Thread: British intelligence passed Trump associates' communications with Russians on to US

British intelligence passed Trump associates' communications with Russians on to US counterparts

By Jim Sciutto, Pamela Brown and Eric Bradner, CNN
Updated 4:17 PM ET, Thu April 13, 2017

Washington (CNN)British and other European intelligence agencies intercepted communications between associates of Donald Trump and Russian officials and other Russian individuals during the campaign and passed on those communications to their US counterparts, US congressional and law enforcement and US and European intelligence sources tell CNN.

The communications were captured during routine surveillance of Russian officials and other Russians known to western intelligence. British and European intelligence agencies, including GCHQ, the British intelligence agency responsible for communications surveillance, were not proactively targeting members of the Trump team but rather picked up these communications during what's known as "incidental collection," these sources tell CNN.

The European intelligence agencies detected multiple communications over several months between the Trump associates and Russian individuals -- and passed on that intelligence to the US. The US and Britain are part of the so-called "Five Eyes" agreement (along with Canada, Australia and New Zealand), which calls for open sharing among member nations of a broad range of intelligence.

The communications are likely to be scrutinized as part of the Senate Intelligence Committee's investigation into Russia's efforts to meddle in the 2016 presidential election.

"If foreign intelligence agencies share information with US intelligence, and it's relevant to the investigation, then of course the intelligence committee will look at it," a source close to the Senate investigation told CNN.

GCHQ's surveillance became politically sensitive when Trump -- citing an uncorroborated Fox News report -- claimed that Britain had tapped his phones in Trump Tower at former President Barack Obama's behest.

White House press secretary Sean Spicer repeated Trump's claim and cited Fox News' reporting about GCHQ's surveillance to reporters in the briefing room. "Judge Andrew Napolitano made the following statement, quote, 'Three intelligence sources have informed Fox News that President Obama went outside the chain of command (to spy on Trump). He didn't use the NSA, he didn't use the CIA ... he used GCHQ,'" Spicer told journalists.

Those comments angered British officials. After Spicer's remarks, White House officials told CNN British ambassador to the US Kim Darroch and Sir Mark Lyall Grant, national security adviser to Prime Minister Theresa May, "expressed their concerns to Spicer and Trump national security adviser H.R. McMaster" in two separate conversations.

The GCHQ also issued a statement saying: "Recent allegations made by media commentator Judge Andrew Napolitano about GCHQ being asked to conduct 'wire tapping' against the then President-elect are nonsense. They are utterly ridiculous and should be ignored."

Last month, Senate Intelligence Chairman Richard Burr, R-North Carolina, said that "based on the information available to us, we see no indications that Trump Tower was the subject of surveillance by any element of the United States government either before or after Election Day 2016."

http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/13/politi....html?adkey=bn

British spies were first to spot Trump team's links with Russia

Exclusive: GCHQ is said to have alerted US agencies after becoming aware of contacts in 2015

It is understood that GCHQ was not carrying out a targeted operation against Trump or his team, but picked up the alleged conversations by chance. Photograph: Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA

Luke Harding, Stephanie Kirchgaessner and Nick Hopkins
Thursday 13 April 2017 09.39 EDTLast modified on Thursday 13 April 2017 17.00 EDT

Britain’s spy agencies played a crucial role in alerting their counterparts in Washington to contacts between members of Donald Trump’s campaign team and Russian intelligence operatives, the Guardian has been told.

GCHQfirst became aware in late 2015 of suspicious “interactions” between figures connected to Trump and known or suspected Russian agents, a source close to UK intelligence said. This intelligence was passed to the US as part of a routine exchange of information, they added.

Over the next six months, until summer 2016, a number of western agencies shared further information on contacts between Trump’s inner circle and Russians, sources said.

The European countries that passed on electronic intelligence – known as sigint – included Germany, Estonia and Poland. Australia, a member of the “Five Eyes” spying alliance that also includes the US, UK, Canada and New Zealand, also relayed material, one source said.

