The dossier quoted a Russian as saying that a deal had been arranged “with the full knowledge and support of Trump” and
that in exchange for Russian help, “the Trump team agreed to sideline Russian intervention in Ukraine as a campaign issue.” James Clapper, the American former national intelligence director, says he saw no evidence of such collusion but favors an investigation to get to the bottom of it.
A well-regarded Russia expert formerly with MI6, Christopher Steele, produced a now-famous dossier alleging
that Russia made compromising videos of Trump in 2013, and that members of the Trump team colluded with the Kremlin to interfere with the U. S. election.
“Repeated” and “constant” contacts between Trump officials
and Russian intelligence, as reported by and CNN, are underscored by intercepts of communications involving Russian officials, and by the British and Dutch governments monitoring meetings in Europe between Russians and members of the Trump team.
As early as August, two months before her campaign chairman John Podesta’s emails were released, Stone tweeted: “Trust me, it will soon [be]
Podesta’s time in the barrel.” In October, six days before a dump of Clinton campaign emails, Stone tweeted: “HillaryClinton is done.
That includes the most towering suspicion of all: that Trump’s team colluded in some way with Russia to interfere with the U. S. election.