How Australia responded to Donald Trump’s push for help discrediting the Russia investigation

[mr friendly guy]

MAGA - make Australia Grovel Again

How Australia responded to Donald Trump’s push for help discrediting the Russia investigation
US President Donald Trump had an extraordinary request for his Australian allies. This is how our government decided to respond

The Australian government is under intense scrutiny today over its response to Donald Trump’s request for help discrediting special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian election interference.

This morning The New York Times dropped a bombshell report revealing Mr Trump called Prime Minister Scott Morrison several weeks ago, before Mr Morrison’s state visit to the United States, and asked him to help US Attorney-General William Barr show the Mueller investigation had “corrupt and partisan” origins.

An Australian government spokesman confirmed the call took place.

“The Australian government has always been ready to assist and co-operate with efforts to help shed further light on the matters under investigation. The PM confirmed his readiness once again in conversation with the President,” the spokesman said.

The phone call was foreshadowed in May when Mr Trump declassified “potentially millions of pages” of intelligence documents related to the Mueller investigation and tasked Mr Barr’s department with analysing them, encouraging him to “look at” Australia.

“What I’ve done is I’ve declassified everything,” the President told reporters at the time.

“He can look, and I hope he looks at the UK, and I hope he looks at Australia, and I hope he looks at Ukraine. I hope he looks at everything. Because there was a hoax that was perpetrated on our country.”

The same week, Australia’s ambassador to the United States, Joe Hockey, wrote to Mr Barr and White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, indicating the Government would help.

“The Australian government will use its best endeavours to support your efforts in this matter. While Australia’s former high commissioner to the UK, Alexander Downer, is no longer employed by the Government, we stand ready to provide you with all relevant information to support your inquiries,” Mr Hockey said.

That letter was only revealed today.

So, why is Australia involved in this? And why on earth are we talking about Alexander Downer?

Back in May of 2016, Mr Downer — the former Australian foreign minister and Liberal Party leader — met a man named George Papadopoulos at a bar in London.

Mr Downer was serving as the Australian high commissioner to the UK. Mr Papadopoulos was a foreign policy adviser on Mr Trump’s presidential campaign.

Mr Papadopoulos told Mr Downer he was confident Mr Trump would win the election and revealed Russia might release information damaging to his opponent, Hillary Clinton.

The conversation occurred before Wikileaks started to release hacked emails and well before America’s intelligence agencies concluded Russia was behind them.

Mr Downer sent a diplomatic cable to Canberra relaying what he had learned. The information was then passed on to authorities in the United States, where it helped spark the FBI’s investigation into Russian election interference.

Mr Papadopoulos was eventually jailed for lying to the FBI.

Mr Papadopoulos has since accused Mr Downer of being an “FBI spy”. In response to this morning’s New York Times report, he labelled the former foreign minister a “wannabe spy” and a “Clinton errand boy” — a somewhat bizarre claim, given Mr Downer hails from the conservative side of politics.


George Papadopoulos
@GeorgePapa19
Bye bye Downer. https://twitter.com/nytimes/status/1178766231115063297 …

The New York Times
✔
@nytimes
Breaking News: President Trump pushed Australia's prime minister to help Attorney General William Barr in an investigation intended to rebut the Mueller inquiry https://nyti.ms/2n2wgs3

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4:41 AM - Oct 1, 2019
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George Papadopoulos
@GeorgePapa19
I have been right about Downer from the beginning. A wannabe spy and Clinton errand boy who is about to get exposed on the world stage. Great reporting, NYTs! Mifsud is next.

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4:39 AM - Oct 1, 2019
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George Papadopoulos
@GeorgePapa19
Pay back time!

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So, that was the context for Mr Trump’s request. He wanted Australia to help investigate Mr Downer’s role in the genesis of the Mueller investigation, which he was seeking to discredit.

The Mueller investigation, which was distinct from the FBI’s previous Russia investigation, actually started after Mr Trump decided to fire FBI director James Comey.

For the sake of clarity, here is how things unfolded:

• Mr Papadopoulos told Mr Downer Russia had dirt on Hillary Clinton;

• Mr Downer told Canberra what he had learned in a diplomatic cable;

• Australia told US authorities, who launched an investigation into potential interference in the US election by Russia;

• As part of that investigation, Mr Trump’s first White House national security adviser Michael Flynn lied to the FBI about his contacts with Russia’s US ambassador;

• Mr Trump fired FBI director James Comey after unsuccessfully pressuring him to “go easy” on General Flynn;

• Deputy Attorney-General Rod Rosenstein, a Republican, appointed Robert Mueller as special counsel to investigate Russian election interference, as well as potential collusion between Russia and members of Mr Trump’s campaign, and potential obstruction of justice by the President.

