Top Kerry Aide, Key Conduit for Dossier, Once Worked for Russian Oligarch, as Did Steele

RealClearInvestigations ^ | August 25, 2020 | By Eric Felten,

[Hojczyk]

Jonathan Winer, a former top aide to Secretary of State John Kerry who was a key conduit for disseminating the discredited Steele dossier in the U.S. government, worked as a lobbyist for Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska in years preceding the Russiagate affair. This revelation raises new questions about Russian efforts to influence American foreign policy -- far afield from any Kremlin efforts to favor Donald Trump.

Winer’s connection to Deripaska came to light through last week’s release of the fifth and final volume of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 campaign

RealClearInvestigations has found that as an employee of the government affairs and public relations firm APCO Worldwide, Winer also worked on behalf of the Russian government’s nuclear agency in 2010 and 2011. Winer also drummed up business for Steele among lobbyists he knew from his work promoting Russia’s nuclear interests. RealClearInvestigations contacted both Winer and APCO; neither responded.

“Among other issues, Mr. Winer’s admitted destruction of his records related to his contacts with Christopher Steele is concerning and deserves an explanation,” Johnson said. “I am looking forward to learning more from Mr. Winer in spite of Democrat attempts to further delay our investigation.”

[Red Badger]

[lodi90]

More leads not being followed by Durham and his team of Democrats. Plenty of info hear worthy of search warrants and grand jury subpoenas. And what do we get? Nothing.

[Robert A Cook PE]

Well, it does make sense - If the democrats are going to “establish a fake connection” between Trump and the Russians to discredit Trump’s election campaign, they have to use the real people inside their staffs that are already connected between the democrats and the Russians so they know how to establish a fake connection between Trump and the Russians!

[Wuli]

Putin had two simultaneous efforts going on, both seeking to increase U.S. national divisions.

In the social media fields Russian trolls added to the production of and “likes” for pieces intended to point to the many errors and shortcomings of Hillary Clinton. Not “misinformation” just an attempt to magnify negatives already being said about Hillary. But that effort was tiny compared to what Americans were doing on their own.

However, Putin, through the largest Russian counter intelligence network outside of Russia, in London, Russian agents helped seed the Steele Dossier with Russian disinformation that if left unexmined - as Obama intentionally did - could appear damaging to Trump.

I think Putin’s disinformation used on the Dims in the Steele Dossier had greater success than their social media trolls against Hillary, particularly in the short term. With help from the American deep state the Russian informed Steele Dossier kept the Trump administration on the constant defensive for over a year.

[Chgogal]

Where Is this Hatch Act when you need it? ; )

[SunkenCiv]

• Ex-Trump spy chief Richard Grenell says Biden helped target Michael Flynn
• Lindsey Graham to James Comey: 'You got a lot to say, come in under oath and say it'
• The Making Of The Lindsey Graham Ad