Volume V, Parts 6 and 7: 40 Pages of Saying There is Nothing There

 

We are now reaching the un-juiciest part of the Volume V (it perks up in the end).  This part tracks down rumors of improper conduct that did not pan out.

First is Carter Page.  Carter Page formerly lived in Moscow, working for Merrill-Lynch in its dealings with Russian oil companies.  Page had dealings with both US and Russian intelligence and apparently gave proprietary information to the Russians and came under counter-intelligence investigation.  He also did work on behalf of the CIA, so it was not always clear who was spying on whom.  Much of this stage of his career is (understandably) redacted.  

Carter Page

Page's role with the Trump campaign was minimal.  He was considered the only foreign policy advisor who was an expert on Russia, but never met either Trump or Manafort.  He made one attempt to set a meeting with Putin that went nowhere, but was never as persistent as Papadopoulos.  His role appears to have been limited to writing a few pro-Russia papers and speeches.

Page did, famously, travel to Moscow in July, 2016 and give a speech to the graduating class condemning US calls for greater democracy and meddling. The Steele Dossier says that it was at this time that Page met with Russian officials to talk about compromat and a possible bribe.  Volume V assesses Page as too low-ranking and without sufficient connections to be of any value to the Russians, although the Russians did not necessarily know that.  Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov decided not to meet with Page because he was not important enough to bother with.  Page reported to the campaign that Russians from the corridors of power to the man on the street were all eager for improve relations. The Committee was unable to determine exactly what Page did in Moscow, but found no evidence of anything improper.

Nonetheless, Page's speech attracted unwelcome publicity. People with access to the Steele Dossier hinted at something sinister.  Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid dropped such hints in August, and Michael Isikoff of Yahoo ran a story accusing Page of meeting with sanctioned individuals while in Moscow.  The negative publicity was enough to persuade the Trump campaign to fire Page.  Approval for a FISA wiretap occurred nearly a month after Page was fired.

In short, if this were a spy movie or mystery novel, Page would be a classic red herring -- someone who looks sinister, but proves to be completely harmless.

Sergei Kislyak, not Jabba

Part 7 deals with a foreign policy speech Trump gave at the Mayflower Hotel.  The event was organized by a non-partisan think tank.  The speech included a few pro-Russian paragraphs and some disparagement of allies, but was completely standard fare for Trump.  It attracted attention only because Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak (not to be confused with Jabba the Hutt) was present and some people wondered if there were improper communications or influence.  Jeff Sessions was one of the people present and recused himself from investigation because of it.  The Mueller investigation already determined that the meeting was completely innocent.  Volume V agrees, saying that, at most, Team Trump had a general meet-and-greet that included Kislyak, and that none of them even knew who he was until later.

In short, these two sections take about 40 pages to say, "Nothing to see there.  Move along."