538
Very short chapter-augment?
Alexander van der Zwaan is a perfect example of why the rush by Trump loyalists to dismiss various witnesses as marginal to the campaign or flakes misses the point. Coming in, Van der Zwaan certainly seemed like a bit player relative to the Russia investigation. He was an associate of Manafort’s deputy, Rick Gates. But then Van der Zwaan perjured himself-which led to a recent sentence of 30 days.
And it’s emerged that Van der Zwaan knows key information that is ‘not widely known.’
“dSpecial counsel Robert Mueller’s office is defending an agreement it made with a Dutch lawyer tied to former Trump deputy campaign chairman Rick Gates to waive his right to request public records.”
Defending it-as Manafort’s lawyers are quibbling about it.
“In a new court filing, prosecutors make clear that Alex van der Zwaan knows key details about Mueller’s ongoing investigation.”
“Van der Zwaan is in an unusual position of having information related to the office’s investigation that is not widely known — including information that he knows first-hand due to his role in the conduct the Office is investigating,” the filing on Monday morning says.
Last week, prosecutors revealed that van der Zwaan was privy to fall 2016 communications between Gates and a person with ties to the Russian military intelligence service, and that his knowledge of those communications was relevant to the investigation.”
That person is believed to be Konstantin Kilimnik-a long time associate of Manafort’s.
Van der Zwaan’s forfeiture of his Freedom of Information Act ability prevents him from interfering with the Mueller investigation by requesting documents from it, tipping others off to “investigative facts that are otherwise not known” and burdening the office with freedom of information tasks, the prosecutors told the judge Monday. The filing notes “the scarce resources of the special counsel’s office” and how it may face “drain” if asked to “assemble records and to help explain to others both their significance and the potential that their release could harm the ongoing investigation.”
No doubt that’s part of Manafort’s gripe: der Zwaan and his attorneys can’t tip Manafort off to ‘investigative facts not otherwise known’ and FOIA’s about these facts aren’t available.
As for marginal witnesses-this shows the folly in presuming that. The Trump team tried the same thing regarding Papadopoulos-dismissing him as a ‘coffee boy’-how many coffee boys meet foreign dignitaries on behalf of campaigns? But it emerged that Papadopoulos’ conversations with Australia’s top diplomat regarding emails hacked by the Russians to damage Hillary Clinton is what started the Russia investigation.
When the Trump Tower Russia meeting emerged the Trump supporters tried the same tactic: Goldstone looks like a flake, he’s 400 pounds, surely the Russian government wouldn’t use him. But if you understand the logic of espionage, it makes perfect sense for them to use an apparent flake like Goldstone-that’s what you want in a cutout.
UPDATE: It’s not clear to this day-15 months later and post the release of the redacted Mueller Report-and Mueller’s public testimony- what those ‘key details’ his lawyers claimed he was privy to.