GOP Activist Peter W. Smith Reportedly Raised $100K From Secret Donors in Hunt for Clinton Emails
Source: The Daily Beast
Peter W. Smith had reportedly planned to give some of the money to a scholarship fund for Russian students that may or may not exist.
Allison Quinn
10.07.18 9:20 AM ET
Longtime Republican activist Peter W. Smith raised at least $100,000 from unidentified donors for a "scholarship fund…for Russian students" as part of an effort to obtain emails stolen by hackers from Hillary Clinton ahead of the 2016 presidential election, The Wall Street Journal reports.
Smith’s activities were first reported by the Journal in 2017, when federal investigators first began zeroing in on his financial transactions to determine whether he had paid any members of the Russian government as part of the effort. Smith’s activities have reportedly warranted special scrutiny because the opposition researcher himself is said to have told acquaintances he was working with Michael Flynn, who was then a top adviser to candidate-Trump and later went on to become one of the first former Trump aides to be indicted in Mueller’s ongoing Russia investigation.
New details revealed by the Journal on Sunday suggest Smith’s activities were far more extensive than previously known and may very well have involved Russian figures. Smith is said to have collected at least $100,000 from four wealthy donors and gone to great lengths to keep their identities secret, using encrypted email accounts and having his associates communicate with him by using the “Draft” folder in a Gmail account they all shared under the pseudonym “Robert Tyler.” Another $50,000 that went toward the so-called “Clinton Email Reconnaissance Initiative” was provided by Smith himself, according to the report, though it was not immediately clear if he acquired the money from other individuals.
One email reportedly referenced plans to give part of the money raised to a scholarship fund for Russian students. “This $100k total with the $50k received from you will allow us to fund the Washington Scholarship Fund for the Russian students for the promised $150K,” the Journal quoted the email as saying. The writer was identified only as “Rob,” and there does not appear to be any scholarship fund with that name offering assistance to Russian students. The email went on to include the cryptic message: “The students are very pleased with the email releases they have seen, and are thrilled with their educational advancement opportunities.” The email reportedly came shortly after WikiLeaks began releasing hacked Democratic emails.
Read more: https://www.thedailybeast.com/gop-activist-peter-w-smith-reportedly-raised-dollar100k-from-secret-donors-in-hunt-for-clinton-emails?ref=home
= new reply since forum marked as read
Follow the money! 
Took the words right out of my mouth when I saw your post!
(college studies would be in quotes 
)
