Did Trump’s Team Disclose Identity of American Secret Sources To Russians?

CharlatanThe article on January 25, 2017 noted that Sergei Mikhailov who served in the Russian Federal Security Service’s (FSB) cyber intelligence branch which has been implicated in the Russian hacking of the American election was arrested.  He was a senior officer, the second-most senior figure in the Center for Information Security. Mikhailov reportedly was arrested while in the middle of a meeting, escorted out of the room with a bag thrown over his head. He was charged with treason.

The article is written by Andrew E. Kramer the New York Times Moscow correspondent. He speculated the detention of an official who would have been in a position to engage in the election hacking in America could indicate a good-will gesture to the United States, which has penalized Russia for the electoral meddling.”       

Of course that is nonsense. I suggest had Mikhailov been arrested as a “good-will gesture” he would not have been charged with treason.  Kramer has been duped and is peddling a Russian lie.

Also arrested  was Ruslan Stoyanov a senior employee at the Russian security firm Kaspersky Lab. He too was charged with treason. These arrests took place in December 2016.

One article noted: many Russian media outlets now report that the men are suspected of leaking information to Western investigators  . . . .”   Another said: “A Russia-based information security source told FORBES the details of the case were likely to remain private. The case has been filed under article 275 of Russia’s criminal code, the source said, meaning it should result in a secret military tribunal. Article 275 allows the government to prosecute when an individual provides assistance to a foreign state or organization regarding “hostile activities to the detriment of the external security of the Russian Federation” (translation from source). According to the source, this can be applied broadly. For instance, furnishing the FBI with information on a botnet may amount to treason.” reported FORBES.” 

On December 26, 2016, a former KGB chief Oleg Erovinkin was found dead in the back of his black Lexis  in Moscow. “His body was sent to the morgue, which returned no cause of death.”

Some suggest he was murdered because he was the contact in Russia for M16 Christopher Steele who was behind the dossier on Trump with its lurid claims. Two arrests and one murder in Moscow in December which some suggest are related to giving information to the United States. Apparently up until that time these men were going about their business as usual. How then is it that the forces in the Kremlin suddenly discover that they may have been providing information to people outside of Russia?

I’d have to guess that these men were providing information to the CIA’s (or other American intelligence agency). That information showed that it was the Russians were doing the hacking of the matters involved in the 2016 presidential election and providing it to Wikileaks. Now the Russians knew all along that it had been suspected of doing this and despite its denial the CIA had the goods on them sufficient to convince President Obama to place sanctions on them.

Putin would be embarrassed that despite his denial there was solid proof of this. He would be very anxious to get the information on who was the source. In other words, he knew there had to be a leak in the FSB but did not know who it was.

Having dealt with leaks in the my prior career I know that one is aware they are happening and one may have some suspects but one cannot act unless he has a high degree of certainty. We know for a long time the identity of the CIA sources was a well-kept secret. Therefore at some point someone gained access to their identity to pass it on to Putin which gave him this certainty.

In detecting leaks one goes back. One knows up until such and such date certain people who had access to the information and it was secure. One knows that after that date it was compromised. One then asks did someone new get access to the information, someone who did not have access before.

Those in the CIA must know the answer to this question. Perhaps not the specific person but one of the new group that learned about it. My guess is that it has to be someone on Trump’s transition team who received the background briefing by the CIA. That person provided it to the Russians through a secretive means. Perhaps that is why Trump attacked the intelligence sources comparing them to Nazis in order to cover this up.

Since several new people received the information the CIA hands are tied because these guys work for Trump. There is no way Trump will let the CIA interrogate them. If my guess is right Putin has a spy or spies inserted at the highest level of our government. If so, all our undercover agents are at risk and in danger since their identities may be disclosed to Putin.

Even if my guess is wrong the coincidence must give anyone who is a CIA operative great pause who sees how Trump is cozying up to Putin. Would you want to be a spy for America knowing there’s a Russian friendly team in town and knowing what happened in Moscow in December?

These are the times that try men’s souls and test a country’s ability to survive.

