Desperate NY Times Defends Russiagate Probe Despite Discredited Dossier

Charlie Savage, National Security and Legal Policy correspondent at the New York Times, played defense on behalf of the now-discredited “Steele dossier” that led to the first Trump impeachment, in Thursday’s “Discredited Steele Dossier Doesn’t Undercut Russia Inquiry.”

The infamous tissue of rumors and lies that would foster the false “collusion”-with-Russia narrative (a word the TimesOnce dismissed Trump-related stories, like salt), was put together and funded by Christopher Steele (British spy) as opposition research. It is the conspiratorial stew dishonestly used by the FBI to persuade a court to authorize a wiretap of Trump campaign staffer Carter Page.

Yet the document was treated seriously as an excuse to launch investigations into Trump and his associates, under the rubric of “Russiagate.”

Savage seems defensive because his paper swallowed all the conspiracy. In 2017 the paper noted “the respectable credentials of the British spy, Christopher Steele,” and even gave the FUSION GPS authors of the dubious dossier a do-over via op-ed in November 2019 under the headline “Don’t Let Trump Rewrite History.”

Savage wrote:

Former President Donald J. Trump and his allies have stepped up an effort to conflate the so-called Steele dossier with the Russia investigation following the indictment of a researcher for the document on charges that he lied to the F.B.I. Find out more about the sources.

Mr. Trump and his supporters have long sought to use the flaws of the dossier to discredit the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election — and the nature of numerous links between Russia and the Trump campaign — as a “hoax.”

The evidence suggests that this dossier is tangentially related to Russia’s investigation.We take a look at some facts.

Many details that had not been immediately evident about the dossier are now more obvious. It grew out of a political opposition research effort to dig up information about Mr. Trump funded by Hillary Clinton’s campaign and the Democratic Party….

“Not immediately apparent” because the TimesAnd the rest of anti-Trump Press had no incentive look further?

Savage did his best to downplay the phony dossier’s significance.

….when counterintelligence agents launched the effort on July 30, 2016, they did not yet know about the dossier….

Savage cites as strong evidence to launch the Russia investigation some alcohol-fueled rambling from Trump campaign foreign policy consultant George Papadopoulos at a London wine bar.

Instead, the basis of the investigation was that WikiLeaks disrupted Democratic National Convention through the release Democratic emails thought to be stolen by Russian hackers. An Australian diplomat claimed that a Trump campaign adviser in foreign policy had told him of an apparent Russian outreach, including an offer to assist the campaign. Information that Mrs. Clinton finds damaging is anonymously released.

He had to admit the FBI took investigative steps based on the dossier, including lies by the FBI to wiretap Trump campaign adviser Carter Page, which he euphemistically termed “numerous flaws in those wiretap applications.”

Savage promised readers:

Although the wiretap of Mr. Page has received significant attention, it was a small part of the overall investigation….

Savage continued to deny responsibility.

Nevertheless, this dossier didn’t create an atmosphere of suspicion. Mr. Trump’s relationship with Russia had been a topic of significant discussion dating back to the campaign….

Savage then suggested vague suspicions that Trump might be involved, as if these were somehow sufficient for the years-long investigation.

One reason: Trump. Several flattering comments were made about Russian President Vladimir V. Putin. bringing on advisers with Relations with Russia Had financial connections to Russia He encouraged Russia to hack Hillary Clinton and the party was voted into office at his convention A plank was dropped that called for Ukraine to be armed against Russian-backed rebels….