Another source suggested the Dutch and the French spy agency, the General Directorate for External Security or DGSE, were contributors.

It is understood that GCHQ was at no point carrying out a targeted operation against Trump or his team or proactively seeking information. The alleged conversations were picked up by chance as part of routine surveillance of Russian intelligence assets.

Over several months, different agencies targeting the same people began to see a pattern of connections that were flagged to intelligence officials in the US.

The issue of GCHQ’s role in the FBI’s ongoing investigation into possible cooperation between the Trump campaign and Moscow is highly sensitive. In March Trump tweeted that Barack Obama had illegally “wiretapped” him in Trump Tower.

Donald Trump's first 100 days as president – daily updates


The White House press secretary, Sean Spicer, claimed the “British spying agency” GCHQ had carried out the bugging. Spicer cited an unsubstantiated report on Fox News. Fox later distanced itself from the report.

The claims prompted an extremely unusual rebuke from GCHQ, which generally refrains from commenting on all intelligence matters. The agency described the allegations first made by a former judge turned media commentator, Andrew Napolitano, as “nonsense”.

“They are utterly ridiculous and should be ignored,” a spokesperson for GCHQ said.

Instead both US and UK intelligence sources acknowledge that GCHQ played an early, prominent role in kickstarting the FBI’s Trump-Russia investigation, which began in late July 2016.

One source called the British eavesdropping agency the “principal whistleblower”.

The Guardian has been told the FBI and the CIA were slow to appreciate the extensive nature of contacts between Trump’s team and Moscow ahead of the US election. This was in part due to US law that prohibits US agencies from examining the private communications of American citizens without warrants. “They are trained not to do this,” the source stressed.

“It looks like the [US] agencies were asleep,” the source added. “They [the European agencies] were saying: ‘There are contacts going on between people close to Mr Trump and people we believe are Russian intelligence agents. You should be wary of this.’

“The message was: ‘Watch out. There’s something not right here.’”



Robert Hannigan delivering a speech at GCHQ in Cheltenham in 2015. Photograph: Ben Birchall/Reuters

According to one account, GCHQ’s then head, Robert Hannigan, passed material in summer 2016 to the CIA chief, John Brennan. The matter was deemed so sensitive it was handled at “director level”. After an initially slow start, Brennan used GCHQ information and intelligence from other partners to launch a major inter-agency investigation.

In late August and September Brennan gave a series of classified briefings to the Gang of Eight, the top-ranking Democratic and Republican leaders in the House and Senate. He told them the agency had evidence the Kremlin might be trying to help Trump to win the presidency, the New York Times reported.


One person familiar with the matter said Brennan did not reveal sources but made reference to the fact that America’s intelligence allies had provided information. Trump subsequently learned of GCHQ’s role, the person said.
The person described US intelligence as being “very late to the game”. The FBI’s director, James Comey, altered his position after the election and Trump’s victory, becoming “more affirmative” and with a “higher level of concern”.
Comey’s apparent shift may have followed a mid-October decision by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (Fisa) court to approve a secret surveillance order. The order gave permission for the Department of Justice to investigate two banks suspected of being part of the Kremlin’s undercover influence operation.
According to the BBC, the justice department’s request came after a tipoff from an intelligence agency in one of the Baltic states. This is believed to be Estonia.
The Washington Post reported on Wednesday that the same order covered Carter Page, one of Trump’s associates. It allowed the FBI and the justice department to monitor Page’s communications. Page, a former foreign policy aide, was suspected of being an agent of influence working for Russia, the paper said, citing US officials.

The application covered contacts Page allegedly had in 2013 with a Russian foreign intelligence agent, and other undisclosed meetings with Russian operatives, the Post said. Page denies wrongdoing and complained of “unjustified, politically motivated government surveillance”.
Late last year Comey threw more FBI resources into what became a far-reaching counter-intelligence investigation. In March he confirmed before the House intelligence committee that the agency was examining possible cooperation between Moscow and members of the Trump campaign to sway the US election.

