Correction: A previous version of this article, based on an incorrect report, stated that Special Counsel John Durham used the word “infiltrate” to describe the actions. The filing used the word “exploited.”
Some journalists, Republican lawmakers, and other notable public figures responded to an explosive report from over the weekend involving Special Counsel John Durham’s investigation into the FBI’s Trump-Russia probe by claiming that the Trump White House was spied on.
Durham said in the court filing that operatives linked to Hillary Clinton’s failed presidential campaign “exploited” Internet data linked to Trump Tower and the Executive Office of the President in an effort to establish a “narrative” tying President Donald Trump to Russia.
“In connection with these efforts, Tech Executive-1 exploited his access to non-public and/or proprietary Internet data,” the filing states. “Tech Executive-1 also enlisted the assistance of researchers at a U.S.-based university who were receiving and analyzing large amounts of Internet data in connection with a pending federal government cybersecurity research contract.”
“Tech Executive-1 tasked these researchers to mine Internet data to establish ‘an inference’ and ‘narrative’ tying then-candidate Trump to Russia,” Durham states. “In doing so, Tech Executive-1 indicated that he was seeking to please certain ‘VIPs,’ referring to individuals at Law Firm-1 and the Clinton campaign.”
Fox News reported:
Durham also writes that during [Clinton campaign lawyer Michael] Sussman’s trial, the government will establish that among the Internet data Tech Executive-1 and his associates exploited was domain name system (DNS) internet traffic pertaining to “(i) a particular healthcare provider, (ii) Trump Tower, (iii) Donald Trump’s Central Park West apartment building, and (iv) the Executive Office of the President of the United States (EOP).”
Notable responses included:
- Glenn Greenwald, left-wing journalist: “The Special Counsel investigating wrongdoing that led to Russiagate, John Durham, filed a document accusing the Clinton campaign of paying tech operatives to spy on Trump campaign, then Admin, servers. See if you can find liberal outlets covering this. … The accusations shouldn’t be taken as truth yet. He says he will prove them at trial. But the way liberal outlets completely ignore this shows the bubble in which liberals live: they just have no idea about any of this.” He added, “This is part of the criminal case against Hillary’s lawyer, Michael Sussman. He fed FBI, then CIA, the fabricated Alfa Bank story, and is accused of lying when telling FBI he wasn’t representing any client. Question is whether this is leading to a broader conspiracy case…The NYT/CNN/NBC axis flooded the zone every time Robert Mueller scratched his nose. They spent hours and hours deciphering his every sneeze. Actual criminal indictments from Durham of Hillary’s lawyer or FBI operatives — crimes that created Russiagate — barely merit an article. … The two journalists who primarily promoted the Alfa Bank/Trump fraud — @NatashaBertrand and @FranklinFoer — were promoted. Both were hired by supreme Iraq War liar @JeffreyGoldberg, now editor of @TheAtlantic. **This** — not FB, Rogan, QAnon — is the hive of disinformation.”
- Brit Hume, Fox News: “This is a big deal.”
- Kurt Schlichter, attorney: “Gosh, this seems significant.”
- Rob Schmitt, Newsmax: “I love that this all comes out right as Hillary is warming up for another failed run.”
- Mark Meadows, former Trump chief of staff: “They didn’t just spy on Donald Trump’s campaign. They spied on Donald Trump as sitting President of the United States. It was all even worse than we thought.”
- Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL): “We were right. It was Hillary. Keep that in mind as the “powers that be” which tried to frame Trump continue their pursuits. Also remember who was telling you the TRUTH!”
- Benjamin Weingarten, author: “It’s infinitely worse than just the spying. It’s the conspiracy to cover up & destroy Trump that followed. There’s no justice in America if every last person involved isn’t prosecuted. Those who cry about threats to ‘democracy’ but remain silent on this have ZERO moral standing.”
- Donald Trump Jr.: “Imagine that, yet another ‘Trump Conspiracy Theory’ that Trump was 100% right about. Why are all the conspiracies totally on point 6 months after media pretends they’re not? Remember the outrage when DJT said they were spying on him… well it turns out they were and now crickets!”
- Max Abrahms, professor: “Russiagate was the biggest news story for most of the Trump presidency. A comparatively tiny news story are the walk-backs of the various allegations due to lack of evidence and misinformation.”
- Kevin McCarthy, House Minority Leader: “Democrats got caught spying, first on candidate Trump and then when he was President IN THE WHITE HOUSE. The Russia hoax was a lie from day one—manufactured by his political enemies—and every person involved with this un-American activity must be brought to justice.”
- Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY): “They spied on Trump as a Presidential candidate. They spied on Trump as a sitting United States President. They deserve prison time.”
- Joe Concha, The Hill: “Can’t wait to see Carl Bernstein on CNN saying the explosive Durham report finding the Clinton campaign paid to infiltrate Trump servers in an effort to link Trump to Russia… is worse than Watergate…”
- Rep. Dan Bishop (R-NC): “Trump was right. It was worse than we even imagined. They spied on him during the campaign and while he was in the White House. We will not forget. We will not let this go. They must be held to account.”
- Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY): “Every individual responsible for the illegal spying that targeted the Trump campaign and White House should be prosecuted and imprisoned for their crimes.”
- Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA): “Shocking new details coming from Durham: They spied on Trump WHILE he was President. If they can do this to a president, imagine what they can do to you. Scary. Time for serious consequences.”
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