30 Comments

  1. Michael Flynn’s calls to Russia during the transition would seem to be quite relevant to this matter.

  2. John King McDonald

    Jon : Yes, Louis Litif was a piece of work . Southie was full of characters. You have nothing to feer from the FBI. Probably time you thought of coming back, perhaps . Louis liked to hang in the CZ Lounge , the Carnival . Jimmy was not someone who would necessarily waste time boxing someone. He figured that was what guns were for. There were a lot of people in Southie who probably wanted to blow him. He was funny ; very reticent about telling people about how tough he was. He was just a good tough boy. Many have jumped onto his coat tails with fanciful and necessarily speculative accounts of what he was up to. I easily sort them out. Some are full of bs. Some are half full of bs. And a very few are not so much full of bs, but have significant facts wrong when it comes into peering into the abyss , so to say. In this last case I conjecture their motives are either the usual … Whitey Literary Genre … commercial ones, or they just don’t know what actually happened. It would be interesting to see you back home. I assure you that your fears about the FBI … taking you out … are exaggerated .

  3. Dear Matt, I’m killing myself (not really) to finish a book. It mentions federal corruption, so you understand my concern. I wanted the book done in January – a great month to finish projects – but now it already February! Reading you blog helps reduce this stress. But nothing helps reduce my FBI FEAR.

  4. Dear John King McDonald, Thanks for the compliment about”‘Gaga’: The Real Whitey Bulger /Irish Mob Story.” Gaga is the genius. I taped recorded his stories and transcribed them to produce the book. Gaga frequently repeated sentences, making them one word bigger or one word smaller. That’s when I realized his sing-song voice adhered to a numeric code.
    Like Monet’s “Poppy Field II” – it required a lot of detail. The book is over 160,000 words. i counted every word at least 100 times! There will be other books with other numeric codes. This is the first. I’ll write more later.

  5. Dear John King McDonald, Johnny Pretzie was my friend. He’s mentioned several time in my writing. I changed notorious South Boston informer (Alan Thistle) to Gistle.

    ~7:50am Thursday July 6
    Sunny, warm day. Standing at “L” Street fence murder location. Plenty of family and AIDS Brigade worry. Just finished Carson Beach run. Loud bird chirping and beautiful breeze. Yesterday carried tape recorder like notebook. Immediately felt good. During run craved notebook writing. Finished run stretching on this fence. Eyes focused on beach murder spot. Knew victim and probably know killer.

    ~11:20am

    Again at “L” Street fence murder spot. Remember small-65ish man in fetal position. Watched police investigation through broken fence. Birds still chirping, but louder traffic noise. Beautiful ocean breeze makes writing easy.

    Yesterday Charlie gave “Whitey interview.” Years ago, Whitey gang associate (Louis Lotif) shot Charlie’s brother. While brother was recovering in hospital, Whitey, Tommy King, and another Mullens gang member, got Charlie in car. Without verbal threat, Tommy King flashed handgun, saying, “No squealing.”

    Yesterday Stippo Rakes stated, “J. L. (John Sullivan) was unique.” Alan Gistle agreed, adding, “One of a kind.” Stippo mimicked gun with hand, saying, “He knew Whitey real good!” I asked, “What do mean?” Stippo blurted, “Hits.”

    Remembered tall, intelligent, lanky artist with tough street reputation. First noticed J.L. painting wall murals in McDonough Boxing Gym. He would come, paint murals and quietly depart. 20 years later, he’s regular Harvard Square chess player with long hair (mostly grey) and medium-length beard. Rumpled black-felt hat made him resemble bright-eyed hippie.

    Last week, walked through Harvard Square with Robin (Rebecca’s sister) and her husband, John Bright. No chess playing on Au-Bon Pain outside tables. Many times, canned for AIDS Brigade on sidewalk near those tables. Years later, myself and AIDS Brigade still broke. Two days ago, I counted pennies. Yesterday, used quarters to buy food.

    Now entering “L” Street with tape recorder (in gym bag). Want Danny Smith, Gaga Murray and Boston Police Sergeant Jimmy D. “Whitey interviews.” At South Boston Yacht Club meeting, former Whitey bookie sat across card table. Regret not requesting “Whitey interview.” Noticed another former Whitey associate. Again didn’t request “Whitey interview.”

    ~10 minutes later

    Bigger reason for notebook. This morning, Benny complained, “Dad. What’s this?” Blue TV screen emitted warning signal. Twice I asked, “Is that a video?” Benny answered, “No.” Wrote screen message: “EMERGENCY ALERT, PLEASE STANDBY FOR AUDIO MESSAGE.” Cartoons briefly returned, then another alert.

