Bipartisan Senate committee 'had significant challenges' understanding Carter Page's activities in Moscow
The Senate Intelligence Committee apparently had trouble getting useful information out of former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page, who despite keeping "meticulous records" of his daily routines, couldn't "recall any details of his trips to Moscow" while he was working for the campaign in the lead up to the 2016 election.
During a 6.5 hour interview with the bipartisan committee, Page reportedly gave "avoidant" and "meandering" answers to basic questions. He also couldn't remember the names of senior Russian officials with whom he met, even though he apparently used "his engagements with them to build his credentials within the campaign."
Bipartisan portion of the report says the Intelligence Committee had trouble getting to the bottom of what Carter Page did while in Russia during Trump campaign. pic.twitter.com/3le02BgD6M
— Charlie Savage (@charlie_savage) August 18, 2020
Additionally, while the report acknowledged significant errors with the FISA applications that allowed the FBI to surveil Page, it did conclude the bureau was justified in launching counterintelligence in the first place because of Page's ties to Russian intelligence.
Bipartisan portion of the report says the FBI was justified in launching a counterintelligence investigation into Page given his ties to Russian intelligence, notwithstanding the problems with the FISA applications pic.twitter.com/KWXVn6XcFh
— Charlie Savage (@charlie_savage) August 18, 2020
The committee's report did not find any evidence that the Trump campaign, including Page, colluded with the Kremlin on its 2016 election interference operation.
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