |date=2019-10-06 |website=The New York Times |language=en-US |access-date=2019-10-21 |last3=Benner |first3=Katie}}</ref><ref>https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/LOG%20to%20Australia%20Italy%20UK.pdf</ref> A former Italian government official told ''The Washington Post'' in October 2019 that during a meeting the previous month, Italian intelligence services told Barr they had "no connections, no activities, no interference" in the matter.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/barrs-review-of-the-russia-investigation-has-won-trumps-favor-but-some-facing-scrutiny-suspect-hes-chasing-conspiracy-theories/2019/10/05/cea0f994-e612-11e9-a331-2df12d56a80b_story.html |title=Barr's review of Russia investigation wins Trump's favor. Those facing scrutiny suspect he's chasing conspiracy theories. |first1=Matt|last1=Zapotosky |first2=Josh|last2=Dawsey |first3=Shane|last3=Harris |first4=Rosalind S.|last4=Helderman |date=6 October 2019 |website=washingtonpost.com}}</ref> American law enforcement believes Mifsud is connected to Russian intelligence.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/30/us/politics/trump-australia-barr-mueller.html |title=Trump Pressed Australian Leader to Help Barr Investigate Mueller Inquiry's Origins |first1=Mark|last1=Mazzetti |first2=Katie|last2=Benner |date=30 September 2019 |website=NYTimes.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/02/world/europe/mike-pompeo-italy-joseph-mifsud.html |title=First Barr, Now Pompeo: Italy Is Hub of Impeachment Intrigue for Trump Officials |first=Jason|last=Horowitz |date=2 October 2019 |website=NYTimes.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/07/republicans-use-mueller-testimony-to-push-conspiracy-theories-jim-jordan-matt-gaetz|title=Republicans Use Mueller's Silence to Push Conspiracy Theories|first=Condé|last=Nast|website=Vanity Fair}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/oct/02/us-attorney-general-william-barr-met-italian-officials-to-discuss-russiagate |title=US attorney general 'met Italian officials to discuss Russiagate' |first=Angela|last=Giuffrida |date=2 October 2019 |website=theguardian.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/10/01/government-by-conspiracy-theory-rides-again |title=Analysis &#124; Government-by-conspiracy-theory rides again |first=Philip|last=Bump |date=1 October 2019 |website=washingtonpost.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/the-enigma-of-the-entire-mueller-probe-focus-on-origins-of-russian-investigation-puts-spotlight-on-maltese-professor/2019/06/30/b374fe8c-8185-11e9-bce7-40b4105f7ca0_story.html|title='The enigma of the entire Mueller probe': Focus on origins of Russian investigation puts spotlight on Maltese professor|first1=Rosalind S.|last1=Helderman|website=Washington Post}}</ref>


By October 2019 it was reported that Barr and Durham's investigators were, in addition to pressing foreign intelligence officials for help in discrediting the 2016 inquiry,<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/rachelsandler/2019/09/30/trump-reportedly-asked-australian-prime-minister-for-help-investigating-mueller-inquiry-origins/ |title=Trump Reportedly Asked Australian Prime Minister For Help Investigating Mueller Inquiry Origins |last=Sandler |first=Rachel |access-date=2019-10-21 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Vox-right wing conspiracy" /><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Barr-personally-asked-foreign-officials-to-aid-14480918.php |title=Barr personally asked foreign officials to aid inquiry into CIA, FBI activities in 2016 |last=Barrett |first=Devlin |date=2019-10-01 |access-date=2019-10-21 |last2=Harris |first2=Shane |last3=Zapotosky |first3=Matt |last4=Post |first4=The Washington}}</ref> also asking about the route by which information had reached the FBI, and interviewing agents involved in the 2016 inquiry.<ref name="Review of Russia Inquiry Grows...">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/19/us/politics/durham-review-fbi-witnesses.html |title=Review of Russia Inquiry Grows as F.B.I. Witnesses Are Questioned |last=Goldman |first=Adam |date=2019-10-19 |work=The New York Times |access-date=2019-10-23 |last2=Rashbaum |first2=William K. |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.axios.com/trump-russia-william-barr-investigation-fbi-5b0b81c9-e1d2-4dd9-9002-6f6258010318.html |title=Investigation into Trump-Russia probe continues to grow |access-date=2019-10-21 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Barr expands" />
By October 2019 it was reported that Barr and Durham's investigators were, in addition to pressing foreign intelligence officials for help in discrediting the 2016 inquiry,<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/rachelsandler/2019/09/30/trump-reportedly-asked-australian-prime-minister-for-help-investigating-mueller-inquiry-origins/ |title=Trump Reportedly Asked Australian Prime Minister For Help Investigating Mueller Inquiry Origins |last=Sandler |first=Rachel |access-date=2019-10-21 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Vox-right wing conspiracy" /><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Barr-personally-asked-foreign-officials-to-aid-14480918.php |title=Barr personally asked foreign officials to aid inquiry into CIA, FBI activities in 2016 |last=Barrett |first=Devlin |date=2019-10-01 |access-date=2019-10-21 |last2=Harris |first2=Shane |last3=Zapotosky |first3=Matt |last4=Post |first4=The Washington}}</ref> also asking about the route by which information had reached the FBI, and interviewing agents involved in the 2016 inquiry.<ref name="Review of Russia Inquiry Grows...">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/19/us/politics/durham-review-fbi-witnesses.html |title=Review of Russia Inquiry Grows as F.B.I. Witnesses Are Questioned |last=Goldman |first=Adam |date=2019-10-19 |work=The New York Times |access-date=2019-10-23 |last2=Rashbaum |first2=William K. |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.axios.com/trump-russia-william-barr-investigation-fbi-5b0b81c9-e1d2-4dd9-9002-6f6258010318.html |title=Investigation into Trump-Russia probe continues to grow |access-date=2019-10-21 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Barr expands" />