    ~12:30pm

    In truck after “L” Street calisthenics, steam and sauna. Stood on sunny beach and heard, “Jon, you still boxing?” 70ish, white-haired patron sat on concrete walkway. Answered, “Yeah, I finally went pro. Yesterday I broke a speed bag. Broke a soft speed bag!” Asked, “How do you know me?” Heard, “I’ve seen you box. I remember you doing needle exchange in Roxbury. When you were getting arrested. You can handle yourself. I’ve seen you box. I sparred with John Pretzy.”

    Briefly spoke about Johnny Pretzy, and asked, “Did you know Whitey?” Heard, “Yeah.” Explained having tape recorder. Patron declined interview, saying, “You could take Whitey.” Asked about Kevin Weeks. Patron said, “He kissed Whitey’s ass. Did what ever Whitey said. He would blow Whitey.”

    Patron continued, “I don’t know how Kevin Weeks walks down Broadway. That somebody doesn’t take him out.” I spouted, “He’s full of shit. Says he knocked out 200 people. He didn’t knock out one person.” Described buying newspaper in Kevin O’Neil’s store, saying, “I was buying the Post. O’Neil stood up like a big walrus. With his big red nose.”

    Next described using bullhorn outside Whitey’s liquor store. Told patron, “I kept repeating, ‘Whitey please help us. Crack heroin is killing Southie kids. Nobody cares. Please help us.’” Patron said, “It’s killing kids for sure.”

    Patron boxed at McDonough Gym. 50 years ago, he fought “Golden Gloves.” Tried getting phone number. He walked away, saying, “You can box good. You’ll do good.”

  6. Dear Honest Abe, It was Eddie Ashmond. I speak with Tommy on the phone. He’s training fighters at Peter Welsh’s gym. I’ll tell him that Sam Alsen’s friend Bob said “Hi.”
    I spared countless times with Sean Mannion. He is a southpaw. All I had to do was stay outside his lead right foot. When Sean Mannion started training for his title fight, he went to Tommy Connor’s house, saying “Where’s my meat!” He wanted me for a sparring partner.

    • Thank you, Jon. Tommy may not remember me. Sam Alsen had many friends that shared my name. I was the only one with a 70’s porn stache. Tommy was a force in those days as I am sure he is now. The last time I saw him was at a big amateur event in Dorchester. It was at a big venue somewhere down near the old Orbit store. Tommy had a fighter or two going that night. The Petronelli’s had that tall, skinny bantamweight that was so promising. I forget his name. Think it started with a B. And Robbie Simms gave the crowd a wave that night.

      The feature bout was two solid middleweights or possibly light heavies. One was a redhead of medium build and the other an Hispanic looking guy built like a slab, along the lines of maybe Tony Ayalla. Three of the best rounds I’ve ever seen. The decision went to the slab.

      Anyway, I’m rambling. Thanks.

  7. Dear Bill C., You have a heart of gold. I still think about you helping Tommy Tucker. God bless his soul.

  8. Correction: unequivocally unapologetically conservative

  9. Yes. 0.1% of Catholics may be lunatics, as are at least 0.1 % of persons all faiths, I’m quite sure. And some of these lunatics are harmless; and some violent. For the latter, societies build police stations.
    The teachings of Roman Catholicism are set forth in a Catechism, which is unequivocally apologetically conservative; for example, it condemns “procured abortion” (that is intentional abortion as opposed to spontaneous abortion) as a grave moral evil; no ifs, no ands and no buts. The Church is staunchly pro-life. The Governor of New York, Mario Cuomo, has said New York does not want “extreme conservatives” like “pro-life” people. He said that. Look it up. Look it up on youtube! He doesn’t know that his Church is pro-life. He tells his Church to get out of New York. He’s a liberal who believes in diversity. He says he’s pro-Muslim. But he says pro-life people don’t belong in New York. He’s confused.
    The Catechism of the Roman Catholic Church says murder is a sin and so is lying and calumny. It also says that heterosexual sex should be confined to marriage and that marriage is the union of one man and one woman. That’s it! One man, one woman! It also says homosexual sex “can never be approved”; although it counsels that “no unjust discrimination” should be shown homosexuals.
    In fact, when Massachusetts passed a law forcing Catholic charities to allow gay couples to adopt, the Catholic Church got out of the adoption business. It put principles first!
    Roman Catholicism is a conservative religion and I am proud and glad of that.
    And I am proud and glad that the Roman Catholic Church emphatically and explicitly rejects anti-Semitism, in any and all forms.
    And I will confess: I believe in God; I am a conservative, traditionalist, Roman Catholic . . . and I’m not going to say how often I go to Church nor how often I’ve fallen short . . . BUT I will say these four things: I’m against unjust discrimination; Trump’s ban is not anti-Muslim; Mario Cuomo is a hypocritical two-faced liberal jerk; and Elizabeth Warren reminds me of a Commie-bun party doll!