Comey and the NSA director, Admiral Michael Rogers, said there was no basis for the president’s claim that he was a victim of Obama “wiretapping”. Trump had likened the unproved allegation to “McCarthyism”.
Britain’s MI6 spy agency played a part in intelligence sharing with the US, one source said. MI6 declined to comment. Its former chief Sir Richard Dearlove described Trump’s wiretapping claim on Thursday as “simply deeply embarrassing for Trump and the administration”.


“The only possible explanation is that Trump started tweeting without understanding how the NSA-GCHQ relationship actually works,” Dearlove told Prospect magazine.
A GCHQ spokesperson said: “It is longstanding policy that we do not comment on intelligence matters”.
It is unclear which individuals were picked up by British surveillance.
In a report last month the New York Times, citing three US intelligence officials, said warning signs had been building throughout last summer but were far from clear. As WikiLeaks published emails stolen from the Democratic National Committee, US agencies began picking up conversations in which Russians were discussing contacts with Trump associates, the paper said.
European allies were supplying information about people close to Trump meeting with Russians in Britain, the Netherlands and in other countries, the Times said.
There are now multiple investigations going on in Washington into Trump campaign officials and Russia. They include the FBI-led counter-espionage investigation and probes by both the House and Senate intelligence committees.
Adam Schiff, the senior Democrat on the House committee, has expressed an interest in hearing from Christopher Steele, the former MI6 officer whose dossier accuses the president of long-term cooperation with Vladimir Putin’s Moscow. Trump and Putin have both dismissed the dossier as fake.

One source suggested the official investigation was making progress. “They now have specific concrete and corroborative evidence of collusion,” the source said. “This is between people in the Trump campaign and agents of [Russian] influence relating to the use of hacked material.”

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/...m-links-russia

So British Intelligence lied. Trump was right. Judge Napolitano was right. The British government hated Trump because he supported Brexit. Sorry boys, but you were spying on our political candidates trying to interfere with our democracy. It wasn't the Russians. It was the Brits.

Wow. Well, I wonder how soon May will apologize to Trump for that?

I'm looking forward to the names of the spies in Britain, the names of the "Russians" they were investigating, the names of the Trump "associates" they were spying on, and the entire text of the conversations, the entire text of the memos transmitting the information, and all the other garbage.

Fellow Americans, the day we let the Brits spy on Americans for any reason whatsoever is the day we lost our Revolution.

And they LIED about it. Oh this so sucks. Horrible behavior on the part of all the intelligence agencies.

And it's time they stop talking about "US intelligence officials". It's time they name the agency involved in this.

I'm ready to shut down the NSA and recall any and all of this technology that has been shared with foreign intelligence agencies. I'm also ready for a law that forbids any FBI surveillance under a FISA warrant on any American. PERIOD. ZERO. ZIP.

I want a full pardon for Ed Snowden so he can come home and tell US everything he knows in public, on television, in every newspaper that will print it. Our national security doesn't ride on this NSA crap. Our liberty is being destroyed by it.

It's time to end it, now.

Boy am I steamed!!

GRRRRR!!!!

GCHQ was spying on the Russians and heard a call to them from an American who was connected to Trump , according to the article.

"GCHQ first became aware in late 2015 of suspicious “interactions” between figures connected to Trump and known or suspected Russian agents, a source close to UK intelligence said. This intelligence was passed to the US as part of a routine exchange of information, they added."

The information gathered by GCHQ – described by one source as the “principal whistleblower” – was said to have been picked up as part of the routine surveillance of Russian intelligence assets.


The Guardian said it understood that GCHQ at no point conducted any targeted operation against Mr Trump or members of his team and that the agency had not been proactively seeking information.