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The Russia investigation origins counter-narrative is a right wing alternative narrative,[1][2] sometimes identified as a conspiracy theory,[3][4][5][6][7] concerning the origins of the Special Counsel investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections.

Donald Trump had long felt that the findings of the United States Intelligence Community and the Mueller Report that the Russian government had interfered in the 2016 election to benefit him had undermined the legitimacy of his election as president.[8][9] Republicans speculated that the Mueller inquiry stemmed from a plot by members of the Obama Administration and career intelligence officials - the so-called "deep state" - to undermine Trump.[10] He attacked the Russia investigation over 1,100 times by February 2019, claiming that it was fabricated as an excuse for Hillary Clinton losing the Electoral College in 2016, that it was an "illegal hoax", and that the FBI had refused to investigate the "real collusion" between the Democrats and Russia.[11] Conservatives have tried from the outset to delegitimize the investigation.[4] On April 2, 2019, Trump personally urged investigation into the origins of the Mueller investigation.[12][13]

The theory

According to the counter-narrative, the Russia investigation should never have happened in the first place[14] as it was a plot by law enforcement and intelligence officials to prevent Trump from winning the 2016 election, and to frustrate his "America First" agenda.[15][16]

Core elements of the theory include:[17]

  • Exaggeration of the role of the Steele dossier in triggering the investigation,[18] the accusation that it was fraudulent, was paid for by the Democratic Party, and that this was not disclosed to the FISA court in wiretap applications (despite documentary evidence to the contrary).[19] Conservatives also question the FBI's assessment of the credibility of Christopher Steele, a former British intelligence officer who ran the MI6 Russia desk from 2006-2009;[15]
  • That there was improper surveillance of the Trump campaign (the spygate conspiracy theory)[20] - a "FISA abuse" narrative;[21]
  • That the FBI and other institutions are "dangerously biased" against Trump (the deep state conspiracy theory),[22] that Robert S. Mueller III's investigation was run by "13 [or 18] angry Democrats" and that Mueller was "highly conflicted", a claim debunked by Trump's own aides,[14] and the investigation was part of an "attempted coup", based on private texts sent by Peter Strzok expressing opposition to a Trump presidency and speculation over removal of Trump under the 25th Amendment following his firing of James Comey;[17]
  • That anti-Trump forces inside the FBI actually entrapped his advisers, and may have even planted evidence of Russian collusion.[23]

More recently, the narrative has expanded to include the fiction that Joseph Mifsud was not a Russian asset, but was a Western intelligence agent used as a counterintelligence trap for the Trump campaign,[24] and elements of the Ukrainian corruption conspiracy theory; it posits that Ukraine, not Russia, was responsible for election interference. US Attorney General William Barr has reportedly traveled in person to Italy and the United Kingdom to try to build support for this claim.[25][19]

Notable proponents

The most notable proponent is Donald Trump himself. Following the May 2018 disclosure that FBI informant Stefan Halper had spoken with Trump campaign aides Carter Page, George Papadopolous, and Sam Clovis, Trump advanced a conspiracy theory dubbed as Spygate, which claimed that the previous administration under Barack Obama paid to plant a spy inside Trump's 2016 presidential campaign to assist his rival, Hillary Clinton, win the 2016 US presidential election.[26][27] With no actual supporting evidence produced, Trump's allegations were widely described as blatantly false.[26][28][29][30] Trump's allegations prompted the US Justice Department (DoJ) and the FBI to provide a classified briefing regarding Halper to several Congressmen, including Republicans Trey Gowdy and Paul Ryan, who concluded that the FBI did not do anything improper, and that Russia, not Trump, was the target of the FBI.[31][32]

In June 2018, Trump claimed that a report by DoJ Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz "totally exonerates" him and that "the Mueller investigation has been totally discredited", despite the report having nothing to do with the special counsel investigation, the Trump campaign or Russia. The report was instead focused on the FBI's 2016 investigation of the Hillary Clinton email controversy.[33][34][35][36]

Sean Hannity, a strong supporter of Trump, a vocal and persistent critic of the Mueller investigation on his Fox News television show and syndicated radio program, described Mueller as "corrupt, abusively biased and political."[37] Hannity had asserted that the investigation arose from an elaborate, corrupt scheme involving Hillary Clinton; the Steele dossier, which he asserts is completely false although parts of it have been reported as verified;[38] former DoJ officials James Comey, Andrew McCabe, Bruce Ohr, and others; and a wiretap on former Trump aide Carter Page that Hannity asserted was obtained by misrepresentations to the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, characterizing the wiretap as an abuse of power that is "far bigger than Watergate" and "the weaponizing of those powerful tools of intelligence and the shredding of our Fourth Amendment, constitutional rights."[37]

