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For years the GOP had been the rabid anti Russia party and then came the party’s 2016 convention where everything changed. Language hostile to Russia’s position in Ukraine was removed. What explained this abrupt shift? Mueller is asking the same question:
“Investigators probing whether Donald Trump’s presidential campaign colluded with Russia have been questioning witnesses about events at the 2016 Republican National Convention, according to two sources familiar with Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s inquiries.”
“Mueller’s team has been asking about a convention-related event attended by both Russia’s U.S. ambassador and Jeff Sessions, the first U.S. senator to support Trump and now his attorney general, said one source, who requested anonymity due to the ongoing investigation.”
“Another issue Mueller’s team has been asking about is how and why Republican Party platform language hostile to Russia was deleted from a section of the document related to Ukraine, said another source who also requested anonymity.”
“Mueller’s interest in what happened at the Republican convention in Cleveland, Ohio in July 2016, is an indication that Trump campaign contacts and actions related to Russia remain central to the special counsel’s investigation.”
Investigators are interested in the content of Sessions conversations with Kisylak et. al.
“Investigators have asked detailed questions about conversations that Sessions, then a Trump campaign adviser, had at a convention event attended by then-Russian Ambassador to the United States Sergei Kislyak, said the first source, who was questioned by Mueller about the event.”
There’s also interest in any conversations he had with Kislyak at Trump’s Mayflower Hotel speech in April 2016:
“The same source said Mueller’s team also has been asking whether Sessions had private discussions with Kislyak on the sidelines of a campaign speech Trump gave at Washington’s Mayflower Hotel in April 2016.”
“Sessions’ spokespersons have denied repeatedly that he had any private discussions with Kislyak at the Mayflower. Sessions told lawmakers last year he could not recall any conversations with Russian officials at the hotel but could not rule out that a “brief interaction” with Kislyak may have occurred there.”
Of course, as we know from the recent indictment of Manafort and Rick Gates’ lawyer buddy Alex van der Zwaan-what is an ‘innocuous’ conversation is in the eye of the beholder.
I began writing about J.D. Gordon's presence and role at (a) RNC meetings, and (b) Trump's April '16 "Mayflower Speech," in March 2017; now Mueller is asking the same questions. I said Gordon would be a Mueller witness; a year later, he is or soon will be. https://t.co/yzbjgvb7QQ
— Seth Abramson (@SethAbramson) March 29, 2018
UPDATE: Sessions word has hardly been his bond-or remotely reliable throughout.
Here was news of his interview with Mueller back in January, 2018.
As for the change in the GOP platform this is at the forefront of the Quid of the Quid pro Quo in Russian Collusion Conspiracy.
A change in US policy on the Ukraine was one policy benefit Russia received for its election assistance-along with a role back in sanctions.
According to the Dossier, Carter Page was offered a 19% stake in Rosnet in exchange for getting Trump to change the GOP platform. In a total coinkydink that platform change was granted and in another total coinkydink a 19.5% stake in Rosnet was awarded to Qatar after the election-which also had a role in the Russian Conspiracy, the Russian Conspiracy wasn’t only about Russia.
See also:
https://www.businessinsider.com/carter-page-trump-russia-igor-sechin-dossier-2017-1
Carter Page just so happened to be seen at Rosnet’s corporate headquarters that day.
Find report on that Mike.