The claims are highly sensitive after Mr Trump last month alleged that President Barack Obama had illegally “wiretapped” him in Trump Tower.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/pa/...#ixzz4eBDPXmiQ

Originally Posted by JohnDoe2

GCHQ was spying on the Russians and heard a call to them from an American who was connected to Trump , according to the article.

"GCHQ first became aware in late 2015 of suspicious “interactions” between figures connected to Trump and known or suspected Russian agents, a source close to UK intelligence said. This intelligence was passed to the US as part of a routine exchange of information, they added."

Oh good grief, JD2. Grow up.

Originally Posted by JohnDoe2

The information gathered by GCHQ – described by one source as the “principal whistleblower” – was said to have been picked up as part of the routine surveillance of Russian intelligence assets.


The Guardian said it understood that GCHQ at no point conducted any targeted operation against Mr Trump or members of his team and that the agency had not been proactively seeking information.

The claims are highly sensitive after Mr Trump last month alleged that President Barack Obama had illegally “wiretapped” him in Trump Tower.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/pa/...#ixzz4eBDPXmiQ

All liars. They were spying on Trump to get dirt to try to leak it to defeat him because he supported Brexit and the the British government wanted to stay with the EU. Get real, JD2. Open your eyes. Can't you see what is going on here? Russia is no threat to Britain and never has been. There's no reason to be spying on "suspected Russian operatives". That is so phony and ridiculous, it's hilarious. They're supposed to be using this surveillance to catch terrorists not spy on Russians and when or if they stumble on to a political campaign in another country, there is absolutely no protocol whatsoever to "pass it on". Our own government has no authority to spy on our campaign staff, supporters, voters, workers or candidates.

What is with your obsessive never ending love affair with the Russians.

Well, I like the Russians. They're very smart people. They're very tough people. They don't whine or beg. They endure hardships with dignity. They are nationalists. They don't hurt our industries or trade, they don't flood US with illegal aliens or immigrants. They don't accept or demand aid from US.

And we wouldn't have won WWII without them. They suffered incredible human losses during WWII, the most of any country, over 28 million Russians died in that war. Their country was devastated by the human loss. They got to Germany before we did, they found the Concentration Camps and set the people free. They finished off Germany. After the war, they were offered but refused to accept aid to rebuild their country from the United States. The only country not to do so.

China took aid, Great Britain took aid, France, Italy, Germany, Philippines, Japan, all of the other countries took aid from the United States to rebuild after the war, except ... Russia. They rebuilt on their own and rebuilt the countries with them in their "bloc" instead of using our money to do so.

They are romantic country, they love art, culture, great books, literature, architecture. They love inventing stuff to help their people, inexpensive medicines for example. They are a very sweet people inside all the toughness. They are also a very good people, mostly Christian like most of US. The Russians admire US, they always have. They never say anything rude or ugly about US. They are our Ole Ally, there's an historical bond there that can never be erased.

They are this wonderful country of people that to me has been wildly abused by the very people it sacrificed 28 million of its own citizens to save. Russia saved Europe and millions of American lives, possibly even our country.

It seems to me that this whole "hate on Russia" mantra has been a cruel treatment of a nation of people to whom we owe a great deal for our own existence.

And we have so much in common with them. They love to farm, they like to produce, they like to invent, they like to compete, they like to party and have fun. We have so much more in common with the Russians than we do a great many other countries, yet our government and the sheeple that listen to it keep a false divide, a separation, that to me is completely inexplicable.

I've liked the Russians since I was 13 and read War and Peace. I majored in International Relations with a minor in Economics, and in my International Relations classes, we studied Russia, because they were the topic of the times. I had very good professors who in those days were interested in facts, not mantra, truth not agendas.

If the United States would end its useless abuse of Russia and become friends, there is no end to the wonderful things we could and would do together that would be not only mutually beneficial and enjoyable for ourselves but very rewarding to the world. It would of course be the Globalists Worst Nightmare which is of course why they work so hard to keep our nations apart.

Why do you not like the Russians? Do you work for the government?