Mr Mueller concluded his investigation earlier this year. His report did not uncover proof of collusion between Mr Trump and Russia and declined to make an assessment on obstruction of justice, citing Justice Department policy that a sitting president could not be indicted.

The investigation did lead to dozens of indictments, however, including members of Mr Trump’s election campaign — Mr Papadopoulos, General Flynn, campaign manager Paul Manafort, his deputy Rick Gates and Mr Trump’s personal lawyer Michael Cohen.

Despite being in the clear, so to speak, Mr Trump is still trying to discredit the investigation and has drawn foreign countries into his efforts.

Last week it emerged he had pressured the president of Ukraine to investigate his nation’s role. Mr Trump appears to be under the impression that CrowdStrike, the company hired by the Democratic National Committee (DNC) to look into the hack, is Ukrainian when it is, in fact, based in California.

He also believes a DNC server could be in Ukraine. There is no evidence that any such server even exists.

RELATED: Trump pursues bizarre conspiracy theory

Now we know the US President has pressured Australia to help investigate one of its own diplomats, Mr Downer.

Mr Morrison’s assertion he is “ready to assist” the investigation and Mr Hockey’s letter have left the Government with questions to answer.

This

Mr Papadopoulos has since accused Mr Downer of being an “FBI spy”. In response to this morning’s New York Times report, he labelled the former foreign minister a “wannabe spy” and a “Clinton errand boy” — a somewhat bizarre claim, given Mr Downer hails from the conservative side of politics.

Actually I think the writer meant to say, was "a somewhat bizarre claim, given Mr Downer is not fit to be anything other than a clown". I mean Alexander Downer is the guy who got jealous Rudd's mastery of the Chinese language and then boasted he learnt French in a shorter time than Rudd learnt Chinese. When he was asked by a reporter to demonstrate this mastery of French, he said that would be boasting, after you know, just boasting about how easily he mastered French. Even in the 1990s when he became opposition leader, satire shows like Full Frontal would lambast him.

But jokes aside about the conservatives, it looks like the Morrison government wants to throw one of its own under the bus, or is just nodding and saying yes to Trump and hope he forgets about when he flip flops on an issue as he has a propensity to do. But hey, totally no foreign interference here.

[The_Saint]

OF COURSE Morrison would bend over backwards for Trump. yes sir, no sir, three bags full of backstabbing politics for you sir.

I haven't seen much grace the media here regarding this but then a) I don't follow much of the commercial side of things and they'd be avoiding this and b) it's still newish for ABC to be digging into this.

[mr friendly guy]

Hey its totally ok, because Alexander Downer was really being tricked and he was given false information. False information on a topic which apparently wasn't discussed. Hmm. Doesn't this mean Downer lucked his way in. Used the excuse of a meeting with Papa to plant information that the Russians had damaging info on Clinton, information which Papa denies telling Downer, but somehow Downer guessed correctly since Papa kind of went to prison. What a lucky guess, huh?

https://www.news.com.au/national/politi ... a478023261

‘I played him’: Former Trump aide taunts Alexander Downer, says Australia has ‘flipped on him’
The former Trump aide who sparked the FBI’s Russia probe now says he “played” an Aussie diplomat he claims was sent to “spy” on him.

The former Trump campaign aide whose conversation in a London bar with Alexander Downer sparked the Russia investigation now says he knew the meeting “was designed to spy” on him and that he “played” the Aussie diplomat.

“The Australians already flipped on him,” George Papadopoulos tweeted on Monday, in response to news Donald Trump had enlisted Scott Morrison to help look into Australia’s role in the origins of the Russia probe.

Papadopoulos met with Mr Downer, then Australia’s high commissioner to the UK, in May 2016, where the Trump aide let slip that the Russians had a “dirt file” on Hillary Clinton.

Mr Downer passed the tip onto Canberra, which then passed it on to US intelligence officials. But Papadopoulos tweeted today that he was playing Mr Downer, a former Liberal MP, the whole time.

“Downer was a fool,” wrote Papdopoulos, who last year was sentenced to two weeks in prison for lying to the FBI.

“I played him the entire meeting that I knew was designed to spy on my energy related work and then to ask a bizarre last minute question about Clinton-Russia. The transcripts will prove it all, folks. They exist.”


