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National Convention about the Trump Campaign's involvement in changing the Republican platform's stance on giving "weapons to Ukraine to fight Russian and rebel forces."[1]
- 2. The Trump Campaign Reacts to WikiLeaks's Release of Hacked Emails
On June 14, 2016, a cybersecurity firm that had conducted in-house analysis for the Democratic National Committee (DNC) posted an announcement that Russian government hackers had infiltrated the DNC's computer and obtained access to documents.[2]
On July 22, 2016, the day before the Democratic National Convention, WikiLeaks posted thousands of hacked DNC documents revealing sensitive internal deliberations.[3] Soon thereafter, Hillary Clinton's campaign manager publicly contended that Russia had hacked the DNC emails and arranged their release in order to help candidate Trump.[4] On July 26, 2016, the New York Times reported that U.S. "intelligence agencies ha[d] told the White House they now have 'high confidence' that the Russian government was behind the theft of emails and documents from the Democratic National Committee."[5]
Within the Trump Campaign, aides reacted with enthusiasm to reports of the hacks.[6] Harm to Ongoing Matter discussed with Campaign officials that WikiLeaks would release the hacked material.[7] Some witnesses said that Trump himself discussed the possibility of upcoming releasesHOM. Michael Cohen, then-executive vice president of the Trump Organization and special counsel to Trump, recalled hearingHarm to Ongoing Matter.[8] Cohen recalled that Trump responded, "oh good, alright,"
- ↑ Josh Rogin, Trump campaign guts GOP 's anti-Russia stance on Ukraine, Washington Post, Opinions (July 18, 2016). The Republican Platform events are described in Volume I, Section IV.A.6, supra.
- ↑ Bears in the Midst: Intrusion into the Democratic National Committee, CrowdStrike (June 15, 2016) (post originally appearing on June 14, 2016, according to records of the timing provided by CrowdStrike); Ellen Nakashima, Russian government hackers penetrated DNC, stole opposition research on Trump, Washington Post (June 14, 2016).
- ↑ Tom Hamburger and Karen Tumulty, WikiLeaks releases thousands of documents about Clinton and internal deliberations, Washington Post (July 22, 2016).
- ↑ Amber Phillips, Clinton campaign manager: Russians leaked Democrats' emails to help Donald Trump, Washington Post (July 24, 2016).
- ↑ David E. Sanger and Eric Schmitt, Spy Agency Consensus Grows That Russia Hacked D.N.C., New York Times (July 26, 2016).
- ↑ Gates 4/10/18 302, at 5; Newman 8/23/18 302, at 1.
- ↑ Gates 4/11/18 302, at 2–3 (SM-2180998); Gates 10/25/18 302, at 2; see also Volume I, Section III.D. l, supra.
- ↑ Cohen 8/7/18 302, at 8; see also Volume I, Section III.D. l, supra. According to Cohen, after WikiLeaks's subsequent release of stolen DNC emails on July 22, 2016, Trump said to Cohen words to the effect of,HOM Cohen 9/18/18 302, at 10. Cohen's role in the candidate's and later
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