Jeanine Pirro, a long-time friend of Trump,[39] described Mueller, FBI Director Christopher Wray (a Trump appointee), former FBI Director James Comey and other current/former FBI officials as a "criminal cabal,"[40] saying "There is a cleansing needed in our FBI and Department of Justice—it needs to be cleansed of individuals who should not just be fired, but who need to be taken out in cuffs."[41]

Durham inquiry

In May 2019, US Attorney General William Barr appointed John Durham, the U.S. attorney in the District of Connecticut, to oversee a DoJ probe into the origins of the FBI investigation into Russian interference.[42] The origins of the probe were already being investigated by the DoJ's inspector general and by U.S. attorney John W. Huber, who was appointed in 2018 by Jeff Sessions.[42] This caused some controversy internationally and prompted questions about potential abuse of power by the administration.[43]

On May 23, 2019, Trump ordered the intelligence community to cooperate with the inquiry and granted Barr unprecedented[44] full authority to declassify any intelligence information related to the matter.[45][46][47][48] DoJ investigators, led by John Durham, planned to interview senior Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officers to determine how they concluded in 2016 that Russian president Vladimir Putin had personally authorized election interference to benefit candidate Trump.[49] The New York Times reported in July 2018 that the CIA had long nurtured a Russian source who eventually rose to a position close to Putin, allowing the source to pass key information in 2016 about Putin's direct involvement.[50] In parallel, Trump and his allies – most notably Trump's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani — promoted an alternative narrative that the Ukrainian government had interfered to benefit Hillary Clinton, in coordination with Democrats, the digital forensics company CrowdStrike and the FBI, alleging the Russian government had been framed.[51] Trump falsely asserted that CrowdStrike, an American company, was actually owned by a wealthy Ukrainian oligarch.[9]

In September 2019 it was reported that Barr has been contacting foreign governments to ask for help in this inquiry, related to the Ukrainian corruption conspiracy theory. He personally traveled to the United Kingdom and Italy to seek information, and at Barr's request Trump phoned the prime minister of Australia to request his cooperation.[52] The Wall Street Journal reported in October 2019 that Barr faced a backlash from Britain, Australia and Italy by circumventing normal intelligence channels to speak directly with political leaders.[53] Barr sought information related to a conspiracy theory that Joseph Mifsud was a Western intelligence operative who allegedly entrapped Trump campaign advisor George Papadopoulos in order to establish a false predicate for the FBI to open an investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections, that had circulated among Trump allies in conservative media.

That investigation was initiated after the Australian government notified American authorities that its diplomat Alexander Downer had a chance encounter with Papadopoulos, who boasted about possible access to Hillary Clinton emails supposedly held by the Russian government.[54] On 2 October 2019, Senator Lindsey Graham, a staunch Trump supporter and chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, wrote a letter to the leaders of Britain, Australia and Italy, asserting as fact that both Mifsud and Downer had been directed to contact Papadopoulos. Joe Hockey, the Australian ambassador to the United States, sharply rejected Graham's characterization of Downer.[55][56] A former Italian government official told The Washington Post in October 2019 that during a meeting the previous month, Italian intelligence services told Barr they had "no connections, no activities, no interference" in the matter.[57] American law enforcement believes Mifsud is connected to Russian intelligence.[58][59][60][61][62][63]

By October 2019 it was reported that Barr and Durham's investigators were, in addition to pressing foreign intelligence officials for help in discrediting the 2016 inquiry,[64][7][65] also asking about the route by which information had reached the FBI, and interviewing agents involved in the 2016 inquiry.[15][66][10]

See also

References

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  2. ^ Walsh, David A. (2018-07-15). "How the right-wing convinces itself that liberals are evil". Washington Monthly. Vol. July/August 2018. ISSN 0043-0633. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
  3. ^ "Explainer: Barr gives top priority to investigating the investigators of Russian meddling". Reuters. 2019-10-02. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
  4. ^ a b Zapotosky, Matt; Dawsey, Josh. "Barr's review of Russia investigation wins Trump's favor. Those facing scrutiny suspect he's chasing conspiracy theories". Retrieved 2019-10-21.
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  8. ^ "Mueller finds no conspiracy, but report shows Trump welcomed Russian help". Los Angeles Times. 2019-04-18. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
  9. ^ a b Shane, Scott (October 3, 2019). "How a Fringe Theory About Ukraine Took Root in the White House". The New York Times.
  10. ^ a b "AG Barr expands mysterious review into origin of Russia investigation". Retrieved 2019-10-21.
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  44. ^ Alexandra Hutzler On 5/24/19 at 2:42 PM EDT (2019-05-24). "Legal experts accuse Donald Trump and William Barr of engaging in a "corrupt act of political retribution"". Retrieved 2019-10-20.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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