George Papadopoulos
@GeorgePapa19
Downer was a fool. I played him the entire meeting that I knew was designed to spy on my energy related work and then to ask a bizarre last minute question about Clinton-Russia. The transcripts will prove it all, folks. They exist. The Australians already flipped on him.

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10:28 AM - Oct 1, 2019
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The Downer meeting has been drawn back into the headlines after The New York Times revealed the US President called the Prime Minister a few weeks ago explicitly to push him to help Attorney-General William Barr show that Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election had “corrupt and partisan origins”.

The news has heightened impeachment talk swirling around the President, who is already under fire for appearing to seek Ukrainian assistance to investigate his Democratic rival Joe Biden.

The Morrison Government confirmed it was willing to help with Mr Trump’s request.

“The Australian Government has always been ready to assist and co-operate with efforts that help shed further light on the matters under investigation. The PM confirmed this readiness once again in conversation with the President,” a spokeswoman for Mr Morrison said.

Australia’s US ambassador Joe Hockey wrote to Mr Barr in late May offering assistance. “The Australian Government will use its best endeavours to support your efforts in this matter,” he wrote.

“While Australia’s former High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, the Hon. Alexander Downer, is no longer employed by the Government, we stand ready to provide you with all the relevant information to support your inquiries.”

Alexander Downer in his office at the High Commission in London. Picture: Ben Stevens/i-Images
Alexander Downer in his office at the High Commission in London. Picture: Ben Stevens/i-ImagesSource:News Corp Australia

THE ‘DRUNKEN’ MEETING

The New York Times first reported on the origins of the FBI’s investigation into the Trump campaign, codenamed “Crossfire Hurricane”, in December 2017.

That report described how, in July 2016, two agents were dispatched to London on a secretive mission to interview Mr Downer, who had passed on information about the meeting with Papadopoulos.

Papadopoulos had allegedly boasted to Mr Downer “during a night of heavy drinking” two months earlier that the Russians had a “dirt file” on Hillary Clinton in the form of thousands of hacked emails.

Papadopoulos told Mr Downer he received the information from Joseph Mifsud, a Maltese professor suspected of having ties to Russian intelligence. He later pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his contact with Mr Mifsud.

Papadopoulos and others have since floated the unproven allegation that Mr Mifsud was actually a Western intelligence asset involved in an elaborate entrapment scheme — something Mr Downer has labelled a “sad” conspiracy theory.

Speaking to The Australian in April last year, Mr Downer said he was the one who first reached out to Papadopoulos in early May 2016 through Erika Thompson, a counsellor at the high commission.

Ms Thompson’s partner worked at the Israeli embassy and suggested Mr Downer meet Papadopoulos, who had days earlier been quoted in The Times publicly attacking then British prime minister David Cameron for criticising Mr Trump.

Mr Downer and Ms Thompson met Papadopoulos late one afternoon in May 2016 at the swanky Kensington Wine Bar — but both men have since disputed The New York Times’ characterisation of the meeting as “wine-fuelled”, saying they each ordered a single gin-and-tonic.

“We had a drink and he talked about what Trump’s foreign policy would be like if Trump won the election,” Mr Downer told The Australian.

“(Trump) hadn’t got the nomination at that stage. During that conversation (Papadopoulos) mentioned the Russians might use material that they have on Hillary Clinton in the lead-up to the election, which may be damaging.”

Mr Downer said it seemed “worth reporting” in a diplomatic cable back to Canberra. “It wasn’t the only thing we reported,” he said. “We reported (back to Australia) the following day or a day or two after … it seemed quite interesting.”

But he stressed Papadopoulos never said the word “dirt”.

“He didn’t say dirt, he said material that could be damaging to her,” he said. “No, he said it would be damaging. He didn’t say what it was.”

Papadopoulos, who earlier this year released a book titled Deep State Target, has said he felt something was off from the start of the meeting, and suspected Mr Downer was recording him with his phone.

“What I believe he was doing was spying on me,” he told the ABC in May. “It’s as if I was there being interrogated and profiled by an intelligence officer — and that’s exactly what I left that meeting thinking.”

Mr Downer denied this. “I wouldn’t as a diplomat record meetings that I had with people — that would be very unprofessional,” he said.

For his part, Papadopoulos has also denied ever mentioning Russian dirt on Ms Clinton. “I have absolutely no memory of ever talking to him about that,” he said, but added, “There’s nothing illegal about spreading rumours, OK? So there’s no reason for me to be hiding it if I really did tell (Mr Downer) that.”


