Joe Hockey discussed Alexander Downer's Russia revelations with FBI

[DonViejo]

Source: Sydney Morning Herald


JANUARY 2 2018 - 12:34AM

David Wroe

The ambassador to the United States Joe Hockey personally steered Australia's dealings with the FBI on explosive revelations of Russian hacking during last year's presidential campaign in a sign of how politically sensitive the Australian government regarded the bombshell discovery, Fairfax Media understands.

It is also understood there is now annoyance and frustration in Canberra that the High Commissioner to Britain Alexander Downer has been outed through leaks by US officials as the source of information that played a role in sparking an FBI probe into the Trump campaign's dealings with Moscow.

Fairfax Media has confirmed independently that the conversation first reported by The New York Times took place. In May 2016, Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos told Mr Downer over drinks at an upscale London wine bar that the Russians had a dirt file on rival candidate Hillary Clinton in the form of hacked Democratic Party emails. Mr Downer conveyed the conversation to Canberra via an official cable, though apparently not immediately perhaps because he did not take the 28-year-old adviser's claims altogether seriously until the hacked emails were released by Wikileaks in late July.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is planning a trip to the United States in February, Fairfax Media understands. Mr Turnbull said on Monday he was "not at all" worried that Australia's role in sparking the investigation that has become a consuming headache for Mr Trump would damage his relationship with the President. Beyond that he refused to comment.


Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/joe-hockey-discussed-downers-russia-revelations-with-fbi-20180101-h0c58c.html

[Roy Rolling]

1. Thank you Australia

The people of America appreciate your help.

[Eugene]

2. link

http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/joe-hockey-discussed-downers-russia-revelations-with-fbi-20180101-h0c58c.html

[Iliyah]

3. The whole GOPs are in the coverup of these shit.

[Sophia4]

4. There is commonly an assumption that the leak of the Papadopoulous

comment to the Australian ambassador was leaked by Mueller's investigation, or someone close to it.

But it could also be assumed that Trump and members of the White House knew this much of the information about the Russia investigation, that is that Papadopoulous set off the FBI investigation with his remark to the Australian.

The fact and content of that conversation would have been known to many people who had nothing to do with the Mueller investigation it seems to me. Trump may have known. Members of his legal team or staff may have known.

I don't think anyone can definitively say that the information came from Mueller or even from some Australian source.

We cannot know. We should not jump to conclusions.

[bucolic_frolic]

5. Well stated

and the Australians did not jump to conclusions either, waiting for confirmation of the emails publicly before
acting on their angle. True British stiff upper lip in my mind, handled diplomatically and prudently.

[dlwickham]

6. I thought Joe Hockey was the Canadian version of Joe Six-Pack

[Javaman]

7. Me too!

then I found out that was his real name!

that's like someone named Bob Baseball.