  10. According to the SPLC:

    RADICAL TRADITIONAL CATHOLICISM

    “Radical traditionalist” Catholics, who may make up the largest single group of serious anti-Semites in America, subscribe to an ideology that is rejected by the Vatican and some 70 million mainstream American Catholics.

    “Radical traditionalist” Catholics, who may make up the largest single group of serious anti-Semites in America, subscribe to an ideology that is rejected by the Vatican and some 70 million mainstream American Catholics. Many of their leaders have been condemned and even excommunicated by the official church.

    Adherents of radical traditional Catholicism, or “integrism,” routinely pillory Jews as “the perpetual enemy of Christ” and worse, reject the ecumenical efforts of the Vatican, and sometimes even assert that recent popes have all been illegitimate. They are incensed by the liberalizing reforms of the 1962-65 Second Vatican Council, which condemned hatred for the Jews and rejected the accusation that Jews are collectively responsible for deicide in the form of the crucifixion of Christ.

    Radical traditionalists are not the same as Catholics who call themselves “traditionalists” — people who prefer the old Latin Mass to the mass now typically said in vernacular languages — although the radicals, as well, like their liturgy in Latin. They also embrace extremely conservative social ideals with respect to women.

  11. “I’ve written before that Trump had something on Trump. Imagine they spoke for an hour and no mention of sanctions, the emails, or Ukraine came up according to Trump. How do you explain that.”

    OK, the first Trump should read Putin. After that petty error it is downhill. There is no way to explain someone else’s imagination. It is the same as positing to a jury that if the defendant cannot prove that the moon is made of Swiss cheese he must be guilty. That sort of false choice is silly.

    Fake media, as exampled by the New York Times, hates Trump. It is merrily leading deluded children. Adults should be a bit more discerning. Once having reached the age of reason, there is no need or excuse to follow a Pied Piper. Hatred is not admissible as evidence.

    • Fake News Breitbart News Network hates the left, and does not have nearly the historical pedigree to give it the presumption of legitimacy like the NYT. It is a two way street, we live in the post truth era. The beginning of the end of American democracy.

  12. ” Evidence and some assembly required ” … Damn, but I do like a well turned phrase! 🙂

  13. Hi Matt,
    Thjs one is too conspiratorial for me. What we’re talking about here is treason, plain and simple. Evidence and some assembly required. As long as we’re on the subject, an Israeli newspaper ran a story indicating that U.S. Intelligence officials warned their Israeli counterparts not to pass on any sensitive information to Moscow until Trump’s relationship with Russia becomes clear. The U.S. officials, the story reported, said such info might be passed onto Iran by the Kremlin. It was also suggested that Putin has something called “levers of pressure” over Trump. This phrase has joined “enhanced interrogation techniques” in my pantheon of sinister euphemisms.

    • Dan:

      I’ve written before that Trump had something on Trump. Imagine they spoke for an hour and no mention of sanctions, the emails, or Ukraine came up according to Trump. How do you explain that.

      If US intelligence warned Israel then they had concerns vis-a-vis Russia. Of course this is treason if our spies were disclosed. Don’t you think Russia has operatives in U.S. like we had on Russia. How do you escape the fact that our Russian spies were safe until the information about them was disclosed to others? Aren’t you aware of the number of pro-Russian stooges who surround Trump? Do you think Manafort has gone off into the sunset? Is this just too big to be believed?

      • Hi Matt: I get it, believe me. But I need to see a lot more evidence before going down the road to treason. You’ve got the professional instincts of a prosecutor going for you, so let’s see how this plays out.