THE ‘SHADOWY’ AGENCY

Earlier on Monday, Papadopoulos wrote on Twitter, “I have been right about Downer from the beginning. A wannabe spy and Clinton errand boy who is about to get exposed on the world stage. Great reporting, NYTs! Mifsud is next.”

Speaking to ABC radio this morning, Mr Downer said he had no knowledge of the latest reports. “I don’t know anything at all about conversations Scott Morrison has had with Donald Trump,” he said.

“I just have nothing more to say about it. I had a conversation with this guy (Papadopoulos) and passed on one element about it. I can’t offer you any more information. I know nothing of the conversations that Scott Morrison has had with the Americans, including President Trump about this, insofar as there have been any. I just don’t have a clue.”

Fuelling conspiracy theories around Mr Downer is his former association with a shadowy London-based security firm called Hakluyt, which was created by ex-MI6 British Secret Service agents.

Mr Downer joined the advisory board of Hakluyt in 2008 when he was a UN special envoy but was forced to step down when he took up the top diplomatic post in 2014.

News Corp reported in January 2016, however, that Mr Downer had still been attending client conferences and gatherings of the group — and that British foreign officials had privately expressed disquiet.

“The group operates in the shadows, it’s not exactly open and transparent and so any serving, and that’s the difference, serving diplomat with access to sensitive information and insight associating with the group raises a worry in Whitehall,” one diplomatic source told News Corp.

At the time, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade defended Mr Downer, saying he had had “no commercial relationship with Hakluyt since resigning from its advisory board in May 2014, prior to commencing duty as High Commissioner in London”.

“Mr Downer maintains contact with a large number of individuals and firms in the British business community. This is common practice for an Australian High Commissioner in the UK,” a DFAT spokeswoman said.

Speaking to the ABC in May, Mr Downer said the conspiracy theories floated by the likes of Papadopoulos were impossible.

“This sort of idea that there is a kind of a ASIS-ASIO-MI6-MI5-FBI-CIA-Ukrainian Government conspiracy to bring down the Trump administration, that this is treason, that I should be in Guantanamo Bay … I mean it’s a little bit sad that people take that kind of thought seriously,” he said.

Bill Clinton and Chelsea Clinton in 2016. Picture: Bryan R. Smith/AFP
Bill Clinton and Chelsea Clinton in 2016. Picture: Bryan R. Smith/AFPSource:AFP

THE $25 MILLION

Papadopoulos’s characterisation of Mr Downer as a “Clinton errand boy” reaches back even further to 2006, when as Foreign Minister he oversaw a $US25 million ($37 million) Australian aid donation to the Clinton Foundation.

The donation, one of only four from a foreign government over $US25 million, was resurfaced last year by Washington DC-based outlet The Hill after Mr Downer’s role in the FBI probe was revealed.

The money was initially allocated to the Clinton Foundation but later routed through an affiliate called the Clinton Health Access Initiative for a four-year project to provide drugs and screening to AIDS patients in Papua New Guinea and Asia.

Mr Downer and former President Bill Clinton jointly signed a memorandum of understanding in February 2006 pledging the money. The Hill reported the project won praise for helping thousands of patients but also drew criticism from auditors about “management weaknesses” and inadequate budget oversight.

The link was seized on last year by Republicans, but a spokesman for Ms Clinton called it “pathetic”. “An Australian diplomat learned that one of his nation’s most important allies was under attack by an adversary, Russia,” Nick Merrill said at the time.

“He notified US law enforcement, which is exactly what you would hope an ally would do. The idea that this has anything to do with his government deciding a decade earlier to partner on HIV/AIDS work with the Clinton Foundation, or the fact that as a United Nations envoy, he met with Secretary Clinton at the State Department, is laughable.”

Mr Merrill added that the “conspiracies being peddled by the right are no more than a pathetic and sustained effort to distract from the fact that we have a President who refuses to defend his own country against widespread attacks on American democracy”.

At the time, DFAT also issued a statement defending the grant and its “strong outcomes” in fighting HIV-AIDS. “The funding provided to the Clinton Foundation and its affiliate was used solely for agreed development projects,” DFAT said.

In 2016, Australia finally ceased donating to the Clinton Foundation after more than $88 million worth of taxpayer-funded contributions over 10 years. Asked why the Clinton Foundation was chosen as a recipient, DFAT said all funding was “solely for agreed development projects” and Clinton charities had “a proven track record” in helping developing countries.

<snip> you can read the rest from the link