  14. At least we’re not hurling epithets at each other.
    That’s all, folks!
    Have a good day. Got to go to my humble part-time work! Low pay; good benefits; 20 hours a week.

  15. First, Matt saw Hitler; now it’s the Red Scare; and Khalid is still calling for the Bolshevik Revolution.
    All I’m saying is “Give Peace a chance!”

  16. Correction: Erovinkin was made a KGB general by Putin, then 8 years ago when he retired from the KGB, was appointed by Putin as a VIP in a Russian oil company. Can’t figure out why a long time Putin ally would leak secrets to a retired MI6 agent. Where’s the quid pro quo? It doesn’t make any sense!
    2. So who was the leaker? General Flynn, Kellyanne Conway, John McCain, John Lewis? Who else gets intelligence briefings? Maybe it was the Democrats! How about Elizabeth Warren? We know Donna Brazille leaked debate qs to Hillary? Maybe the leaker is a she. I go back to Natasha and Boris.
    3. Who’s attempting to compromise America? Let’s round them all up, Matt!

  17. Matt: this is a spoof: Way too many guesses: “My guess”, “someone suggests” and he “speculates”; sounds like a plot manufactured by Mr. Big for Boris Badenov, and Natasha Fatale.
    Plus: You rely on speculation from a widely discredited dossier (frankly false on its central claim: that lawyer Cohen met a KGB agent in Prague . . . Cohen had never been to Prague in his life).
    Most troubling, the MSM has been telling us that nothing goes on in Russia without Putin’s approval, that the so-called “election” hacking was on his orders.
    So, why would he arrest 2 men for election hacking if they were following his orders? And why would Erovikin, (made a KGB general by Putin;then 8 years when he retired from the KGB, appointed to an Oil Company by Putin; a long time ally) try to leak info to undermine Trump whom Putin and the Russians openly favored. It doesn’t make any sense. Too much speculation!
    2. At least you’ve admitted that the NYT prints “nonsense”!
    3. We’ve worked with British Intelligence for decades, which had been penetrated by Soviet spies like Philby et al, since before WWII; all agencies have their flaws; all countries their spies; all countries their turncoats.

    • Bill:

      Of course the election hacking was on Putin’s orders. You miss the point. Putin arrested and will execute them because they were feeding America intelligence information.

  18. The machinations of the traitorous Trumpsoviki must be brought to light. Deep state operatives, we need you now. Investigate and expose Trump’s treason. Down with the dictator and the swine who support him. Up the Revolution. Depose Glorious Leader.

    • Coining terms, eh? Google search yields nothing on “Trumpsoviki”.

      Instead of “Trumpsoviki”, the term would probably be “Trumpsovki”, as the plural of the Russian slang word “sovok” is “sovki”.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homo_Sovieticus

      Perhaps you were thinking “Trumpsowikileaks”?

      • Ed: It’s a freshly minted neo-logism. Trumpsovik is correct. Thanks. I’ll have to look in a Cyrillic Dictionary to check it out out. I’d had assumed it would be a regular plural. Elmer spells it sovik, as in “You’re (a) dirty sovik!” In English usage, the article in parentheses indicates a following singular noun. Broken pluralization could be one of the linguistic differences between Ukrainian and Russian. Sovki sounds like a broken, rather, than, regular pluralization.

        Elmer: Is “sovik” singular, or, plural? And, if sovik is singular, what is it’s plural? In your experience, are the rules of pluralization in Ukrainian different from Russian? I have to defer to your knowledge in this matter. The first time I ever saw the word, was, when, you accused me of being a sovik.

        So, once again, I have to split the creative credit for a neo-logism. Elmer shared the labor pains. Trumpsovik/Trumpsovki/Trumpsoviki. Maybe. there’s a schwa, Trumpsov(i)ki?

      • I believe Trumpskovite is the proper term.

        All I really want to know, Mister Putin, is; How are Moose and Squirrel?

    • Khalid….I think I am going with the term Fascist Rats for the next 4 years (give or take). It has a nice ring to it. I’m hoping it will be a nice trending hashtag for the Fascist Rat tweeter in chief to read at 3 am.

  19. John King McDonald

    If you really think that the CIA is mutually exclusive of … ” The King Brothers ” ( CIA euphemism for Russian Intelligence Services) … then you are not looking closely. 🙂

  20. John King McDonald

    Now … That … is Case Management!